Whether we like it or not, Mike Dean is one of the biggest personalities in the Premier League.
While you would usually want a referee to blend into the background of a game, he takes a very different approach. It seems that he often wants to make the game about himself.
Some of his antics on the pitch have been criticised as a result, but he does provide some entertainment at times.
Yes - that is Mike Dean celebrating Tranmere’s win at Forest Green pic.twitter.com/W2xHQmM33E
— George Elek (@GeorgeElek) May 13, 2019
Ben Foster has a perfect example of this.
Appearing on the Happy Hour Podcast, he described how Dean accredited himself with the assist for Watford's opener during the first game of this campaign when they scored against Aston Villa.
Can’t say anyone would be surprised that Mike Dean would do something like that 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/dNZsUZCi2y
— ™️ (@D20048) September 9, 2021
Everybody knows Mike Dean is a character.
In the buildup to the first goal, there was a bit of a bad tackle or a bad challenge, but he allowed play to go on. The play has continued, we have carried on and then we score the goal.
Tom Cleverley is still in the middle of the pitch and he's buzzing because we just scored and took the lead in the first game of the season.
He is walking back and at about the halfway line, Mike Dean comes bowling past him and says 'assist for Mike Dean'!
He was just buzzing off the fact that he allowed play to go on and then we went and scored from it.
This sounds exactly like the type of thing Mike Dean would do.
The 53-year old has been a Premier League official for over two decades, first officiating in the division back in 2000. He has never been out of the headlines for too long of a period since then.
We're sure that will be the case again in the coming weeks.
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