We all watch football for its breathtaking moments and love it when the best teams and players leave a significant mark in the sport's history. Among thousands of goals, there are not many that live long in memory. However, we have collected the ones that every football fan should know about. It was not easy to select the best and greatest because FIFA football teams have encountered over two thousand goals. But these ones have dramatically impacted the football industry. If the sport has a special place in your heart, check the upcoming matches and make your own football predictions on the 1XBET betting site.
Maradona’s ‘Hand of God' and ‘Goal of the Century' (1986)
Argentina’s forward Diego Maradona has definitely left a mark in history by dubbing the “Goal of the Century.” In fact, it’s easy to explain why this goal is on the list of greatest: If you watch this moment in the video, you will notice the exceptional Maradona’s skills of leaving his opponents behind in his mind-blowing solo run.
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The Scene During Argentina vs. England in the 1986 Quarterfinal
He received the ball in front of two English players in the midfield and managed to turn towards the opposing football goal, breaking through three more opposing players and a goalkeeper. Shilton expected the straight kick from the side, but Maradona gracefully tricked him to put the ball into the empty gates. As a result, he scored one of the most stunning goals in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
The Controversial Hand of God and the Stunning Solo Run
The 1986 quarterfinals between Argentina and England were not only about Diego's solo run but also about his controversial goal, which has been named a Hand of God. The controversies around it were due to Maradona’s strange header, which he performed with his arm. The goal counted because the referee did not notice any rule violations, but many England fans were furious, creating many ambiguous thoughts around this match. Despite the fact that there was clear cheating, this moment became iconic not only among football enthusiasts but also among all other sports fans.
How These Goals Solidified Maradona’s Status as a Football Legend
Maradona is one of the brightest, most remarkable, and skilled football players today. Although quarterfinals in the World Cup 1986 were controversial because of his “Hand of God” goal, this point of his career has significantly skyrocketed him to world recognition.
Pele’s Audacious Goal (1958)
Today, Pele’s legacy is hard to estimate. However, in 1958, he was just 17 years old, but he had very strong ambitions and had a huge impact on his team to get the trophy. The goal that he performed in the World Cup match for Brazil against Sweden turned out to be iconic in the sphere of football. Let’s see how it was.
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Pelé’s Technique, Composure, and the Significance of His Age
Pele started growing its legacy from that iconic moment of scoring the third goal, establishing a strong score advantage against the Swedish team. He put his team in a beneficial position, which impacted the team's ability to climb the World Cup ladder. Pele is much smaller than Swedish defenders, but he could manage a great volley over his opponents directly to the net. He was one of the youngest players to score in the World Cup match.
Dennis Bergkamp’s Last-Minute Stunner (1998)
Let's speak about 1988, Netherlands vs. Argentina, World Cup quarterfinals. Dennis Bergkamp blew up the football fans with an exceptional goal in the net of Argentina’s national football team. The beauty of this goal is its decisive moment, as this beautiful goal was scored in the 89th minute when the score was 1:1. This last hit of Dennis Bergkamp was crucial for the Netherlands team to go to the semifinals.
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Netherlands vs. Argentina in the 1998 Quarterfinals
The intense quarterfinals of the World Cup with two leading football nations that day. After 17 minutes of the match, the score didn’t change as the teams pushed their limits in the defence and attack, until the exceptional pass from Frank De Boer and an iconic goal from Dennis in the 90’ minute.
Precision, Control, and Technique Involved in Bergkamp’s Goal
This goal was truly a masterpiece of elegance by Dennis Bergkamp. His ability to move on the field, like walking on the snow without leaving footprints, allowed him to catch the hardest pass easily from a Frank De Boer. This goal is celebrated as one of the most perfect in the history of the World Cup. Unfortunately, many underestimate the significance of such an assist from Frank and give all the glory to Bergkamp.
James Rodriguez’s Volley Wonder (2014)
FIFA World Cup 2014 is a truly outstanding time for the Colombian national team with its captain, James Rogriguez. Nobody would underrate this team that year, especially their chances against Uruguay. At around 16, the captain proved their position with an incredible volley to the net of the Uruguayan team.
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Skill, Timing, and Execution of Rodríguez’s Volley
The combination of James’s controlling skills, perfect timing, and a little luck made for such an excellent, powerful u-turn shot. Rodriguez jumped over his head and shocked all stadium spectators, live viewers, commentators, and millions of people who watched this moment in a replay. He stopped the ball with his chest, made a turn, and kicked the impossible-to-catch ball into the Uruguayan nets. After that match, this beautiful goal was nominated for the Puskas Award.
Geoff Hurst’s Hat-Trick Goal (1966)
The moment of Geoff’s glory, the first of two hat-tricks in the World Cup finals, will be remembered forever. Western Germany had shown impressive performances at that time, but Geoff Hurst ruined the German plans and amazed the audience with one goal during the full-time and two other goals during the extra-time.
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The Controversy and Importance of Hurst’s Third Goal
The only time England won the World Cup finals was in 1966. But this match, thanks to Geoff Hurst, will be memorised not only by the champion but also by the first-ever FIFA finals hat-trick. Although the second goal (by Hurst) was controversial due to the uncertainty of whether the ball would cross the goal line, it was extremely crucial to take the team to the lead. The third was absolutely clean. Such circumstances elevated the glory and pride of England's national team quite significantly.
Zinedine Zidane’s Penalty in the Final (2002)
An extremely stunning penalty by Zidane from World Cup Finals 2002 is in our hearts. Zidane scored an intriguing shot in the World Cup finals between Italy and France. Everyone watching has experienced a heart-stopping moment since the ball hit the crossbar and bounced down to the gate. France fans huddled in the chair in the hope the goal was counted. However, on the replay, it was clear that the ball crossed the goal line, and Zidane became the most spoken person in the game. Unfortunately for France, the Italian team has become the World Cup champion, even though he drove the team to the lead in the seventh minute with this impressive penalty.
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Carlos ’s Team Goal (1970)
Brazilian football captain Carlos Alberto ended this game with one of the greatest goals in FIFA's history. His final point of the match, this mesmerising fourth goal, is remembered after 55 years. Even though it was not the decisive goal, it was a very powerful and certain goal that will be kept in our memory for a long time.
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Buildup Play and Carlos Alberto’s Powerful Finish
Carlos was one of the most important players on the field. His role was not only to guide the team as the captain but also to help the team to collect important scores. Excellent strategy and a smart approach to the team’s tactics allowed Carlos to receive an accurate pass to shoot this rocket into the net of the opposing team. With Alberot’s captain's support, the Brazilian national team was considered one of the most powerful in 1970. After such an impulsive goal, Carlos became an outer space goalscorer.
Robin van Persie’s Flying Header (2014)
Another Puskas Award goal at the World Cup, for a substantial reason, was performed by Dutch professional football player Robin van Persie. The reason behind the Pusaks Award is the phenomenal flying header. Just watch the video of this moment, and you will definitely remember it for a long time.
Precision and Athleticism of van Persie’s Iconic Header
Some would say that the complete dominance of the Netherlands national team over Spain, with a score of 4:1, made it easier for Robin to score such a risky goal. Partly, it’s true. But without the precision and athleticism of Persie forward, it would be impossible to handle this long and breathtaking flying header.
How This Goal Set the Tone for the Netherlands’ Impressive Campaign in 2014
This destroying approach against Spain has set an inspiring tone for the Netherlands' future World Cup matches. As a result, the team won match by match, moving up to the semifinals. However, in the semifinals, unfortunately for the Netherlands, Argentina was announced as the winner based on penalty results.
Michael Owen’s Solo Run (1998)
England vs. Argentina's round-of-16 match has become a moment of glory for Michael Owen. His impressive solo run at such a young age brought him extreme fame, so even after a couple of decades, this run is still remembered. The match itself began incredibly stunningly, with a score of 1:1 by the end of the first 10 minutes. But what happened 6 minutes later, you should already know.
Owen’s pace, Dribbling, and Composure
In the sixteenth minute of the England—Argentina group match, the young Michael Owen, the forward of the England national football team, catches the accurate pass from David Beckham and turns on the beast mode with impressive speed to leave the Argentinian defence somewhere behind. He eludes two defenders, leaving Jose Chamot and Roberto Ayala behind, and sends the ball to the left corner.
Conclusion
Heart-stopping and visually pleasing football moments are why we love this sport. Throughout the history of the FIFA World Cup, we have experienced hundreds of different goals. But, not many of them have become so crucial for the whole industry and the footballer itself. The page consists of our top best goals during the World Cup and a few reasons why you should replay them now.