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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Well King, you went out on a limb ... and fell off. Sotirios Kyrgiakos is one of the scrappiest defenders in the German Bundesliga. He played for Frankfurt until this season, and he held the team's defense together, also scoring numerous goals by head shots in standard situations to help the team win. I've seen him in the stadium and on TV numerous times these past few seasons and cannot recall him ever feigning anything. Did you know that he broke his nose this season? Before his nose had healed entirely, he insisted on playing with a mask (in a game that requires repeated use of the forehead). He broke his nose a second time. We're talking complicated fracture. The guy barely has recovered from the second break and is playing for his country. Give him a break.
I saw the game you wrote about live on TV and have seen the replay numerous times. The angle from behind the goal is revealing. Here are some thoughts. First off, he got slammed to the ground pretty hard, and the other player's elbow was in his back. Maybe the wind got knocked out of him. Maybe he was afraid he was going to get kicked in the face for a third nose break and decided not to risk it. Certainly he realized that the goal went in. He wasn't feigning death, he was suffering from his team's pending defeat. He got back up and went on playing. He did not roll around and squirm in pain, real or imagined. He did not run to the ref and complain. He just got up and went on playing.
There is plenty of bad acting to go around in soccer, but I think you picked the wrong example with Kyrgiakos. He's a tough son of a bitch and he is for real. I'm sorry to see him leave Frankfurt. We'll miss him.
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