Talk about notable Premier League flops and someone will invaraibly mention Robinho.
Back in 2008, Man City traded several barrels of oil for the promising Brazilian forward.
Despite not adapting to life in England, he scored 14 league goals in his first season — not bad, right?
The main issue is his second season, when he was outscored by a bloody beach ball…
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17th October, 2009.
Sunderland host Liverpool at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League.
In the fifth minute of the game, the ball breaks to Darren Bent on the left-hand side of the box.
Bent displays wonderful vision to thread a firm throughball to the beach ball, who sweeps his finish past the helpless Pepe Reina.
The beach ball’s predatory strike proves to be winner as the game ends 1-0.
“These things happen,” said Rafa Bentitez after the game.
Sky Sports footage revealed that the ball had been thrown onto the pitch by a Liverpool fan.
Still, nothing to worry about, it’s not like it cost them anyth- oh hang on, says here that Liverpool finished 7th that season, one point behind Aston Villa.
That extra place would have earned them a few hundred thousand pounds.
Ah well, these things happen.
Liverpool were actually hard done by, to be fair.
The laws of the game state that if the ball strikes an ‘outside agent’ then the game should be stopped and restarted with a drop-ball after the object has been removed.
It was funny though, mostly because it gave us some alternative stats to mull over.
For example, the beach ball was Sunderland’s seventh top-scorer in the league that season.
It matched Jordan Henderson’s tally of one — Hendo featured in 33 league games that season.
As previously mentioned, the beach ball actually managed to outscore £32.5million Robinho, who failed to register in ten league appearances before being shipped back to Santos in January.
Speaking of impotent City Brazilians, Jo also failed to match the beach ball’s imposing total in 2009/10.
On loan at Everton, the struggling striker scored precisely zero goals in 15 league games.
Mido also managed no goals in nine appearances for West Ham in 2009/10.
At least Argentina international Franco Di Santo managed to match the beach ball with a solitary goal for Blackburn… from 22 games.
Alex Song, Anderson and Alberto Aquilani also just about drew level with the beach ball over the course of the season.
In conclusion, there should be a statue of a beach ball outside the Stadium of Light.
NEXT: A worrying number of people don’t know what a volley is — let’s set the record straight
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