Italy 1990
West Germany v Argentina, Rome, Final
West Germany's meeting with Argentina was the worst World Cup final of all time, but featured one of the greatest dives the game has seen. On 65 minutes, Jürgen Klinsmann surged down the right, and Argentine defender Pedro Monzon tracked over to tackle him. The German striker threw himself to the ground with a remarkable dive that scored highly for both difficulty and artistic impression.
When he hit the deck, Klinsmann produced a brilliant body pop move off his shoulder, writhing his body off the ground like a break-dancer. Flamboyant referee Edgardo Codicil was definitely buying what Klinsmann was selling, and Monzon - who had only been on as a sub for 20 minutes - became the first man to be sent off in a final. Soon after that, teammate Gustavo Dezotti became the second, dismissed for a second yellow shortly after Andreas Brehme scored the only goal of a bad-tempered, dull game with a penalty.
A final to forget, but the legend of the diving Klinsmann – who later made fun of his reputation by celebrating goals with a tumble – was assured.
