Football is a low-scoring sport. This means that most of the time we have to wait 90 minutes to see one or two goals, often ugly. There are cases, however, in which one is particularly lucky and admires well-made networks. Or even real impossible goals.
When this strange astral conjunction occurs, those goals remain etched in our memory. Maybe we will no longer remember which other team was, or the goalkeeper who tried in vain to oppose the shot, but we will remember the goal itself.
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We, therefore, searched the archives and pulled out five goals that have all the characteristics to mark not only the result but also our memory as fans. Here is the ranking of the five most impossible goals ever, starting from the fifth and going up to the first.
Table of Contents
1. Leo Messi in Barcelona – Getafe
The goal that started the comparisons with Maradona
It was April 18, 2007, and Leo Messi still had to turn twenty. At that age, even future champions are usually sent to gain experience in the minor leagues. Or they take advantage of small game clips that are given to them by the coaches.
Messi, on the other hand, on that day was able to get his best goal out of the hat. And, more generally, one of the most incredible in recent football history. A goal that you have certainly seen and reviewed thousands of times on TV because he withdraws it every time the Argentine champion is called to an important test.
After receiving a pass from Xavi in midfield, in fact, the little champion left with the ball towards the opponent’s goal, discarding everything that moved in his way, including the goalkeeper. A memorable goal, which has become the trademark of the “flea”.
And a goal that reminded many of the goals of another Argentine, Diego Armando Maradona. In fact, during the 1986 World Cup Argentina fought against England. And, if you remember, Maradona scored two goals: one by hand[1] and one very similar to this one.
But the comparisons would not be correct either towards Maradona or Messi. The two situations are too different and there are too many years apart. Years have changed the game and the way of defending, as well as the athleticism of the players. In any case, Messi’s goal remains a feast for the eyes.
2. Zlatan Ibrahimović in Sweden – England
The shot of the acrobat
If you remember, the first time we Italian fans heard seriously about Zlatan Ibrahimović was in June 2004. During the European Championships in Portugal, with his national team, the Swedish forward inflicted on us a very heavy goal, achieved almost with a stroke by karateka.
And despite his imposing physique, the Manchester United ace has often accustomed us to circus acts. Also because he is a taekwondo black belt [2]. A skill that was also decisive in the match against England played on November 14, 2012.
In that friendly match, played in a break from qualifying for the World Cup, the former Juve, Inter, and Milan striker produced a memorable performance. His team won 4-2 at home. Many observers, however, attribute the credit for the victory to Ibrahimović alone.
On the other hand, the Swedish striker scored three goals, the last of which was in full recovery. And this is what we have chosen. On a long raise, England goalkeeper Joe Hart anticipated both Zlatan and his defenders, heading away.
Ibrahimović, however, did not even land the ball on the ground, he turned and performed an acrobatic overhead kick sending the ball into the net from the three-quarters field. And from a very angled position.
A goal that also won the FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of the year.
3. Roberto Carlos in France – Brazil
The free-kick with an extraordinary effect
Usually, the big goals are made by the forwards. Especially the good ones, the ones where you need specific skills that other players on the team can’t have. However, from time to time there are also defenders who prove to be particularly prolific.
One of them was Roberto Carlos, a former Brazilian full-back now manager of South Melbourne, Australia. In the past he wore the shirts of Palmeiras, Inter, and Real Madrid, scoring a total of more than 80 career goals[3].
However, what has remained most etched in the memory of the fans is probably the goal made on June 3, 1997, during the opening match of the Tournament of France. On that occasion, in fact, the French decided to organize a sort of dress rehearsal for the World Cup which would be held a year later. And they invited Brazil, Italy, and England.
The first match, France-Brazil (which, ironically, would also have been the final a year later), ended 1-1. Marc Keller scored for the French, Roberto Carlos for the Brazilians with a prodigious free-kick. The ball, hit with the three outer toes of the left foot, headed very hard towards the goal, curving in an effect that had never been seen before.
4. Oleksandr Alijev in Ukraine – Turkey under-20
Scoring from midfield when he was just twenty
If you’ve all certainly seen Roberto Carlos’s punishment, Oleksandr Alijev ‘s perhaps not. The Ukrainian player, in fact, has had a decent career but is much less relevant than the Brazilian full-back.
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Raised between Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv, he has always and only played between Ukraine and Russia, establishing himself in particular with Dynamo Kyiv and Lokomotiv Moscow. Attacking midfielder, he has a very powerful shot that allowed him to score six goals with the senior national team[4].
The goal we chose for our selection, however, was scored with the Ukraine under-20 shirt. In 2005 the World Cup in the category was held in the Netherlands, in which Messi’s Argentina would have triumphed. Ukraine made it all the way to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Nigeria then a finalist.
Aliyev, however, made himself noticed, winning second place in the top scorers (behind Messi and on a par with Fernando Llorente ) and scoring a memorable goal. On June 17, his team faced Turkey in a game that was decisive for the passage of the round. And there he scored his extraordinary goal almost from midfield.
5. Mauricio Cataldo in the Universidad de Concepción – Universidad de Chile
The surprising rabona from the side of the area
Do you remember the golden goal? That rule, introduced by FIFA between 1993 and 2004, according to the first team to score would win the match during the extra time? The federation’s idea was to stimulate a more offensive game, pushing the teams not to wait passively for penalties.
In reality, however, the opposite effect was obtained, since all the teams were afraid of conceding an irrecoverable goal. That sudden death, however, was decisive in some important competitions, but also in minor tournaments[5].
In Chile, the most famous golden goal is the one scored by Mauricio Cataldo during the playoffs of the 2003 championship. kicking foot behind the support foot[6].
In a match of his Universidad de Concepción against Universidad de Chile, he performed a rabona from the right edge of the area, surprising the opposing goalkeeper and entering a legend.
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