Football fans in hysterics as star fakes injury after referee ‘pushes’ him in cup final (VIDEO)

A footballer is the toast of social media trolls after he dramatically fell to the floor following a 'push' in the back by the referee during a cup final in Brazil.

The Copa Libertadores final between Palmeiras and Flamengo was deep into injury time when forward Deyverson made an apparent attempt to eke out an advantage in the high-stakes game, hurling himself to ground and vigorously rubbing his lower back after feeling a push in his back from what he assumed was a vicious assault by a rival player.

What was obvious to the millions watching the broadcast of the game, though, was that the 'injury' the 30-year-old was attempting to sell was not the result of a push from a Flamengo player – but rather from the match referee, who had given the player what can only be described as a slight prod in the back as he jogged in front of him.

Miraculously, Deyverson very quickly made a full recovery from the blow when he realized that it was delivered by the ref and not by one of his opponents – with the official blowing the final whistle soon afterwards to confirm Palmeiras' status as champions.

The tumble, which some are regarding as a 'Fallon d'Floor' nominee for the best dive of 2021, came after Deyverson scored what proved to be the winning goal in extra time against a Flamengo team with a host of big-name players in their ranks.

The likes of David Luiz, Gabriel Barbosa and Andreas Pereira are well-known to European football fans – and on-loan Manchester United midfielder Pereira was blamed for Deyverson's winning goal after he was caught napping for the crucial strike.

Former Chelsea defender David Luiz defended his teammate after the game, saying: "He was having a great game, playing fantastic, and then in one move it all comes crashing down.

"The only thing I said to him was that no matter how much people will analyse that moment, we didn’t lose the game because of that. Our vision has to be deeper and broader than that analysis, especially with a great player like Andreas.

"I’m very sad because he is a great friend, a great player and sad because he deserves more – sad because we deserved more."

While Deyverson's goal sealed the game, some won't soon forget his act of histrionics later in the game.

"I cannot believe his name is Deyverson," wrote one fan on Twitter, to which another responded: "That’s nothing. Do you know his middle name is ‘Simulacion Acrobatica’?"

"Is he trying to get the ref sent off?" asked another

A fellow viewer wrote: "This is how ingrained diving is in South American football: any contact and you're going down in agony, irrespective of who has touched you."