Andrei Arshavin celebrates his fourth goal for Arsenal against Liverpool at AnfieldDespite being a team sport, football has seen days when one player decided to take matters into his own hands (or feet, if you will) and obliterate the opposition, showing complete disregard for the whole “win as a team, lose as a team” theme. One-man armies are not too common in football, but when they do show up, there is little that can stop them from single-handedly taking down the opponent. In this series, we take a look at individual performances that left a mark on the game as whole and will be remembered for a long time to come.EDIT: Only club performances have been considered.
#10 Luis Suarez vs Norwich City
Luis Suarez really does not like Norwich City. How else would you explain the Uruguayans record against the Canaries 11 goals in 5 games.
Four of those 11 goals came in a 5-1 hammering of Norwich at Anfield in early December of 2013. An audacious 40-yard volley, a left-footed strike from a corner and a brilliant run and half-volley finish all inside 35 minutes to leave the Canaries reeling in shock.
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And then a magnificent freekick 15 minutes from time to score his fourth goal of the night, and his third hat-trick against Norwich. Simply magical, and completely unplayable on the night.
#9 Lionel Messi vs Arsenal
Many teams have faced the brunt of Lionel Messi’s footballing genius. In early April of 2010, Arsenal joined that particular list of clubs to be annihilated by the Barcelona star’s sheer force of talent and skill.
After a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Emirates, Arsenal travelled to the Nou Camp with a slim chance of getting through to the Champions League semis. An early goal the Gunners hope of achieving the improbable – beating Barcelona on their own turf.
But Lionel Messi was on hand to ensure the Gunners’ dream of progressing in the Champions League was destroyed, as the little magician put on a scintillating display of pace, skill, touch and finesse to score 4 goals.
#8 Sergio Aguero vs Bayern Munich
Not many gave Manchester City a chance in their Champions League group match against Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Bayern Munich side despite the Bundesliga champions having already qualified for the knock out stages.
City needed a win to have any chance of keeping their hopes alive in Europe, and Sergio Aguero was on hand to single-handedly guide his team to a priceless and rare win against the German champions. The Argentinian scored three goals from three shots to down Bayern 3-2, and keep City’s European hopes alive.
A penalty marked the start of the hat-trick and Aguero would capitalize on futher defensive mistakes from Bayern to put three past a hapless Manuel Neuer.
There’s a sentence you don’t read every day.
#7 Jermain Defoe vs Wigan Athletic
Scoring a hat-trick in football is no mean feat. Scoring four goals in one game? Simply outstanding and not too common. A player scoring five goals in a game of football? Unbelievable.
But that’s what Jermain Defoe managed in a Premier League match against Wigan in Nov 2009 as Spurs routed Wigan 9-1!
Incredibly, all five of Defoe’s goals came in the second half, and he became only the third player to score five in one Premier League match after Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.
Defoe also managed to score the second fastest hat-trick in EPL history – a seven-minute blitzkrieg.
#6 Dimitar Berbatov vs Blackburn Rovers
Almost a year after Jermain Defoe became the third man in EPL history to net five goals in a single game, Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov emulated the feat in a 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn Rovers.
The Bulgarian had gone 10 matches without scoring coming into the match against Blackburn, but soon found his touch when he flicked home Nani’s ball to put United into the lead in the second minute of the match.
Blackburn then gifted Berbatov his second and United their third courtesy a horrid backpass. And the hat-trick goal was all Berbatov. The Bulgarian started the move in his own half, and then was on hand to lash home United’s fourth.
Two more late goals followed, as Berbatov joined the elite list of players who scored five goals in one game.
#5 Andrei Arshavin vs Liverpool
Of all the fleetfooted playmakers to come and go at Arsenal, Andrei Arshavin was perhaps the most exciting. On his day, the Russian was simply stunning, capable of the sublime and the magical.
One such day arrived in April 2009 as Arsenal travelled to Anfield with the hopes of derailing Liverpool’s title hopes. They did exactly that in an exciting 4-4 draw, with Andrei Arshavin as the chief protagonist.
The first was a tap-in from a Fabregas assist, the second a thunderous drive from the edge of the box, the third a cool finish from inside the box and the fourth a fantastic drive following a counter-attack.
And of course, the trademark “shushing” celebration to silence the crowd at Anfield.
#4 Lionel Messi vs Bayer Leverkusen
Not a stranger to creating and breaking records, Lionel Messi became the first footballer to score 5 goals in the Champions League in March 2012 when his Barcelona side beat Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 in the knockout round.
Messi scored two trademark left-footed curlers and a delicate chip on the way to creating history as Barcelona romped into the quarters of the Champions League, winning 10-2 on aggregate.
#3 Robert Lewandowski vs Real Madrid
Before defecting to Bayern Munich to play under Pep Guardiola, Lewandowksi etched his name in the history books at Borussia Dortmund with an immaculate performance against Real Madrid in the semifinals of the 2012/13 Champions League.
It wasn’t just the four goals that he scored; it was the manner of the goals scored. The Pole was simply unplayable and by the time he was done in the 67th minute, the resulting scoreline had sent shockwaves through the footballing world. Nobody demolishes Real Madrid, not on such a big stage.
But such was the individual brilliance of Lewandowski on the day.
#2 Ronaldo vs Manchester United
A hat-trick at Old Trafford is a surefire way of being remembered, but Ronaldo, El Phenomenon, would have been remembered even if he hadn’t put Untied to the sword with a sensational performance in the second leg of the quarter-final of the 2002/03 Champions League.
Trailing 1-3 from the first leg, United desperately needed early goals to have any chance of reaching the semis. But Ronaldo extinguished the hopes of the home fans with a magnificent strike in the 12th minute. Ronaldo would go on to score two more, but David Beckham would come off the bench to inspire a late rally and United would win the second leg 4-3.
But the night belonged to Ronaldo, whose hat-trick ensured a standing ovation from the home crowd, and an aggregate win of 6-4 for Real Madrid.
#1 Ronaldinho vs Real Madrid
19 November 2005 is a date fondly remembered by Barcelona fans. Not only did their team beat arch-rivals Real Madrid in an El Clasico, the travelling fans also witnessed an outpouring of pure admiration and affection from the home crowd towards one of Barcelona’s star players.
Ronaldinho became only the second player after Diego Maradona to get a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabeu for his masterful performance in the 3-0 win over Real Madrid.
The Brazilian grabbed two goals and was involved in the third that was scored by Samuel Eto’o and assisted by Lionel Messi.
