Check out our list of the most beautiful, historic, and important goals of all time!
Greatest Goals of all Time
Goals come in many different shapes and sizes. From taps-ins to long-range spectaculars, skilful team moves to individual moments of magic; fans are treated to various scenes before the ball strikes the back of the net.
Many of the best football moments in 2022 and before have come courtesy of spectacular goalscorers or last-minute game-winners. There is simply no beating the distinctive sound of the ball nestling into an open net.
Some goals have gone down in history as genuine pieces of art: sporting excellence at its finest and a reminder of why football is arguably the most extraordinary game in the universe.
The greatest goals of all time are varied, but they have one thing in common: the ability to get people off their seats in disbelief. Whether it’s a long-range screamer or an acrobatic piece of magic, sometimes you just cannot help yourself.
We’ll explore some of the most beautiful, historic, and important examples of all time.
#10: Rodrygo completes utterly bonkers Real Madrid comeback
Rodrygo crowned one of the best moments in sports 2022 had to offer with a last-minute goal against Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final. The Brazilian had already scored one from close range after being teed up by Karim Benzema, but his glorious header just one minute after was the highlight.
Out of context, it was nothing special. However, the story behind this goal underlines its significance. Real Madrid was trailing 5-3 on aggregate going into stoppage time at the Bernabeu and looked destined to lose.
But then the impossible happened. Impact sub Rodrygo popped up to score one and then another in the dying moments, sending the game to extra time. Madrid went on to win the match and the Champions League as a whole. It simply wouldn’t have happened without this miraculous last-minute Rodrygo header.
#9: Kaka takes out two Manchester United players before calmly slotting away the ball
Kaka was just hitting his peak in 2007. The Brazilian proved his quality against countless teams that year, but none more so than Manchester United. AC Milan’s talisman simply pulled them apart in the Champions League semi-final with a performance for the ages.
Carlo Ancelotti’s roaming No. 10 was on fire at Old Trafford. He had already equalised Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener with a deft finish from Clarence Seedorf’s inch-perfect through ball. However, Kaka’s second didn’t require anyone else.
The Brazilian tracked a long punt upfield from fellow countryman Dida, beating Darren Fletcher with a header and lobbing the ball over an incoming Gabriel Heinze with his next touch. It looked like he’d lose the race to Patrice Evra, but Kaka had other ideas. He nodded the ball between the French defender and Heinze, letting them comically take themselves out before slotting away in the right corner. It was pure magic.
#8: Jack Wilshere finishes a scintillating team move
Arsenal was routinely criticised for trying to “walk it in” during the Arsene Wenger years. Jack Wilshere’s extraordinary goal against Norwich in 2013 was a clear example of one-touch passing tactics working to perfection.
Although the Englishman was far from being one of the best football players 2103 had to offer, he was in his prime back then. Starting off a team move from midfield, Wilshere offloaded to Santi Cazorla, who subsequently found Olivier Giroud on the edge of the Norwich box. The silky Frenchman flicked a first-touch pass to Wilshere, who instantly flicked it back for a quickfire one-two. The inch-perfect pass from Giroud sent Wilshere clear of the defence, and he finished off the move with a side-footed volley into the corner of the net. It was over in a flash and will go down as arguably the best team goal of all time.
#7: Neymar Jr. announces himself to the world
There were whispers emanating from Brazil regarding a player that could rival the all-time greats during the early 2000s. Neymar Jr. couldn’t secure one of the best football moments in 2022 for Brazil on the world’s biggest stage, but in the early days, he could seemingly do it all by himself.
Playing for Santos in July 2011, the tricksy winner scored a solo goal placing him firmly on the map as the next big thing. The 19-year-old took the ball from just inside the Flamengo half, quickly cutting out three players with a creative one-two before dribbling past another four and slotting into the back of the net.
The goal was so good it won the 2011 Puskas Award and was a significant factor behind his record-breaking transfer to Barcelona in 2013. You could watch Neymar Jr. roll the ball under his foot past one player before knocking it around another two again and again. Beautiful.
#6: Ronaldinho bamboozles David Seaman
Ronaldinho broke English hearts during the 2002 World Cup quarter-final. The Brazilian legend was extraordinarily capable of conjuring something from nothing during his incredible career, and his goal against David Seaman was a great example.
The Brazilians earned a freekick 40 yards from goal, with everybody expecting a lofted cross into the mix. But Ronaldinho had other ideas. His long-range shot absolutely bamboozled Seaman, who was standing well off his line in anticipation of a cross. The ball looped over his head and sent Brazil into the semi-finals.
Ronaldinho has since admitted he may not have totally meant the shot. Regardless of his intentions, it will go down as one of the most audacious goals of all time.
#5: Zlatan Ibrahimovic performs Swedish acrobatics versus England
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was responsible for one of the best moments in sports 2022 had to offer last year as he helped AC Milan to their first Scudetto in 11 years. The Swedish maestro has a history of helping teams celebrate era-defining successes.
Wind the clock back to 2012. It may have been a friendly, but Sweden beating England was still a remarkable achievement. Nevertheless, Ibrahimovic’s outrageous 30-yard bicycle kick will always be the most memorable thing about this game.
Joe Hart headed an awkward ball clear after Sweden lobbed the ball upfield. Only it wasn’t far enough. Ibrahimovic pulled off an unbelievable bicycle kick to send the ball over the England goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
#4: Roberto Carlos defies the laws of physics
Remember the day Roberto Carlos kicked the ball so hard that it genuinely defied the laws of physics? We’re not joking. The outrageous freekick still baffles scientists, with the Brazilian left-back sending his shot around the wall and back again to score.
Most freekicks go above the wall and back down, but this wasn’t Roberto Carlos’ style. Against France in 1997, he opted to whack it at such velocity that it would loop around rather than over.
The swerve on the ball was simply out of this world. It should not have happened. But it did. The fact it was from 30 yards out makes it all the more impressive. We won’t see anything else like it. Roberto Carlos, defier of physics.
#3: Kylian Mbappe’s last-gasp equaliser versus Argentina
You’ve got to feel for Kylian Mbappe. He was one of the best football players 2022 had to offer and scored an unprecedented hat trick in the 2022 World Cup Final, but still ended up on the losing side.
At least the Frenchman can take some comfort in the fact his incredible 81st-minute equaliser will go down as one of the greatest goals in the competition. He had already scored an 80th-minute penalty, and it took just 60 seconds for him to add another.
In a feverish and utterly surreal atmosphere, the PSG No. 7 brought France level with a sumptuous first-time volley. It simply had to be Mbappe. Other players may have taken an extra touch, but not this guy.
#2: A young Lionel Messi shows his extraordinary talent
Lionel Messi was responsible for one of the best football moments in 2022 as he walked in Diego Maradona’s footsteps and led Argentina to World Cup glory. But he had already emulated his idol with a goal in 2007 that was scarily similar to the legend’s solo effort against England in 1986.
The then-19-year-old picked up the ball just inside his own half against Getafe before displaying magical dribbling qualities to run almost three-quarters of the pitch and score. Messi skipped past one Getafe defender before nutmegging another and rushing forward.
He goes past another, and then another, and then another, surging forward at breakneck pace with the ball seemingly glued to his feet. The Getafe defenders kept sliding in but didn’t get anywhere close. Messi then rounded the keeper and poked home into an empty net. The “little magician” had just scored one of the best solo goals of all time.
#1: Gareth Bale breaks Liverpudlian hearts
Gareth Bale scored one of history’s most impressive Champions League-winning goals in the 2018 final against Liverpool. The score was delicately poised at 1-1 until the Welshman popped up and scored an unbelievable bicycle kick.
Bale had only been on the pitch a few minutes before that iconic 64th-minute moment. Marcelo sent in a cross slightly behind him, but it was no bother. Instead of letting the ball run, Bale performed a pitch-perfect bicycle kick, sending the ball cannoning off his left boot into the top corner of the net.
Liverpool was well and truly stunned. Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was in awe alongside the rest of the Spanish supporters. What had just happened? In a dazzling flash, Bale had scored arguably the greatest goal in the game’s history. And he was upside down when he did so. Unbelievable stuff.
