It looks like Danny Mills has it in for Robert Pires.

As a Premier League full-back playing at the same time as Robert Pires, it’s unsurprising that Mills would have been involved with some run-ins with the Arsenal legend. Pires was a sensational player for the Gunners, and one of the greatest players the Premier League has ever seen.

But in an era when the Premier League was adjusting to its new-found ability to attract players from all over the world, it was also adjusting to a new phenomenon in football – or at least a perceived new phenomenon – diving. New foreign imports were the target for fan ire at diving, even though diving had been around in the English game a lot longer than Robert Pires.

Man City legend Francis Lee had been accused of it in the 60s and 70s, as had Michael Owen.

But now Danny Mills has written in his column in the Times – per Evening Standard – that he believes that Pires was the one who brought diving to the English game.

Mills was visibly fuming at Pires and Henry – in the video below – who contrived to miss a ‘Cruyff’ penalty at Highbury when playing against City, presumably accusing them of a lack of respect. But on the Barcelona version of that penalty last weekend, Mills had this to say:

“What Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez did for Barcelona on Sunday night simply encapsulated not only what a gracious, unselfish player the Argentina forward is, but what a wonderful, inventive team the Spanish champions are.” Then he added, “Barcelona succeeded, Arsenal did not, and that is all that matters.”

Not sure that Mills is really fair in his assessment, clearly if it was unsporting for Arsenal to do it, he must also think it was unsporting for Barcelona to do it too. Clearly he doesn’t think that. He must just have it in for poor old Robert Pires!

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