STEVE SMITH broke down in tears as he apologised for Australia’s cheat shame on Thursday morning.
The disgraced former captain, 28, was given a one-year ban from domestic and international cricket, before saying he will “regret for the rest of his life”.
Smith struggled through the interview, choking back the tears as he apologised to all concerned.
He sobbed: “I take full responsibility, it’s a serious error in judgement. A failure in leadership, in my leadership.
“I’ll regret this for the rest of my life. I’m absolutely devastated.”
However, Smith is by no means the first sobbing sport star… with a host of other famous faces breaking down in tears down the years.
From Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to Andy Murray and Kim Hughes, check out some of the more emotional moments in sporting history, below…
PELE
1958 World Cup final
IN 1958, Brazil stunned hosts Sweden to win their first-ever World Cup in Solna, near Stockholm.
The biggest storyline of that year’s tournament was the emergence of a world superstar… 17-year-old Pele.
The teenager scored twice in the 5-2 final win as Brazil finally got their hands on the most famous trophy in football.
The victory was too much for young Pele though, who celebrated on the pitch, through tears of joy.
KIM HUGHES
1984, after resigns as Australia captain
TEARS rolling down his cheek as he spoke, Hughes surrendered the Australian Test captaincy in 1984 amidst intense pressure.
His performances on the pitch were deteriorating and the local media were brutal in their treatment of him.
After losing the Second Test to the West Indies in Brisbane, Hughes spoke to the media, in floods of tears to announce his stepping-down.
So overwhelmed by emotional was Hughes, he couldn’t even finish his speech, instead handing it over to Aussie manage Bob Merriman.
Hughes later reflected on the incident, saying: “When I sat there in the press conference I just couldn’t stop myself.
“It was an emotional thing to do and I don’t regret doing it.”
PAUL GASCOIGNE
1990 World Cup semi-final
IT’S the closest England have come to tasting glory on the world stage since the heroes of 1966.
After battling to the semi-finals in Italy, England took Germany to extra-time after an 80th-minute equaliser from Gary Lineker.
But in the 99th-minute, Gazza was booked for a bad tackle, receiving a yellow card which would suspend him for the final and he erupted into a flood of tears.
Looking back on the incident, Gascoigne himself revealed: “I straightened up and turned to the ref. He’s gone for his pocket. Suddenly I can’t hear anything.
“The world just stops apart from the bloke in black. My eyes follow his hand, to the pocket, then out with the card. There it is, raised above my head.
“I looked at the crowd, I looked at Lineker, and I couldn’t hold it back. At that moment I just wanted to be left alone.
“I didn’t want to talk to anyone or see anyone. My bottom lip was like a helicopter pad. I was devastated.”
DAVID SEAMAN
1991 FA Cup semi-final
LOSING in the cup semis is heart-breaking enough… but to do it against your rivals? That’s a completely different ball-game.
In 1991, Arsenal slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of North London rivals Tottenham – thanks to a Gazza screamer and two from Lineker.
The loss was too much to take for goalkeeper Seaman, who trudged off the Wembley turf with his head in his hands.
JANA NOVOTNA
1993, after losing Wimbledon final
IT’S truly one of the most famous images in tennis history: Novotna crying on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder after losing to Steffi Graf in the 1993 final at Wimbledon.
The Czech star – who tragically passed away aged 49 last year – surrendered a commanding lead at SW19 to lose to the German icon.
It all became too much for Novotna to take, finding a royal shoulder to cry on.
Five years later, she would go on to become Wimbledon champion, beating Nathalie Tauziat in the 1998 showpiece.
CARSTEN JANCKER
1999 Champions League final
IT was one of the greatest comebacks in the history of football, as Manchester United won the 1999 Champions League title.
1-0 down until stoppage time, goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stunned Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp.
Bayern had led since the sixth-minute, but threw it away thanks to 91st and 93rd-minute strikes.
The result was ecstasy for United, agony for Bayern, with star forward Jancker unable to contain himself.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
2004 European Championship final
ANOTHER tearful star, another shock result.
Greece incredibly won the 2004 European Championship, despite no-one giving them a hope at the start of the tournament.
The Greeks battled past Portugal in the final to win 1-0 and get their hands on the trophy… on Portuguese soil, no less.
The loss saw then-Man United star Ronaldo break down in floods of tears as he missed out on the tournament win.
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JOHN TERRY
2008 Champions League final
IT was an all-English Champions League final showdown between Manchester United and Chelsea, so naturally emotions were running high.
The teams played out a 1-1 draw, with extra-time unable to separate the Premier League giants.
As it came down to penalties, JT had the chance to give Chelsea the win as he took the Blues’ fifth spot-kick.
Ronaldo had already missed for United, but as Chelsea had one hand on the trophy, Terry slipped and skewed his penalty way off.
United went on to win as Nicolas Anelka missed for the Blues… with captain Terry left sobbing as Sir Alex Ferguson and Co celebrated.
MARIO BALOTELLI
2012 European Championship final
ITALY had performed well in reaching the final of the 2012 tournament in Kiev.
However, they completely fell-apart on the night, as rampant Spain ripped them to shreds to run out 4-0 winners, with two late goals rubbing salt into the wound.
The result was too much to bear for many an Italian star that night, but the enduring image remains Balotelli in floods of tears by the end.
ANDY MURRAY
2012, after losing Wimbledon final
MURRAY was aiming to become the first British player to win a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry in 1936.
Most Brits had never seen a home Wimbledon champion, with Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Co always coming close, but never delivering the all-important trophy.
The best chance to break the duck came in 2012, when Murray took on Roger Federer.
But it was the Swiss star who came out on top, winning his seventh SW19 title and 17th Grand Slam overall.
Murray was left in floods of tears as he went down in four sets and couldn’t contain his emotion in his post-match interview.
He didn’t know it yet, but Murray went on to make history as he won the tournament the very next year – and again in 2016 for good measure.
DAVID BECKHAM
2013, last-ever game
AFTER a long and distinguished career, it was always going to be tough for Beckham to walk away from football.
Following trophy-laden stints at Man United and Real Madrid, Becks also turned out for LA Galaxy, AC Milan and, finally, Paris Saint-Germain.
At the final whistle of his last-ever game – for PSG against Brest – an emotional Beckham strolled around the pitch, visibly drinking-in every last second of his final game.
But the emotion was too much for Golden Balls, as he was left in tears as the enormity of his decision truly hit home.
ANAZITZ ARBILLA
2013 vs Gareth Bale
WHILE many of the tearful footballers already mentioned were reduced to tears through pure joy, or cup final heartbreak… some are more simple.
In fact, in 2013, Rayo Vallecano’s Arbilla had absolutely no answer for Real Madrid star Bale – who tormented him all game, during a 3-2 win for Los Blancos.
Real were already two goals to the good when Bale flicked the ball past Arbilla and breezed past him.
Arbilla was visibly beaten and hugely embarrassed, but the worst was yet to come as he was immediately hauled off the field of play.
He trudged the bench and burst into tears, before hiding under his top to sob in peace.
LUIS SUAREZ
2014 vs Crystal Palace
THEY say a the best defence is a good offense… well, that’s not always the case.
With Liverpool closing-in on their first-ever Premier League title in 2013-14, they found themselves 3-0 up against Crystal Palace.
With goal difference potentially playing a role down the line, Brendan Rodgers’ Reds kept attacking… only to be left utterly shell-shocked.
The Eagles scored three times late on to snatch a 3-3 draw and all but end Liverpool’s hopes of clinching the title.
The result left Suarez in floods of tears, hiding under his jersey, before being hugged off the pitch by captain Steven Gerrard.
DAVID LUIZ
2014 World Cup semi-final
THE result sent shock-waves through the footballing world… Brazil had been beaten 7-1 by Germany.
Widely considered to be the best team on the planet, the Brazilians were aiming to get their hands on yet another World Cup title.
Yet they were demolished in the semi-finals of the 2014 tournament by an unstoppable Germany.
The result left David Luiz – and no doubt millions of fans – utterly inconsolable.
XAVI
2015, final Barcelona game
AFTER 24 years at Barcelona, Xavi knew it was time to move on… as he joined Qatari side Al Sadd.
However, the knowledge his time at his boyhood club was over still didn’t detract from the emotion of the evening, when taking on Deportivo La Coruna.
After playing out his last-ever home game for Barca, Xavi addressed the packed Nou Camp crowd, choking through the tears, as the Catalan giants’ fans bid farewell to a true legend.
LIONEL MESSI
2016, retires from Argentina duty
AGED just 29-years-old, Messi seemed to have retired from international football in 2016.
After missing the all-important penalty in the Copa America final against Chile – Messi trudged off the pitch, moved to tears.
Following the defeat, Messi claimed: “For me the national team is over. I’ve done all I can, it hurts not to be a champion.
“I don’t think I will (return). I made up my mind. I did everything possible to win and it’s done.”
GIANLUIGI BUFFON
2017, Italy fail to qualify for World Cup
BUFFON was left in floods of tears as Italy failed to reach their first World Cup since 1958 in 2017.
The Azzurri were held 0-0 by Sweden at the San Siro following their 1-0 first-leg defeat in Stockholm to shockingly fail to reach the finals.
After the game, Buffon choked: I’m sorry that my final game coincided with us not qualifying for the World Cup.
“I am not sorry for myself but all of Italian football.”
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