Why do footballers lie down behind a wall for free-kicks?
FOOTBALLERS adopt odd habits during their time on the pitch and fans have began to notice a new one that has been formed in recent years.
When defending a free-kick, a player is often spotted laying down on the floor behind his team’s wall.
It has become a trend over recent seasons, with it now more common than not in football.
But why is this? We have all the information on why players opt to do this.
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Why do footballers lie down behind a wall for free-kicks?
A free-kick is awarded to a team when the referee deems their opponent to have committed a foul on their player.
Once this is awarded, if the free-kick is close enough for a player to have a strike at goal, a wall will be formed.
Players line up next to each other in a defensive structure to block part of the goal off in front of the free-kick taker, and this wall will often jump to reach the shot.
However, this jumping action can leave the wall exposed as there will be a gap from where they jump.
Therefore, teams now often line up with a player on the floor behind the wall to close off this opportunity.
Many players have scored free-kicks in the past by passing the ball under the wall and into the back of the net.
Putting a player on the floor reduces the chance of this happening, as he is there to cover any shot that goes under the wall.
This has become popular in recent years but was first noticed back in July 2013 as Brazilian footballer Ricardinho went viral for lying down behind the wall.
While this baffled fans at the time, he has become somewhat of a pioneer and laying down behind the wall has caught on in football.