The 10 best Champions League goals of all timeThe epic encounter between Manchester City and Monaco on Tuesday served up a festival of goals. Eight in total. One goal in […]
The epic encounter between Manchester City and Monaco on Tuesday served up a festival of goals. Eight in total.
One goal in particular would have left viewers on their feet, clapping at the TV.
Falcao’s scooped lob/dink/chip was audacious, inventive, impudent and delicate, all rolled into one memorable goal.
However, it got us thinking, does it make it into the competition’s top 10?
Sticking solely to the Champions League – 1992 onwards – we’ve selected the 10 best.
10. Gabriel Batistuta (Fiorentina) v Arsenal
Batigol celebrates against Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
We’ve waxed lyrical about both the goal and the striker recently.
Mauro Bressan’s overhead kick from outside the box – which Barcelona goalkeeper Francesc Arnau should have saved – was voted into UEFA’s top 10 goals to celebrate its 60th anniversary. It opened the scoring in a 3-3 draw.
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Batigol’s sent La Viola past Arsenal into the second group stage.
It was sheer striking thuggery. Whack! Three David Seamans wouldn’t have kept it out, such was the ferocity of the strike.
9. Raul (Real Madrid) v Manchester United
Raul wheels away in delight after silencing Old Trafford. (Picture: Getty)
The goal scorer played a mere supporting role in this divine goal. It was all about the artistry of Fernando Redondo.
Following a goalless first-leg in the Bernabeu, Real Madrid lit up Old Trafford with “a superb display of attacking football” to knock out the holders.
On the left, the Argentine maestro attempted to jink his way past Henning Berg but didn’t have the pace. He tried to shake him off but didn’t have the pace. So he fooled him with some devilish skill.
Back-heeling the ball with his left to one side of the defender and running round the other left Berg in a state of confusion as he tried to remember his exact purpose.
Catching the ball before it ran out, Redondo looked up, spotted the crafty Raul and slid the ball, with his Copa Mundial (maybe World Cups) clad left-foot, into the striker’s path to tap in.
8. Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan) v Schalke
The watching world got their first view of Manuel Neuer, sweeper keeper. In the first minute of the quarter-final tie at the San Siro, a boldly positioned Neuer flew out of his box with a diving header which resembled the Kamikaze move in Worms.
The ball flew more than 30 yards up-field but straight to Dejan Stankovic. The Serbian, who is the only man to represent three different countries at World Cups, was a gifted and robust midfielder.
Just inside the Schalke half, he met the ball flush on the volley and sent it into the unguarded net.
It would prove to be the high point of the tie for the Champions League holders, who fell to a 5-2 defeat and exited 7-3 on aggregate.
7. Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund) v Real Madrid
Robert Lewandowski’s third strike in his four goal haul was special. (Picture: Getty)
“When Lewandowski scored his next goal, the hat-trick effort, their breath was taken away,” wrote Sid Lowe in the Guardian.
This was one of the best number 9 displays in the competition’s illustrious history. First-leg of a semi-final in front of a fervent support against the game’s most famous name.
The Polish forward had already netted twice, either side of a customary Ronaldo goal. But then he delivered the centrepiece of his performance.
A cross-cum-shot was deflected into his path, back to goal, ten yards out. In one aqueous motion he spun the ball away from the close attention of Pepe and spun himself to face goal. Without missing a beat he slammed the ball into the top corner.
He added a fourth from the spot for good measure.
6. Hernan Crespo (AC Milan) v Liverpool
Hernan Crespo thought he had sealed Champions League success for AC Milan with an impudent dink. (Picture: Getty)
It should have been the coup de grace. Two goals ahead in the Champions League final as the clock ticked towards half-time.
Andrea Pirlo to Kaka. The graceful Brazilian turned away from Steven Gerrard before sending the most perfectly-weighted pass behind the Liverpool defence.
The ball set off on its own course. It saw Jamie Carragher and teased him into making a futile attempt at cutting the pass out. It then bounced, checked, slowed and rolled into Hernan Crespo’s path.
Similar to Raul’s goal the pass was the goal. Nearly.
Crespo impudently stabbed the ball up and over Jerzy Dudek and into the net. 3-0. The game was over. Wasn’t it?
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) v Porto
Cristiano Ronaldo thundered Manchester United into a semi-final clash with Arsenal. (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United were up against it at the Dragao. A 2-2 first-leg result handed the initiative to the Portuguese, who knew a win or low-scoring draw would see them through to a semi-final.
Sir Alex Ferguson needed a big game display. He needed a big game player.
Step forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Any normal human, when receiving the ball 40 yards from goal would look for the next pass, maybe think about a mazey dribble to drive the team forward.
Ronaldo? He had one thing in his mind. Two touches, 39.6 yards from goal he hit the ball as if he was trying to cremate it. At 64.2mph the goalkeeper just looked silly diving. It arrowed into the corner. A verifiable howitzer.
It took United through to the last four, where they faced Arsenal and Ronaldo scored another, albeit slightly different, wonder goal.
4. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona) v Chelsea
Andres Iniesta celebrates one of the most historic goals in Barcelona history. (Picture: Getty)
Is this the fourth best strike on the list? No.
Is it one of the most important strikes in the last decade. Yes. Very much yes.
This goal took Barca into the final in Pep Guardiola’s first season. There began a legacy, a domination that propelled the Barcelona of Guardiola to be recognised as one of the best, if not the best, of all time.
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This was a tempestuous encounter. Michael Essien had given Chelsea an early lead with a fantastic strike. Chelsea were all set for Rome to face Manchester United in the final for the second successive season.
Then in the 93rd minute with seven Chelsea players in the box, Lionel Messi rolled the ball to Andres Iniesta and the metronomic midfielder indifferently thudded the ball into the top corner.
Wild scenes followed as Pep Guardiola bombed down the touchline.
Tom Henning Ovrebo’s full time whistle was met by a wide-eyed Didier Drogba shouting into the camera with Chelsea feeling they should have had four penalties.
2. Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) v Bayer Leverkusen
Zinedine Zidane netted one of the all time great goals at Hampden Park. (Picture: Getty)
Hampden Park, Glasgow.
A stadium which will always take a pride of place in the hearts of many Madridistas. Eintracht Frankurt, 1960, Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas , 127,000, 7-3 and Madrid’s fifth European Cup title.
Forty-two years later: Zinedine Zidane.
The scores level as half-time approached, a hopeful Roberto Carlos cross was looped into the box. Just.
Centimetres inside the area stood Zizou. Unmarked.
He had the time and space to weigh up the trajectory of the ball. He set himself. He watched. Moved his feet ever so slightly. But continued to watch. Watched some more. And watched the ball fall from the heavens where he met it with a flawless volley.
The technique was 11 out of 10.
When people utter the cliché ‘that goal was good enough to win any contest’ it was made for one goal and one goal only. Zidane’s volley.
