10 of the Premier League's Biggest Cheats

Rules are made to be broken, they say. Those who stay on the right side of the line risk having no edge on the competition, it is claimed.

Football, like any other sport, has its fair share of people who see no problem with stepping outside of the laws of the game in order to gain any kind of advantage over the opposition.

Here are 10 Premier League players who regularly deceive and cheat. This is by no means a definitive list, so if you have any particular beefs with any other players, then share them with us.

Kevin Davies

The Bolton Wanderers captain is one from the old school, a proper English centre-forward who is not afraid to mix it up against the toughest defenders.

Davies is one of the most uncompromising players in the Premier League and seems like a very nice guy off the pitch, but he is not always the "honest" player he is often painted out as.

The striker is notorious for his use of the elbow whenever he leaps for the ball against a centre-back and has perfected a technique of doing so, which referees are reluctant to punish.

Didier Drogba

As you can probably guess, the majority of these entries are taken up with players who are well versed in the art of simulation, i.e. diving.

One of the finest practitioners of the dark art over the past decade or so in England has been Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. He has somehow managed to con countless referees into believing the slightest touch (if any) has hurt him despite being one of the most powerful players ever to grace the Premier League.

The Ivorian is a man for whom the comparison between a player diving and them being shot by a sniper could have been coined.

Morten Gamst Pedersen

Up until March 2009, Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen was chiefly famous for his long throws and scoring the occasional screamer.

After March 2009, however, the Norwegian midfielder also became synonymous with one of the worst attempts at winning a penalty you are ever likely to see.

Pedersen chased Benni McCarthy's ball into the Arsenal box and clearly looked around to see if the officials were looking before leaping to the floor in the most absurdly comical way with defender Bacary Sagna nowhere near him.

Fortunately for referee Phil Dowd, he was not conned by by Pedersen; otherwise, his reputation would have taken a real battering.

Sebastian Larsson

John Lennon once sang about instant karma, and that is certainly what appeared to be wrought upon Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson against Wolves last December.

With the Black Cats leading 1-0 at Molineux with less than 20 minutes remaining, the Swedish midfielder won a penalty by anticipating contact from defender Jody Craddock which never came and went to ground. It was enough to convince the referee, who pointed to the spot.

However, goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey saved Larsson's spot-kick, and less than 30 seconds later, Wolves went up the other end and scored the equaliser. The home side would go on to win the match, 2-1. 

Junior Hoilett

Another one of the most blatant dives to have fooled the referee this season was perpetrated by Blackburn's Junior Hoilett against Newcastle United.

The young Canadian's searing pace was enough to see him burst into the area but also made him lose control of the ball. In order to salvage the situation, he feigned contact from the innocent Fabricio Coloccini and threw himself to the turf like he had just hit a tripwire.

The officials bought it, and Newcastle's players were so enraged by the shameless act of deception that a big melee ensued, and Ryan Taylor was booked for his angry admonishment of Hoilett.

Robert Huth

Taking a little break from divers for a moment, Stoke City defender Robert Huth surely deserves a mention in amongst this rogue's gallery of serial offenders.

The big German centre-back uses every trick in the book to put off opposition attackers when defending set pieces, from pulling their shirts to getting them in a headlock.

For some reason, referees seem loath to penalise defenders who use these strong-arm tactics in their own penalty areas, and such a soft stance only encourages players like Huth to persist with them.

Gareth Bale

The much-vaunted Tottenham Hotspur winger is the reigning PFA Player of the Year, but he is rapidly seeing his reputation as a golden boy erode this season because of his diving.

The Welshman is the only player in the Premier League to have been booked twice for simulation this season, but he insists that he is merely trying to avoid injury rather than gain an unfair advantage. He said:

"

If people want to say I’m diving they can, but at the end of the day I’m trying to get out of the way and save myself and my career.

You’ve just got to try to be a bit clever about it. I’ve got a few people sent off this year by doing that.

When you have got people flying in at you all the time, it’s not really diving, you’re just trying to get out of the way of the challenges.

If you stand there you’re going to get a whack. At the end of the day I would rather dive than get hurt.

"

Nani

Manchester United winger Nani may be one of the most talented players in the Premier League, but he is also one of the most unpopular.

Considering the absurdly high level of skill he possesses, he has few fans outside of those who support his club, and even then, there are many of those who struggle to admire him.

The source of such antipathy comes from his propensity not only for theatrical dives, but also for his incessant whining and crying afterwards in an effort to get his opponent into further trouble. 

Joey Barton

For someone with such a violent past, you'd think Joey Barton would be the last person who would think about faking an injury in order to get an opponent sent off.

But that is exactly what the midfielder, then still at Newcastle, did against Arsenal at the start of the season.

Admittedly, Arsenal debutant Gervinho's attempt to win a penalty was cynical, but it was nothing compared to the way Barton hit the deck like a sack of potatoes and clutching his face after the lightest of touches from the Ivorian attacker.

Luis Suarez

The Liverpool forward has only been in England for little more than a year, but he already has a reputation as the dirtiest player in the game.

The Uruguayan uses every trick in the book to wind opposing players up, including pulling their hair and giving sly little kicks when they are on the ground.

All of this is, of course, in addition to an impressive array of dives and imaginary cards being waved, a skill which he is taking to new heights.