“Do They Clown Each Other?”: 11X WSL Champ Kelly Slater Draws a Critical View of Soccer Players Amidst Diving Controversy at the FIFA World Cup

Legend Kelly Slater is an 11-time World Surfing League champion and the GOAT of the sport. The surfing icon has been surfing since a very young age and still hasn’t retired from the sport.

The 50-year-old often shares bold opinions and views on his various social media platforms. Amidst the recent FIFA World Cup “diving” controversy, Slater joined the discussion via his Instagram story and caught the soccer fans’ attention.

Surfer Kelly Slater joins the soccer community

Men’s soccer players are known for their “dramatic” actions and behavior on the football pitch. Videos of many players rolling on the ground fiercely without being seriously injured often surface on social media.

In the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup, star player Cristiano Ronaldo has also become a part of one such “diving” controversy. However, surfing legend Kelly Slater also seems surprised by the soccer players’ antics on the field. Slater shared a video on his Instagram story captioned – “And the Oscar goes to…😂”

The video shows Italian player Ciro Immobile falling to the ground after making slight contact with an opposition player. But, soon after his teammate scored a goal, he quickly got up from the ground to celebrate with his team, clearly indicating he faked the injury earlier.

Reacting to this hilarious video clip, Slater shared the story and wrote, “Soccer/Football players might be some of the fittest guys on earth with some of the best endurance of any athletes on earth but are they also the softest? Do they clown each other and laugh about it after the games? Interested to see the replies I get for this comment.😄🤦🏻”

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Although many soccer fans agree with this ridiculous behavior by their favorite players, Slater might still receive some backlash from the hardcore fans. The legendary surfer is no stranger to such replies and might take a dig at them too. However, Slater did not directly comment on the Ronaldo controversy.

What is the Cristiano Ronaldo “diving” controversy?

At the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup, the fan-favorite Portugal team faced Ghana for their first game. Fans were eager to see their favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in action for the World Cup.

However, during the second half, the legendary player received a penalty in the 64th minute. It was regarded that Ghana’s Mohammed Salisu fouled Ronaldo in the box. Ronaldo didn’t miss the opportunity and scored the goal from the spot, becoming the first men’s player to score a goal at five World Cups.

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However, soon after the penalty, fans had different opinions. The replays showed that Salisu had made contact with the ball and not the Portugal player. Many believe that Ronaldo purposely “dived” to gain a penalty for his team. It is not any new kind of debate in the soccer world, as players often fake fouls and injuries to gain benefits for their teams.