I don’t really understand the whole ‘flopping’ aspect of soccer. But, love it or hate it, it’s definitely part of the game. Every few years, I wonder if the new wave of players will stop flopping as much and kind of change how the game is played, but they never do. It’s one of those if you can’t beat them then you have to join them situations.
However, there definitely is a line which players have to comfortably straddle in order to make their flops believable. And this player, Portland Timbers forward Lucas Melano, saw the line and pissed on it as he hurdled over it.
Get this kid a ribbon, because that’s the greatest flop I’ve ever seen. Listen, I get that the dude caught you off-balance and probably messed with your center of gravity, but a full front flip seems a bit excessive. I respect the hustle, though. You fucking went for it. My middle-school always used to tell me “Shoot for the moon because, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Granted, she was saying this to me because I wasn’t good at anything, but the main idea is still there. You went for the moon and missed. But it’s ok. Because, even though you completely beefed it on earning a penalty, you got the next best thing: Internet fame. Which is really what we all want.