Who doesn’t love goals? The split second your heart stops when the ball is in mid-air as you see it go in the net; the screams in the stadium when a player beats the goalkeeper - the feeling is indescribable.
The beautiful game of football is built around goals, and some are clearly more superior than the others. 2016 saw many goals in different club and national tournaments. While some of them were messy tap ins, others were absolutely sensational and mind-boggling. Here, we look at some of the very best goals of the year which left us stunned –
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#10 Hal Robson-Kanu – Wales vs Belgium
The Euros this year were one of the most memorable international tournaments in recent times for several reasons. One of those reasons was this astonishing goal by a man who was without a club at that point in time.
Robson-Kanu collected Aaron Ramsey’s pass with a deft first touch and saw that he was being tightly marked and had no space to work with. A moment of technical brilliance followed as the Welshman performed a brilliant Cruyff turn to get past his man and beat Thibaut Courtois from close range to score a truly astonishing goal. No wonder this deft goal was nominated for the Puskas Awards.
#9 Xherdan Shaqiri – Switzerland vs Poland
Another astonishing goal from the Euros with this one being one of the most loved skills in football – the bicycle kick.
The diminutive yet explosive Shaqiri pulled an absolute rabbit out of his hat against Poland as he struck a cleared ball with as much power and accuracy as a player in his position possibly could. The Swiss saw the ball coming towards him, jumped in the air and hit a bicycle from just outside the box to leave the keeper a broken man. A bicycle kick worth remembering in the years to come.
#8 Dimitri Payet – West Ham United vs Middlesbrough
The Premier League isn’t called the most exciting league in the world for no reason.
2016 was the year of Dimitri Payet, and one cannot say that enough. Payet scored an absolute thunderbolt for France against Romania in the Euros as well as a couple of amazing free kicks in England, but his most recent wonder goal takes the cake.
Receiving the ball out wide, the French international got past not one, not two, but five Middlesbrough players in a run Lionel Messi would be proud of and his finish was as deft as his entire run. This is one goal you just have to see to believe, for the skill involved was mind-blowing and the goal itself is one so beautiful you’ll put it on rewind.
#7 Faiz Subri – Penang vs Pahang (Malaysian Super League)
Definitely in the top 10 goals of the year, and without a doubt the best free kick of the year.
The trajectory of the ball in this astounding hit is something you usually achieve only while playing FIFA with your sliders maxed out. The midfielder lined up the ball almost 35 metres away from the goal and from a nearly impossible angle on the left-hand side of the pitch.
Shades of Roberto Carlos’ now immortal goal against France in 1997, Subri hit the ball with such force and curve that it dipped and swerved in such a manner that the goalkeeper stood no chance at all.
The stadium was left in shock, and the player was on cloud nine. A goal for the ages, and it is, therefore, no shock that this makes the Puskas top 3 for the year. If a more famous player scored this, we’d never stop talking about it.
#6 Hlompho Kekana – South Africa vs Cameroon
Choosing the best goals of the year is never an easy task. However, very few pieces of skill can beat scoring from inside your own half after winning the ball from your opponent YOURSELF.
Joining the likes of Xabi Alonso and David Beckham, this South African midfielder scored perhaps the best goal of the year as he hit the ball with immense force and technique to beat the stranded opposition goalkeeper in a counter-attacking move that ended the moment Hekana won the ball and decided to achieve the impossible.
What makes the goal even more impressive is the fact that this player had never scored for his country before and the ball was flying even as it hit the net.
Honourable mentions –
Philippe Coutinho vs Arsenal – Probably the second best free kick goal of the year and one that kick-started Liverpool’s season, this fantastic hit by the magician from Brazil beat Petr Cech from some distance.
