Forget the Ballon d'Or, it's time to pick the year's best diver with Fallon d'Floor
UPDATE: Fallon d'Floor organiser's reply has been added to the story
The battle between the world's best footballers for the Ballon d'Or might be well under way.
But on the realm of the Internet, another annual football competition has just begun - although it might be an award no one will want to win.
A play on the name of Fifa's award for the world's best player of the year, the Fallon d'Floor award is looking to "crown" the best diver of 2014.
Started by software engineer Shahyar Ghobadpour, the inaugural Fallon d'Floor has six nominees who have taken the art of simulation to a new theatrical high (or low, depending on where you stand on the issue).
Mr Ghobadpour, who lives in Canada, told The New Paper in an e-mail interview: "The inspiration was a joke posted to Reddit regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's 'theatrics' at the Celta Vigo game this month. I took that joke quite seriously, and made it a real award."
Each nomination comes with a clever satirical title and movie poster befitting of their antics.
While Arjen Robben features for his dive that earned Holland the winning penalty against Mexico at the World Cup along with Luis Suarez's pathetic attempt to disguise his bite on Giorgio Chiellini by grabbing his mouth, Palermo's Costa Rican defender Giancarlo Gonzalez has to take the cake.
Playing for his former side, the Columbus Crew, in a Major League Soccer clash against the San Jose Earthquakes in April, Gonzalez, who later went on to play a part in his country's plucky campaign at the World Cup in June, fell like a sniper victim during an altercation after elbowing Chris Wondolowski in the back.
He was fined two days later by the US league's disciplinary committee for "embellishment".
For me, the way Gonzalez clutches his throat is a perfect impression of Admiral Motti getting Force choked by Darth Vader in the original Star Wars.
The Fallon d'Floor has also nominated other gems like Cristiano Ronaldo's delayed submarine dive against Celta Vigo and Brazil striker Fred's ridiculous falling to the floor to win a penalty against Croatia at the World Cup.
Rounding out the nominations is a representative from the English Championship by Leeds United's Brazilian midfielder Adryan for imitating a thrashing fish out of water when he was tackled by Derby County's Johnny Russell.
When asked what he wants to achieve through the award, Mr Ghobadpour said: "The first is the public humiliation that comes with being nominated for such an award, and winning it would be only so much worse. The second is that I'm hoping current footballers and pundits will bring some shame to these players for their actions."
The 27-year-old man who is of Persia descent added that he is "looking to put together an actual, physical award" for the winner.
Check out all the nominations and their awesome titles at www.fallondfloor.com and vote for your favourite dive of 2014.
Voting closes on Jan 10 next year, and the winner will be announced on Jan 11, one day before the Ballon d'Or.
Source: Fallon d'Floor
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