Although only 19 years old, Alejandro Garnacho has already become one of the world's football legends with his bicycle kick against Everton last weekend.
Many opinions say that the Argentine striker's masterpiece deserves to be the world's best "upside down bicycle" goal.
However, if considering the difficulty of performing a bicycle kick such as distance from the goal, connection quality, and height of the hook, the Daily Star (UK) rated Garnacho's goal as only ranked 6th out of 8 nominated goals.
8. Philippe Mexes scores against Anderlecht
It's not easy to perform a bicycle kick and turn it into a goal from outside the box. It's even harder when the person doing it is a centre-back like Philippe Mexes.
Philippe Mexes leaned over and hooked the ball from the edge of the penalty area into Anderlecht's net (Photo: UEFA).
In a Champions League match against Anderlecht in 2012, the former AC Milan centre-back surprised Anderlecht's defence and goalkeeper by stopping the ball with his chest after a pass from his teammate, then leaning down to hook the ball straight into the top corner of the goal from outside the penalty area.
7. Wayne Rooney scores against Man City
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was helpless to stop Wayne Rooney's bicycle kick as the Man Utd legend surprised everyone by diving in after a poor pass from Nani in 2011 to score one of the most famous goals of the Manchester derby.
Wayne Rooney's "bicycle kick" in the Manchester derby in 2011 (Photo: Getty).
The connection between the passer and the finisher was not good, but the arcing shot into the top right corner of the goal made people even more amazed with Wayne Rooney's finish, even if the English striker tried to kick the ball again 1000 times, it would be difficult to achieve such a perfect success.
6. Garnacho scores against Man City
And right before Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney in the list of best "upside down" goals is his "junior" Alejandro Garnacho on November 26. The goal was astonishing as it was scored after only 3 minutes of play and by a player who was only 19 years old.
19-year-old striker Alejandro Garnacho's "bicycle kick" goal against Everton in round 13 of the Premier League (Photo: PA).
That was the situation where Garnacho timed the ball correctly after a pass from his teammate on the right wing, with the ability to jump high and finish accurately.
The fact that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had time to block the shot but still couldn't get to the ball was testament to how good Garnacho's goal was.
5. Trevor Sinclair scores against Barnsley
Above Garnacho is Trevor Sinclair's goal for Queen's Park Rangers in an FA Cup tie against Barnsley in 1997. This "bicycle kick" goal won Sinclair the "Match of the Day" award for "Goal of the Season".
Trevor Sinclair scored a bicycle kick from the edge of the penalty area against Barnsley (Photo: Emirates FA Cup).
It was a goal that was widely praised as it was voted one of the most daring finishes of all time in English football.
20m from goal and Sinclair ran back to perform a diving header that stunned the entire opposition defence. The whole stadium exploded with emotion after witnessing the beautiful goal that the former Man Utd star had just created.
4. Marco and Basten score against Den Bosch
It was a goal scored by Marco van Basten in a Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and Den Bosch in November 1986.
Marco van Basten's "upside down bicycle" masterpiece for Ajax Amsterdam
Van Basten's goal (a three-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner) may be the best ever because the balls of the 1980s were completely different to the balls of today.
Marco van Basten was signed by AC Milan just 6 months after his masterpiece for Ajax Amsterdam (Photo: NOS).
The camera angle perfectly captured the combination of power, precision and a beautiful curve, highlighting the goal in a fun way.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo scores against Juventus
The most aesthetically pleasing bicycle kick ever was voted Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker's sprint into the penalty area before performing a diving overhead kick left any viewer in awe.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the greatest goal of his Real Madrid career against Juventus in the 2018 Champions League quarter-finals (Photo: Getty).
The goal scored in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2018 may just be the best of Ronaldo's 451 goals as a Real Madrid player. And it was also the goal that prompted Juventus to spend a fortune to recruit the five-time Ballon d'Or winner later that year.
2. Gareth Bale scores against Liverpool
Right above Ronaldo's "upside down bicycle kick" is his former Real Madrid teammate, Gareth Bale, with his goal against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final.
Gareth Bale also contributed greatly to the "White Vultures" 3-1 victory over the "Red Brigade" to bring home the Champions League title for the third consecutive time.
Gareth Bale scored a bicycle kick in Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final (Photo: Getty).
While Ronaldo's goal was aesthetically beautiful, Gareth Bale's "bicycle kick" goal was more impressive in terms of execution technique, when Marcelo's cross was quite light but the former Wales captain was still able to lean over and hook the ball into the net of goalkeeper Loris Karius.
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores against England
Also a bicycle kick goal, but the masterpiece created by Zlatan Ibrahimovic against England in a friendly match with Sweden in 2012 seems to be unimaginable in terms of difficulty. The reason is that this shot was very far from the goal, up to 27m.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's bicycle kick in Sweden's 4-2 win over England in 2012 (Photo: PA).
It was a match where Zlatan Ibrahimovic single-handedly defeated England when he scored an impressive poker (4 goals) to help Sweden win 4-2 against the Three Lions. Ibrahimovic shocked everyone when he sealed the victory with a super "bicycle kick" in the 92nd minute.
The xG (Expected Goal) index in the above attack is considered very small compared to the distance of his shot in front of the goal, out of sight and the defender could still have time to get back to block, but Ibrahimovic executed it incredibly perfectly.
Source
Comment (0)