The Dog That Found the World Cup: 7 Absurd Moments in Football History
Football Stories
Watch enough football and you will eventually see something no screenwriter would dare to pitch. It sounds invented, but the records say otherwise, so there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Here are seven stories that always go down well at the pub.
Pickles, the dog who found the World Cup
In 1966, the World Cup trophy was stolen. The most famous prize in football had simply vanished, and the one who found it was a dog called Pickles, out on a walk.
His reward included a medal and a year's supply of food. He may well be the only figure in football history to make his name with his nose.
The red beach ball that beat Liverpool
Sunderland against Liverpool, 2009. Darren Bent's shot was heading towards goal when it met an unexpected defender: a red beach ball sitting on the pitch. The ball changed direction and went in.
The best part came later. The beach ball had a Liverpool logo on it. The club's own crest had helped put them behind.
The goal that came through a hole
In 2013, Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling headed the ball wide. It should have been a goal kick, except the ball slipped through a hole in the side netting and ended up inside the goal. It was in the net, so the referee gave the goal.
Nobody expects a small tear in some netting to decide a match, but here we are.
The man booked three times
Two yellow cards and you are off. Even people who never watch football know that one. Yet at the 2006 World Cup, Croatia's Josip Simunic was shown three yellow cards in a single match.
The referee missed that the second booking should have meant a sending-off. The red card only followed the third yellow. This was at a World Cup.
The trophy that went under the bus
Real Madrid's Copa del Rey parade, 2011. Sergio Ramos was holding the trophy on top of the bus when he dropped it. It fell to the road and the parade bus ran over it.
He helped win the cup. Keeping it in one piece was another matter.
The haircut that fooled the press
Mention Ronaldo at the 2002 World Cup and most people picture that haircut, with one small patch left at the front. It looked like a fashion disaster, but there was a plan behind it. He was tired of being asked about his leg injury, so he changed his hair.
It worked. The questions moved on to the hair.
The octopus who called the World Cup
One of the biggest stars of the 2010 World Cup was Paul, an octopus. He predicted winners by choosing between food boxes marked with national flags, and he got all seven of Germany's matches right, plus the final.
That is a better record than most pundits can claim, so the fame was probably deserved.
Some days football is less a sport than a sitcom. If you think you know your club's strangest moments, put that to the test.