It will be very difficult for anyone, whether a past or present football star, analyst, manager or a die hard fan to state categorically that a particular goal scored by a footballer is the best ever in history of the game. This is so because there are tactically scored goals, technically beautiful goals, an all important goal physically achieved by singular effort, majestic free kicks and many other superbly scored goals indescribably rendered in the past and present times.
I can also mention that, there are some goals that can simply be described 'beautiful', as in the case of the eyes of the beholder. A fan who is so enamored can bear witness in part to his or her interest in a football star, club or country. As a Manchester United fan, i can simply claim that the distant strikes scored by C. Ronaldo especially the almost half field strike against Arsenal during his stint with club as the best. A fan of Barca may vehemently assert that Messi's goal against Gatafe at age 19 in 2007 is the best, or the majestic goals of Ibrahimovic. Lets not forget the singularly delivered goals by the likes of Maradonna and Pele for their fatherlands or the overlaps of Thierry Henry, the free kicks of David Beckham or that of Jorginho and so on and so forth.
I had wanted to take the goal scored by L. Messi when Barcelona played against Gatafe in 2007, but then i remembered a near if not perfect match of the same singular effort from the middle of the field by D. Maradona, when he scored for Argentina against England in 1986. So, i had to drop that idea which is one among other singular and classical efforts by football stars.
Aside the much hyped goal scorers 'if you will permit the reference', there are other football stars that had graced the highest rank of goal scoring performance, but haven't really gotten the deserved media attention. One will be tempted to say that they were simply overlooked by the media or perhaps it was simply just that their stars and fortunes went missing.
One of such unsung hero is non other than Kanu Nwankwo. Yes, Kanu is a goal scorer per excellence and in my estimation, he should be among the 10 best goal scorers in the history of football. Kanu has the uncanny ability to score goals at near impossible angles. His magical ability to conjure up incredible feint and exceptional technical abilities to dribble past defenders and goal keepers to score goals can simply be described as "something else". In all the clubs 'Papilo' (as he is popularly known) have played for, Papilo has drawn inner strength from nowhere when all hope is lost to deliver goals to the chagrin of the opponents and to the joy of his managers and team mates. Whether it was coincidence or simply providence, Kanu was able to achieve these feats at crucial moments.
To refer to him as a savior when hell comes calling wouldn't be over stating it. The video below will provide a glimpse into some of Kanu's escapades when he was at Ajax FC and Arsenal FC for effect.
Kanu has scored quite a number of world class goals no doubt, but the two that stood out the most for me were the goals in the matches he played for his country Nigeria in the 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta, USA, and for his club Arsenal in 1999 during an FA Cup match with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Samba Boys, as the Brazilians are popularly known were 3:2 goals against Nigeria with just about 1 minute regulation time remaining. The imposing figure of fast paced Ronaldo and his team mates were too handful for the Nigerian Dream Team to contain. With just about a minute to go, Kanu scored the killer goal from an impossible angle with his back to the goal post. This was a goal that will be etched in hearts and minds of the Brazilian squad for the rest of their lives. The Nigerian Dream team will go ahead to win the match on the newly introduced 'sudden death' goal, a goal scored by the same Kanu at extra time.
MY BEST GOAL IN HISTORY.
Perhaps my understanding of the best goal is still lacking in all particulars, or maybe i am simply being sentimental as a Nigerian. Well, that is a matter for another day. But a fair choice for me is the 1999 FA Cup match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The match started too smooth and well for Chelsea, with just 15 minutes to regulation time, Arsenal was suffering from two goals deficit in the hands of their host. Victory was unlikely for the Gunners, because, besides the good form being displayed by Chelsea, the pouring rain was also contributing to the beating. With 15 Minutes to go, all hope was lost, Arsenal fans had already started streaming out of the stadium even when the referee has not blown the final whistle. One other factor worth considering at the time is that, Chelsea's Goalkeeper was yet to concede any goal at home. So the possibility of a come back by the Gunners was a furlong hope. But the Nigerian international had something up his sleeve, before one could say 'Jack Robinson' Kanu had cancelled the 2 goal deficit with less than 5 minutes to the end of the match.
THE GOAL.
If the opponents and their fans thought that the lanky midfielder has had enough, they were fully mistaken, for the icing on the cake came just about a minute or so to go. Kanu got the ball when it was kicked against him by the opponent on the sideline. The ball which ricocheted to set him for an attack was fully controlled by Kanu. Suddenly, De Goey the Chelsea goalkeeper came out charging, that was a fatal mistake, because the tricky midfielder simply dribbled past him in line with the goalpost. To add to that, Marcel Desailly with Frank Leboeuf were guarding the goalpost. The undeterred Kanu sent the ball smashing to the upper corner, over the heads of the two hefty men guarding the goalpost from an impossible angle with a style and feat very few goal scorers have been able to achieve so far.
That was how a guaranteed win against the visitors was cancelled from a goal at a ridiculously impossible angle by Kanu Nwanko. And this is the goal i consider to be the best goal in the history of the game of football. The significance of this goal was that, Kanu single handedly knocked Chelsea out of a crucial FA Cup in 1999.
STAY AND KEEP SAFE!
Sincerely @izge.
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