"Soccer: 90 minutes of pretending you are injured.…

“Footballers spend 90 minutes pretending they’re injured. Rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not” (or “Soccer: 90 minutes of pretending you are injured. Rugby: 80 minutes of pretending you are not”) is a saying that has been printed on many images. Authorship is unknown.

”(The difference between—ed.) footballers and us is that we spend 80 minutes pretending we’re not hurt and they spend 90 minutes pretending they are hurt” was printed in The Sun (London, UK) on February 7, 2006. “Reminds me of something I heard recently about the difference betwen rugby and football players. One lot spend 90 minutes pretending they’re hurt while the other spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not” was posted on the newsgroup rec.sport.cricket on September 21, 2006. “Footballers spend 90 minutes pretending to be hurt. Rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending not to be” (shown on a sign) was posted on Twitter by Mahosive Bolicks on January 19, 2018. “SOCCER: 90 MINUTES OF PRETENDING YOU ARE INJURED. RUGBY: 80 MINUTES OF PRETENDING YOU ARE NOT” (shown on an image) was posted on The Patriot Post on December 21, 2022.

7 February 2006, The Sun (London, UK), “No rugby player would dive like Robben” by Brian Moore, pg. 14:
”(The difference between—ed.) footballers and us is that we spend 80 minutes pretending we’re not hurt and they spend 90 minutes pretending they are hurt.”

Google Groups: rec.sport.cricket
Stupid game
Tids
Sep 21, 2006, 3:33:44 AM
(...)
Reminds me of something I heard recently about the difference betwen rugby and football players. One lot spend 90 minutes pretending they’re hurt while the other spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not.

8 October 2007, The Sun, (London, UK), “Scrum things about rugger,” pg. 13:
There’s a big difference between rugby and football—footballers spend 90 minutes pretending they’re hurt…rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not hurt.

Twitter
Ben Simon
@benjisimon
“Football [soccer] is 90 minutes of guys pretending they’re hurt, whereas rugby is 80 minutes of guys pretending they’re not.” -LondonLite
5:48 PM · Oct 17, 2007

Twitter
Baz Hand ✌️
@baz_hand
Replying to @ponderingchimp
@ponderingchimp Footballers spend 90 minutes pretending they’re injured, Rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not injured
4:29 PM · Feb 23, 2010

Twitter
Neil Kirk
@skeniver
Footballers spend 90 minutes pretending they’re injured and rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not!
4:55 AM · Mar 4, 2010

Twitter
Bob TSUC
@BobTSUC
#Rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending not to be injured.while #Football players spend 90 minutes pretending to be injured.
10:11 AM · Jun 12, 2010

Twitter
Charlotte
@Cha_RL_otte
‘Footballers spend 90 minutes pretending they’re injured, rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not.’ HAHAHAAHA
11:20 AM · Jun 30, 2010

Twitter
The Travel Tart!
@TheTravelTart
#soccer players spend 90 minutes of the game pretending they’re hurt. #rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not ;P #worldcup
8:13 AM · Jul 3, 2010

Google Groups: rec.sport.soccer
The Gattuso Apology
William Clark
Feb 17, 2011, 7:52:46 PM
(...)
As they say “Football players spend 90 minutes pretending they are hurt,
rugby players spend their 80 minutes pretending they aren’t”.

Twitter
John Layfield
@JCLayfield
Soccer players spend 90 minutes pretending to be hurt, rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending not to be! #worldcup #midgetshavenorights
8:29 AM · Sep 16, 2011

Twitter
Craig Hall
@Craig_Fred_Hall
Soccer players spend 90 minutes pretending to be hurt, rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending not to be! #worldcup
8:51 AM · Sep 16, 2011

21 June 2013, Manly (NSW) Daily, “Books” by John Ruszczyk, pg. 26:
What about this from anonymous? “Rugby and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.” Another anonymous: “Soccer is about spending 90 minutes pretending that you’re injured. Rugby is about spending 90 minutes pretending that you’re not.”

Google Books
What Will They Think Of Next…?:
Unpublished Letters to the Daily Telegraph
Edited by Iain Hollingshead
London, UK: Aurum Press
2014
Pg. ?:
Have World Cup referees noticed that footballers spend 90 minutes pretending they’re injured, and rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not?

Google Groups: aus.politics
Another Abbott Bushism
Bill “The Rapist” Shorten
Jun 14, 2014, 8:37:18 PM
(...)
Rugby League - play for 80 minutes pretending you are not hurt.
Wogball - play for 90 minutes pretending that you are hurt.

Twitter
Goose
@Mr_goose007
Soccer - 90 minutes of men pretending to be injured.
Rugby - 80 minutes of men pretending not to be injured.
5:18 PM · Jun 23, 2014

Twitter
Steven Glanzburg
@SimplyN0ble
Soccer - 90 minutes pretending your hurt.
Rugby- 80 minutes pretending your not.
#TheDiffrence #MySport #ManUp
12:39 PM · Jun 25, 2014

Twitter
Jon Clancy
@jpc182
“Soccer is 90 minutes of pretending you’re hurt. Rugby is 80 minutes of pretending you’re not.” -sign on Twickenham pub during World Cup
9:09 AM · Nov 4, 2015

Twitter
Mahosive Bolicks
@uniquefurnish
Footballers spend 90 minutes pretending to be hurt. Rugby players, Rugby Slate Hanging Sign – ” Footballers spend 90 minutes pretending to be hurt. Rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending… - https://uniquefurnishing.co.uk/product/footballers-spend-90-minutes-pretending-to-be-hurt-rugby-players/
9:30 PM · Jan 19, 2018

Twitter
Mike Said
@mike_said_what
I love soccer
I hate soccer players
Soccer: 90 minutes of pretending you are injured
Rugby: 80 minutes of pretending you are not
12:23 PM · Sep 20, 2020

Twitter
Craig B
@Craigb1021
Replying to @Craigb1021 and @pricey1884
Yeah as the saying going soccer players spend 90 minutes pretending they injured and rugby players spend 80 minutes pretending they’re not !
10:38 AM · Nov 26, 2022

The Patriot Post
DECEMBER 21, 2022
Soccer vs. Rugby
(The following text is shown on an image.—ed.)
SOCCER: 90 MINUTES OF PRETENDING YOU ARE INJURED.
RUGBY: 80 MINUTES OF PRETENDING YOU ARE NOT.