One of those “things I came across while looking for something else” moments.

The Guardian, my preferred site for news and soccer from a British publication, has posted a long story about diving — and when it became “football’s worst crime”.

And along in there the 1990 World Cup came up, a tournament played in a wonderful, friendly, culture-suffused country (Italy) where simply walking the streets was an education … but a country stuck with what is widely considered the dullest World Cup — as well as the worst World Cup final.

And the author described a key moment in that game — when the Argentine defender Roberto Sensini was deemed to have fouled Germany’s Rudi Voller in the box, sending Andreas Brehme to the spot, where he booted home the game’s only goal. Yes, a penalty decided the World Cup, in the 85th minute.

The author, in passing, talks about how Voller’s tumble to the ground was convincing but not hysterical — as opposed to the over-the-top and acrobatic German tumble taken in the 65th minute, one that led to a red card shown to Argentina’s Pedro Monzon … due to the imagination of none other than …

Jurgen Klinsmann.

Have a look.

Klinsmann allegedly claimed he had a five-inch scrape on his leg, courtesy of Monzon, but to see the replays on that bit of YouTube video is to wonder if the German forward was touched by Monzon at all — no matter if Monzon’s approach was crude.

Go ahead. Have another look.

If Klinsmann were really hurt, why did he feel the need for the theatrics? He could just show the referee the alleged bloody wound.

Instead, note the roll of the diver and the creative way he arched his back — before flopping, quivering, to the ground — to seem in the depths of agony (this is the photo at the top of the Guardian story, by the way) … and his brave attempts to deal with all the awful, awful pain.

Klinsmann, of course, bounced right up after medical staff went through the motions of saving his life … lots of “hurt no more” sprayed on the affected site, no doubt, wherever it was Jurgen finally decided it to be.

Worst dive in World Cup history? Has to be in the running.

Klinsmann meeting up with the turf in the 65th minute at the Stadio Olimpico led to Monzon being dismissed, and the Germans enjoyed an 11-10 man advantage the rest of the way — aside from the final few minutes, after a second Argentine was sent off, in the 87th minute, two minutes after Voller had coaxed the penalty shot.

Why U.S. soccer would want to be connected to such an epic flop … oh, let’s call it “simulation” … is beyond me. Let’s be charitable, and suggest Sunil Gulati, the man who hired Klinsmann, forgot about that World Cup final moment, as I had.

This comes in addition to the very many things Klinsmann has gotten wrong in his muddled, five-year reign over the U.S. national team …

Well, to add in that he was the guy who took that ridiculous leap and ridiculous fall (and aftermath) … isn’t he someone best left to the TV booth? Away from the game. Not teaching players how it’s done.

Anyway, I had to share. I was there, in the stadium for the final and for the whole of Italia 1990, but I had lost the link between “the Oscar-winning performance that led to the red card” and “Germany wins 1-0.”

Related concepts, absolutely.

Maybe the big problem with the U.S. attacking players, from Landon Donovan on down (who find diving repulsive), is that they never learned to dive the way Jurgen dove, back in 1990.