8 of the best photos in football history

Inspired from a thread on /r/soccer, here are eight of the best, hand-picked photos in the history of the beautiful game. There could be many other moments that are missing from the list, but then again, to compile a list as short as this, you need to leave out a few.

#8 The walk of shame

Having already won a World Cup with France, this is not how Zizou would have anticipated his swansong. Playing his last international match for France, it couldn’t have been a better stage; The World Cup final.

The two scorers of the game Zidane and Marco Materazzi clashed in the second half of extra time with just 10 minutes left on the clock as the French skipper headbutted Materazzi in the chest.

It was not a physical challenge that infuriated the French maestro. Materazzi later confirmed he was the mastermind behind Zidane’s dismissal as the Italian said something about his sister.

Nothing is more important than family.

#7 Vinnie Jones grabbing Paul Gascoigne\'s no-no

Vinnie Jones already had a reputation of being a hard guy to take on on the football pitch. It was the year of 1988 when Jones was given the task of manhandling 22-year-old Paul Gascoigne. This photo marks the encounter between the two with Jones grabbing Gazza's testicles for reasons unknown.

Apparently, Gazza had later sent Jones a bouquet of roses following the incident. And what did Jones give Gazza? A toilet brush.

#6 A little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God

The most iconic goal in the history of World cup tournament is a tie between The Hand of God quickly followed by the Goal of the Century. Great players can score all kinds of goals; Maradona is this subject’s prime example.

Against England, he scored two of the most talked about goals in history. His first of the match was a goal from the outside of his raised left hand. The referee was clueless, having no direct vision. His verdict was a goal; Argentina ahead.

Four minutes later, he galloped from his own half, dribbling past four English players before claiming the goal of the century. Argentina won the World Cup 2-1. After all these years, I guess, he still appreciates the irony.

1986 World Cup was undeniably Maradona’s magnum opus. The famous and the infamous created stories of legends for generations to come. His abilities with the ball made him one of the greatest to have ever played the game.

#5 The Soul Embrace

Football brings together people from each and every corner of the world and everyone has a special story about how the game enhanced their lives. Victor Dell’Aquila’s story is probably a little better than most you’ll hear.

Dell’Aquila is a long time Argentina fan who unfortunately lost both his arms in an accident when he was just 12 years old. That, however, did not dampen his spirits as he continued to support his favorite team and even went on to become a skillful player himself.

His greatest moment, however, came during the 1978 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and the Netherlands which he watched at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. As soon as the final whistle blew with Argentina clinching their first ever World Cup title, goalkeeper Ubaldo Fillol went down on his knees and defender Alberto Tarantini joined him in an embrace.

They were soon joined by Victor who had made his way onto the pitch from the stands and joined the two men in the middle. It became one of the iconic moments in World Cup history and was dubbed ‘The Soul Embrace’.

Coca-Cola even tried to recreate that moment ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup by bringing all three men together for a new advert. It is the stories around football and the fans that make the game so special and Coca-Cola have done remarkably well to showcase that in this new tear-jerker of a commercial.

#4 Frank Rijkaard spitting on Rudi Voeller

The Holland squad have a tendency to get into a situation that results in a player getting sent off. More often they even get their opponents a red card.

In this instance, Frank Rijkaard of the Netherlands got a yellow card for making a heavy tackle on Rudi Voller of West Germany. Voller was involved the very next second; having himself booked as he retaliated back, claiming Rijkaard had spit on his hair.

The duo didn’t finish there, as both of them received marching orders when Voller got involved with the Dutch keeper and Rijkaard intervened. But, Rijkaard wasn't done as he again spat on Voller while leaving the field.

West Germany won the match 2-1.

#3 19 June 1958: A star is born

17-year-old Pelé burst into tears after he helped Brazil win their very first World Cup title after scoring a brace as Brazil went on to beat Sweden 5-2. Post the full-time whistle, Pelé passed out on the field and, with the help of the medical staff, soon recovered.

What followed was, however, one of most iconic moments in the game as he started crying while he was being congratulated by his teammates. He ended the tournament with six goals to his name and was named Young Player of the Tournament.

#2 Pep Guardiola with his new team in Germany

The Paulaner brewery has been a premium partner of Bayern Munich since 2003, and the Paulaner Hefe-Weizen has always been at the centre stage at any celebration on the pitch for the Bavarians in front of the Allianz Arena and in the city centre of Munich.

The 3-litre Meisterglas championship glasses are still used by the players to toast their mastery in the stadium. In this photo, Pep Guardiola can be seen drinking with his former team Bayern Munich after they had won yet another Bundesliga title.

#1 Rui Costa and Materazzi

One of the most iconic photos, this was taken during Inter's match against Milan for the Champions League quarter-final second leg a decade ago. After a goal from Estaban Cambiasso was disallowed with Milan leading 3-0 aggregate, the Inter supporters went haywire and started throwing flares onto the pitch.

One of the flares even hit AC Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida.

Fun fact: A less known fact is that this photo was taken right after Marco Materazzi was smacked in the face by Rui Costa after the former had insulted his sister. Yes, just like Marco insulted Zinedine Zidane's sister in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.