Mike Dean gets trolled with ‘The Greatest Showman’ by other referees

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has admitted that his whistler buddies used to play him music from The Greatest Showman before games.

The celebrity ref was well-known among football fans for his theatrics as well as his bizarre decisions. While his decision-making was not always on cue, his penchant for the fantastic made him box-office viewing.

However, last season was his final campaign at the top level having reffed 560 Premier League matches – a record. That included 2,046 yellow cards and 114 red ones, as well as 186 penalties.

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While he will no longer work on the pitch, Dean is not over yet and has been made a full-time VAR official at Stockley Park. It means that the 57-year-old might not be on camera anymore but will still have a major impact on the upcoming season.

And while the curtain has closed on his performances on the big screen, Dean has revealed he still gets played music from The Greatest Showman – a fitting title for such a huge presence in the game. "That's just me being me," he told the Daily Mail.

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"Some people call me, 'The Greatest Showman'. I get the music played to me now and then by the lads (his fellow referees). But it doesn't bother me. Not at all.

"It's maybe moved that way ever since that Tottenham-Aston Villa game. I'd played a great advantage, Spurs scored, and I was sucked in. I looked like I was celebrating. It is what it is.

"But would I change anything I've done? Never. It's not my style. If I tried to change the way I am, it would cock everything up. I was just being myself.

"I never play music in the referee's dressing room beforehand. But before Chelsea-Watford, I played The Final Countdown on my phone. I figured, 'Why not?' The lads — assistants Ian Hussin and Darren Cann and fourth official John Busby — all joined in.

"We had a little sing and a hug, and it was only when we were walking out that I felt emotional. I knew it was the last time I'd be doing that."

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