Stunners, screamers, golazos… Call them what you will, goals are the game’s precious gems. They are the basic currency of football, but not every goal is equal. Regardless of their impact on a result, some belong in an entirely different category, taking on a life of their own thanks to their sheer beauty and the jaw-dropping talent and audacity on show. Here are our top 60 from the Champions League era
WORDS Richard Aikman, John Atkin, Sheridan Bird, Chris Burke, Vieri Capretta, Andrew Haslam, Sam McEvoy, Paul McNamara, Aaryan Parasnis | ILLUSTRATION Raphael Mendes
Cover Stories
If you are reading this magazine, it’s probably because once you saw a goal and it changed your life. It may have been a recent effort, like Erling Haaland’s outrageous martial arts-esque volley against Sparta Praha last October, or it could have been several decades ago. Perhaps you were at the stadium or watching in disbelief at home. The love of football usually begins with a ball crossing the goal line – even during a penalty shoot-out after a 0-0 draw. Italian writer Gianni Brera supposedly once said the perfect match would end goalless, but we don’t have to agree with the gruff iconoclast.
An exquisite pinpoint cross, a well-timed crunching tackle or a meaty defensive header are all pleasurable, but nothing beats the emotion of a goal. They can be dizzying 20-pass team moves, or thunderous shots from obscene distances. Sometimes it’s an acrobatic work of art, or a lucky deflection off the shin of a hapless defender. Some are more important than others. The winning goal in a final, like Vinícius Júnior’s crisp back-post finish for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the 2022 decider, holds more weight than a fabulous consolation effort in a 7-1 defeat, such as Daniele De Rossi’s over-the-shoulder volley for Roma at Manchester United in 2007.
Can ‘basic’ goals be great? It often depends on the context. Manchester United fans love rewatching Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s winner against Bayern München in the 1999 final, but not for the aesthetics. Mario Mandžukić’s overhead kick for Juventus in the 2017 showpiece was ten times more appealing, but his side lost 4-1 to Madrid, so it’s largely forgotten. Centre-forwards suffering a drought do not care where their next success comes from, even if it’s a fortunate effort that wouldn’t grace their personal top 100.
But is there anything wrong with a selection of Champions League goals based purely on beauty? Absolutely not. There are occasions when everyone is left open-mouthed and wide-eyed, and half the planet watches the deed on a loop the next day. Here is our stab at a top 60 from the modern Champions League era, including five apiece from the three men to have reached their own personal centuries: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the newest member of the 100 club, Robert Lewandowski. Look out too for a few masterstrokes you may not know about, like French maverick Philippe Mexès against Anderlecht in 2012. Believe it or not, some of these entries might even have changed Gianni Brera’s stance.
Ronaldinho
Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona
• R16 second leg • 8 March 2005
Such was the quality of Ronaldinho’s strike at Stamford Bridge that all other narratives – including Barcelona’s elimination from the Champions League – took a back seat. Chelsea cruised into a 3-0 lead within 20 minutes, but Barcelona’s brilliant Brazilian pulled something special out of his magic hat. After scoring his first goal from the spot, Ronaldinho received the ball on the edge of the ‘D’ and stopped it dead. Completely surrounded with nowhere to go, feinting with a dancer’s poise, he launched a shot with barely any back-lift past Petr Čech, who seemed just as awestruck as everyone watching. A goal so unique, so audacious and so nonchalant that only ‘El Gaucho’ could have pulled it off.
George Weah
Bayern München 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain
• Group stage • 23 November 1994
With Paris already through to the knockout stage, coach Luis Fernández told Weah to “go shopping” in Munich before their game against Bayern. At 0-0 in the second half, however, it was King George himself who delivered the goods. Coming off the bench, he received the ball from Paul Le Guen with ten minutes left and combined with Pascal Nouma before setting off. A scoop turn, a quick touch and a jink onto his right left three defenders in his wake. As he worked his way into the box, he unleashed a thunderbolt that fizzed into the top corner inside Oliver Kahn’s near post. “I take my hat off to George Weah,” cooed his beaming coach.
Fredrik Ljungberg
Arsenal 3-1 Juventus
• Second group stage • 4 December 2001
With maximum respect to Ljungberg, this goal was all about Dennis Bergkamp. Arsenal’s ‘Iceman’ was ice cool on a memorable Highbury night, appearing to freeze time itself as he toyed with the Juve defence. Ljungberg had launched the Gunners on a counterattack and fed Bergkamp at the corner of the area, where the Dutch maestro slowed the tempo, shuffling the ball one way and the other like a hustler playing three-card monte. Paolo Montero was his first victim, then Alessio Tacchinardi was lured into the trap, and soon everyone in black and white was mesmerised, allowing Bergkamp to release Ljungberg with a flicked lob. Off sprinted the Swede, beating Gianluigi Buffon with a delightful chip of his own.
Dejan Savicévić
AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona
• Final • 18 May 1994
In AC Milan’s star-studded side, Savićević wasn’t always a first-team regular, but he was known as ‘the Genius’ for a reason. An unpredictable winger given to mazy dribbles, nutmegs and spectacular strikes, the mercurial Montenegrin lit up a devastating 4-0 victory over Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ with a glorious third goal. Closing down Miguel Ángel Nadal’s clearance on the right flank, he reacted to the loose ball without a moment’s thought, fashioning an angled lob of outlandish impudence and precision that defied the stranded Andoni Zubizarreta. “There are some things you never think of trying, but geniuses do,” said coach Fabio Capello. “Savićević was a genius – the goal was jaw-dropping.”
Steven Gerrard
Liverpool 3-1 Olympiacos
• Group stage • 8 December 2004
Liverpool go into the break needing to score three to keep their Champions League dream alive – sound familiar? The ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ is seared into footballing consciousness but, oft forgotten, the Reds were in the same predicament in their last group outing. Needing to beat Olympiacos by two goals to progress, Rafa Benítez’s men trailed 1-0 at half-time. “We thought we were out,” Gerrard said of the mood among the players, but it was the home-grown hero who capped the comeback late on, hammering in a half-volley that found the corner like a tracer bullet.
Benni McCarthy
Porto 2-1 Manchester United
• R16 first leg • 25 February 2004
José Mourinho took the headlines with his touchline dash following Costinhá’s decisive 90th-minute equaliser at Old Trafford, but McCarthy was the star of the tie. The South African had already levelled at the Estádio do Dragão with a fine swivelled volley when he met Nuno Valente’s cross with a powerful leaping header that went in off the crossbar, although it left him with mixed emotions. “I support Man United and always wanted to play for them, so I was heartbroken to score twice,” he said. “I got hammered by Mourinho because I wasn’t very happy. He told me that if I didn’t cheer up, I’d never play in his team again.”
Saúl Ñíguez
Atlético de Madrid 1-0 Bayern München
• Semi-final first leg • 27 April 2016
Pep Guardiola’s artisans were undone by a moment of individual brilliance from an Atlético artist. There were barely more than ten minutes on the clock when Saúl brought down a high ball inside the centre circle and began plotting a route to goal, first twisting one way and the other to shake off Thiago Alcántara. The midfielder then skipped past Juan Bernat and Xabi Alonso to reach the penalty area, where more quick footwork created just enough space to bend a precise shot between a pair of defenders and inside the far corner. “It’s the most important goal of my career,” said Saúl. “And my most beautiful.”
Vieirinha
Wolfsburg 3-2 Manchester United
• Group stage • 8 December 2015
Wolfsburg had already hit back after conceding early when they took the lead with a move that swept from one penalty area to the other. Julian Draxler’s long crossfield pass from right to left stretched the United defence and the No10 picked up André Schürrle’s return to glide past three defenders. A one-two with Max Kruse took Draxler into the area, where he drew out David de Gea before squaring unselfishly for Vieirinha to tap in. “A thing of beauty,” gushed the BBC’s analysis. “The move started with keeper Diego Benaglio … and 11 passes later the ball was nestled in the back of the United net. Va va voom.”
Paul Scholes
Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona
• Semi-final second leg • 29 April 2008
Deadly shots were a Scholes trademark, and Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona got served a reminder to settle this semi-final. Gianluca Zambrotta nudged a tame clearance into the United midfielder’s path about seven metres outside the box and he was soon regretting it as Scholes took a touch before spearing a half-volley high into the far corner with the outside of his foot. The power and swerve left Víctor Valdés helpless. The view from behind Scholes revealed his hip and shooting foot at a right angle to the goal in the airborne follow-through, showing how he produced such ferocious movement on the ball.
Allan Ravn
Brøndby 2-1 Bayern München
• Group stage • 16 September 1998
“I think I’ve met everyone who was at the stadium that day!” says Ravn of a goal that means – at least in one suburb of Copenhagen – he’ll never need to buy another drink. The stage was set by an 87th-minute own goal that had brought Brøndby level. Enter the unlikely figure of Ravn, a midfielder who averaged a goal per season. He chipped over two defenders and charged to the edge of the box. “I didn’t have the energy to take on the last man as well,” he recalls. So he took on the shot, and watched it arc past Oliver Kahn and in off the post. Not for the last time that season, Bayern were undone by a spectacular comeback.
Gheorghe Hagi
Galatasaray 3-2 Monaco
• First group stage • 12 September 2000
As Stéphane Porato climbed to his feet and tried to regain his bearings, like a hurt boxer attempting to unscramble his senses, the Monaco goalkeeper shot his tormenter a wounded glance. “How could you do that to me?” Porato appeared to be asking. Not that Hagi noticed. The brilliant Romanian was too busy beckoning team-mates to join his celebrations after whizzing a pearler of a strike into the top-right corner from out wide on the left, around 35 metres from goal. It took some chutzpah to try his luck from there, but Hagi was not wanting for audacity and – after two touches to steady himself – he sent the ball on a rapid, unerring journey beyond the affronted keeper.
Zinédine Zidane
Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Real Madrid
• Final • 15 May 2002
For years, this was considered the best goal ever scored in a final, practically synonymous with the Champions League itself. Roberto Carlos was the provider, though there was nothing inevitable about the outcome as his speculative cross looped up and over from the left. The ball hung for what felt like minutes in the Glasgow air as Zidane waited beneath, calculating what needed to happen next. Then the Frenchman showed his class, swinging at the ball with his supposedly weaker left foot to steer an elegant volley high inside the near post. “I knew it was going to be a goal as soon as the ball left my boot,” said the scorer. He wasn’t alone.
How do you like your free-kicks? There’s much to be said for set pieces that appear to defy physics as they bend around a wall, but sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than pure, unadulterated power. And for a prime example of the latter…
No English team had previously beaten Madrid at the Bernabéu and few expected a stuttering Arsenal side to break the mould.
Lars Ricken
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Juventus
• Final • 28 May 1997
Nothing about Ricken’s pearl seemed logical. He’d only just come on as a substitute and was going into battle against Europe’s defensive masters and their rock of a keeper, Angelo Peruzzi. From his own half, though, Andreas Möller fed Ricken and the counter was on. Noting Peruzzi was off his line and avoiding the hassle of a one-on-one, the 20-year-old swept the ball first time over the Italian from outside the box to make it 3-1, a mere 16 seconds after his introduction. It resembled a goal from a cartoon but was gloriously real.
Federico Valverde
Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City
• Quarter-final first leg • 9 April 2024
The final strike of six in a pulsating contest at the Bernabéu was also the UEFA technical observers’ pick as the 2023/24 Goal of the Season. With 11 minutes to go and Madrid 3-2 down, Valverde timed his run into the area perfectly to get on the end of Vinícius Júnior’s ball in from the left. The Uruguayan met it with what the observers called “a precise, angled volley”, directing his shot across Stefan Ortega and low inside the far post. Even Pep Guardiola had to doff his cap, saying: “When Vinícius crosses and Valverde volleys like that, what can you do except applaud?”
Stelios Giannakopoulos
Olympiacos 1-0 Porto
• Group stage • 17 September 1997
The Greek side’s first Champions League game was only six minutes old when they countered from a Porto corner, playing the ball to Ilija Ivić on the left wing. A pass inside found Giannakopoulos advancing in the Porto half and, though, by his own admission, “my first touch wasn’t very good”, his second more than compensated as the ball sat up perfectly. “It bounced kindly in front of me and gave me the chance to try to lob the keeper. I was lucky to hit the target,” he added, underselling a thumping shot that was past Rui Correia before the goalkeeper had started his dive.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City 5-0 Sparta Praha
• League phase • 23 October 2024
Cyborg. Robot. Machine. Haaland has been called many things since his goalscoring exploits began, and in Manchester City’s league phase dismantling of Sparta Praha, his instinctive first strike only added to his superhuman reputation. Savinho blazed skilfully down the right before floating in a cross which Haaland approached sideways, almost with his back to goal. A huge leap and stretch lifted his left boot higher than most footballers’ heads, and he back-heeled the ball midair to send it bouncing into the corner. Team-mate Phil Foden perfectly summed up what everyone was thinking: “If I tried to do that, I’d pull my groin!”
Dimitar Berbatov
Roma 1-1 Leverkusen
• Group stage • 3 November 2004
“When the ball is on the way to me,” Berbatov once explained, “I know what I’ve got to do.” That just makes this stunning solo effort all the more ridiculous. No one else had a clue when Marko Babić slid a pass forward to the Bulgarian. With his back to goal and Traianos Dellas breathing down his neck, he flicked the ball up with his first touch, lifted it over his shoulder to bamboozle Dellas and then calmly lobbed the goalkeeper. Peak Berbatov.
Arjen Robben
Manchester United 3-2 Bayern München
• Quarter-final second leg • 7 April 2010
Defending a flimsy one-goal aggregate lead and down to ten men, United were showing the strain at a seething Old Trafford. Even so, it took a moment of inspiration for Bayern to knock Sir Alex Ferguson’s men out on away goals. With 16 minutes remaining, Franck Ribéry delivered the ammunition, flighting a corner to the far edge of the area, where Robben was hovering with intent. Noting the ball’s trajectory, a startled Michael Carrick dashed to close him down – to no avail. The Dutchman swept a majestic left-footed volley low beyond Edwin van der Sar to secure, in the words of Franz Beckenbauer, “one of the most beautiful defeats in the history of FC Bayern”.
Luis Diáz
Manchester City 3-1 Porto
• Group stage • 21 October 2020
Start as you mean to go on? Luis Díaz was less than 14 minutes into his Champions League debut when he showed exactly what he’s all about, punishing City with the kind of driving run that would soon become familiar. The threat looked minimal when Porto intercepted a pass on the halfway line, but then their Colombian winger was off down the left, keeping Kyle Walker at bay before cutting sharply infield. After sidestepping Rodri, he turned at another sheer angle, bustling into the box and drifting wide of João Cancelo to crack a low shot back beyond Ederson. “We cannot concede like this,” lamented Rúben Dias afterwards. “Someone needs to stop him.” Good luck with that.
Michael Essien
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona
• Semi-final second leg • 6 May 2009
A rancorous night that ended with Chelsea eliminated and aggrieved began with Michael Essien’s howitzer from outside the area. This was a robust, combative and direct Chelsea team and only nine minutes had elapsed when Petr Čech belted upfield for Didier Drogba. Playing off the talismanic striker, the hosts worked an opening for Frank Lampard to pass into the area. Yaya Touré, operating in the middle of Barcelona’s defence, intercepted to send the ball looping, apparently harmlessly, in Essien’s direction. The Ghanaian midfielder swung his weaker left foot through the dropping ball and comprehensively beat Víctor Valdés with a strike that found the net via the underside of a bruised crossbar.
Hernán Crespo
Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (aet, Liverpool win 3-2 on pens)
• Final • 25 May 2005
Liverpool’s comeback from 3-0 down and subsequent penalty win mean that Milan don’t dwell on the 2005 final. But Crespo’s second goal in Istanbul was glorious for three reasons. Firstly, the way Kaká turned a prime Steven Gerrard upon receiving the ball in his own half and glided away from the English powerhouse. Secondly, for how Milan’s silky schemer dissected the Reds’ midfield and defence with a pass of surgical precision to Crespo. One on one with Jerzy Dudek, the Argentinian then capped it all with a single touch that resembled a trick shot in billiards, spinning the ball around the keeper and into the net. 3-0 and game over… or so we thought.
Juninho Pernambucano
Bayern München 1-2 Lyon
• Group stage • 5 November 2003
“The search for Juninho’s secret had become an obsession,” Andrea Pirlo wrote in his autobiography. “It occupied my every waking thought.” The greatest free-kick exponent of all time? Many, like Pirlo, say the Brazilian’s range and repertoire is unrivalled by anyone before or since. Juninho scored a world-record 77 free-kick goals over the course of his career, but this was his favourite. Lining up fully 35 metres from Oliver Kahn’s goal, he made the sweetest of knuckleball connections with his left foot, sending a ball boy scampering in anticipation before a vicious swerve and dip lured his effort into the top corner. Unstoppable.
Radamel Falcao
Manchester City 5-3 Monaco
• R16 first leg • 21 February 2017
Falcao endured a difficult two-year loan spell in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea, injury rendering the man known as ‘El Tigre’ toothless by his own lofty standards. He returned to Monaco in summer 2016 and was suddenly rejuvenated; the apex predator was back. His 24th goal of the season, in a classic tie against the other half of Manchester, was a moment to cherish. Running on to a long ball, the Colombian seated John Stones as he cut inside and, with two defenders closing, lifted a deft chip over Willy Caballero from almost the penalty spot. “One of the best goals I’ve ever seen,” said ex-England winger Chris Waddle, no stranger to special finishes.
Raúl González
Manchester United 2-3 Real Madrid
• Quarter-final second leg • 19 April 2000
Fernando Redondo was many things: a strong tackler, a master passer, a tempo-setter and a leader. But he wasn’t a twinkle-toed, slinky-hipped winger – except on one spring night at Old Trafford. Madrid faced holders Manchester United, and from a seemingly innocuous position on the left, the Argentinian produced a burst of wizardry out wide to nutmeg Henning Berg with a back-heel, accelerate around the Norwegian, somehow keep the ball in play and stroke a perfect low cross for the gleefully unmarked Raúl to tap in. Everyone watching knew Redondo’s quality, but no one realised he could also do a top-tier Johan Cruyff impersonation.
Hugo Almeda
Inter Milan 2-1 Porto
• Group stage • 1 November 2005
How do you like your free-kicks? There’s much to be said for set pieces that appear to defy physics as they bend around a wall, but sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than pure, unadulterated power. And for a prime example of the latter… step forward, Hugo Almeida, 35 metres from goal, as he did at San Siro two decades ago. The Porto striker was too far out to beat Júlio César with trickery through the air, but raw pace was another matter – and the Inter keeper was left flailing as Hugo Almeida generated frightening speed with his left foot, dispatching a missile into the top corner that was still rising as it crashed into the net.
Kaká
Manchester United 3-2 AC Milan
• Semi-final first leg • 24 April 2007
Among the most elegant players to grace the Champions League, Kaká sent the walls of United’s rearguard tumbling down at Old Trafford. Close to the touchline on the left, he began by winning a bouncing ball against Darren Fletcher, revealing his deceptive strength before performing a sombrero over Gabriel Heinze in true samba fashion. Next, Kaká nodded the ball between the scrambling Heinze and onrushing Patrice Evra, who collided after the Milan man had nipped around them. But still he had to get the better of imposing goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The composed No22 passed the ball into the net, just beyond the Dutchman’s reach. Pace, power and precision in one goal.
Kevin Prince Boateng
AC Milan 2-3 Barcelona
• Group stage • 23 November 2011
The virtuosity, the instinct, the result. This had it all. Boateng caught out one of the best sides in history with a flash of cheeky street football. The Ghanaian international produced not one but three magical touches, bringing the ball down inside the area with immaculate control and then, via a single flick, sending every defender, the keeper, his own team-mates and even the fans the wrong way. To cap it all, he drilled a shot from a difficult angle that swerved inside the near post. The back-heel dink before it was perfection, and the finish had the quality to match.
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Anderlecht 0-5 Paris Saint-Germain
• Group stage • 23 October 2013
It typically requires something extraordinary for a partisan home crowd to salute a conquering rival. For the fans behind Thomas Kaminski’s goal in Brussels, their applause for Ibrahimović’s jackhammer strike was possibly due to relief that the net had protected them from the ball. The rest rose to acclaim a devastating effort, the Swede connecting brutally with a dropping ball around 25 metres from goal to send it screaming past Kaminski, who must look back and wonder why he bothered diving. “It was a big honour for me to have the home fans clap,” said Ibrahimović, who completed a hat-trick with this goal and later added a fourth.
Casemiro
Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli
• R16 first leg • 15 February 2017
A strike so technically perfect that even Madrid coach Zinédine Zidane would have been proud to call it his own. The hosts had been advancing by stealth in a bid to unknot Napoli’s rigid back line. Centre-back Raúl Albiol read a pass into the box for James Rodríguez and stepped in to intervene. Albiol’s luck was out, however, although he surely wouldn’t have feared the worst as the ball looped towards Casemiro, all alone nearly 25 metres from the target. Without a goal from open play in his 30 previous European appearances, what were the chances of the Brazilian breaking his duck from here? The answer was conclusive, Casemiro arcing a dipping, swerving first-time volley inside goalkeeper Pepe Reina’s right post.
Alessandro Florenzi
Roma 1-1 Barcelona
• Group stage • 16 September 2015
Florenzi’s own celebration said it all – the hands on his head, a look of disbelief on his face. His captain Daniele De Rossi was the first to embrace him, letting the Roma right-back know that he wasn’t simply daydreaming. Yes, Florenzi really had recovered possession in defence, carried the ball beyond halfway and taken aim from a mind-boggling distance close to the touchline, having spotted goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen out of position. The shot combined power and accuracy, bouncing in off the far post for added aesthetic value. “It was craziness and heart that allowed me to score this beautiful goal,” said Florenzi. “The ball seemed to be in the air for an eternity.”
Gareth Bale
Inter Milan 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur
• Group stage • 20 October 2010
All three goals of the Welsh upstart’s hat-trick against the defending champions were remarkable, but the first, in the 52nd minute, silenced San Siro. The Spurs No3 started on the left wing well inside his own half, zoomed away from Maicon, left Javier Zanetti trailing, reached the area and launched a rocket into the far corner before Walter Samuel’s desperate lunge could stop him. The previously ironclad Inter defence was suddenly made to look like an over-50s team thanks to Bale’s turbo charge and crowning touch. For fans outside the UK, this was their introduction to the Gareth Bale show.
Dejan Stanković
Inter Milan 2-5 Schalke
• Quarter-final first leg • 5 April 2011
Ask any Inter fan, and they will call this a “cursed” goal. Stunning, for sure, but a deceptive early mirage on a night when the Nerazzurri lost 5-2 and never recovered in the tie. The clock had yet to tick a full minute when Stanković put his team in front, summoning the audacity to shoot from close to the halfway line as he volleyed Manuel Neuer’s headed clearance back over the goalkeeper. Trying it was one thing, but actually pulling it off was another – yet Stanković’s form was perfect, his right leg at 90° to his standing left as he struck the ball, while connecting with the outside of his boot added oomph and accuracy to the trajectory.
Deivid
Fenerbahçe 2-1 Chelsea
• Quarter-final first leg • 2 April 2008
Power, placement and nothing but net. Deivid really had a game of two halves in this Istanbul tussle, but it was his booming strike from 35 metres that everyone remembers. The Brazilian had gifted Chelsea an early own goal, yet he more than made up for it as Fenerbahçe fought back. With full time approaching and the scoreline 1-1, Deivid dropped deep to collect the ball and took a pair of innocuous touches that gave no hint of what was coming. Cue pandemonium, with goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini among the many caught out as Fener’s No99 lashed a savage effort into the top-left corner.
Oscar
Chelsea 2-2 Juventus
• Group stage • 19 September 2012
There aren’t many players who have left Gianluigi Buffon feeling powerless, but Oscar managed precisely that in the blink of an eye. Inheriting the No11 shirt from Chelsea icon Didier Drogba would be a big ask for any 21-year-old, yet Oscar took his first Blues start in his stride. Having scored the game’s opener two minutes before, the Brazilian made a run across the box while being closed down by Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Pirlo. Meeting Ashley Cole’s pass with a nimble touch, he twirled around his markers and arrowed the ball into the top corner, leaving Buffon to leap to his left in vain.
Gabriel Batistuta
Arsenal 0-1 Fiorentina
• First group stage • 27 October 1999
Fiorentina were dubbed the ‘Lions of Wembley’ after this Batistuta net-burster. Up against a tough Arsenal defence, the Argentinian striker used all his skill and physicality to terrorise Tony Adams and Co with a strike that ranks high in his overall pantheon. Batistuta received the ball with plenty of work still to do, just inside the area on the right, but he shifted it from his right foot to his left and raced past Nigel Winterburn on the outside. As the left-back slid in for a last-ditch tackle, Batistuta let fly from the tightest of angles, driving high into the far corner with all the power he had – which, famously, was a lot.
Thomas Delaney
Copenhagen 4-0 Club Brugge
• Group stage • 27 September 2016
“I had a feeling it would go in when I hit it.” The Parken crowd doubtless shared the same inkling as soon as Delaney’s left boot kissed the ball. Team-mate Benjamin Verbič had headed a clearance in his direction and the Copenhagen captain set himself to react, the loose ball bouncing twice before he swung his foot around 30 metres out. Making the kind of contact players dream of in their sleep, Delaney sent a half-volley swooshing around a pair of defenders before it curled back the other way, pinging into the top-right corner off the post. “I don’t think I’ve ever scored a goal like that,” he later reflected. “Hard to say if it will happen again.”
Thierry Henry
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal
• R16 first leg • 21 February 2006
No English team had previously beaten Madrid at the Bernabéu and few expected a stuttering Arsenal side to break the mould. For a start, the Spanish giants boasted a roll-call of Galácticos including Zinédine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo, while the injury-plagued Gunners had to field a makeshift defence. And yet the visitors prevailed, deservedly so, thanks to a solo goal by Henry that illustrated his best qualities: pace, athleticism and finishing prowess. Picking up Cesc Fábregas’s pass inside the centre circle, Arsenal’s record scorer left a trail of white shirts behind him on a surging run into the box, before jabbing a left-footed strike across Iker Casillas to secure a historic win.
Lasse Schöne
Real Madrid 1-4 Ajax
• R16 second leg • 5 March 2019
On a night of surprises, this was the pinnacle. Erik ten Hag’s exciting Ajax team had lost 2-1 at home to holders Madrid but turned all logic on its head in Spain, recalling their 1970s heyday as they pulled off an astonishing display. The Dutch side were already leading 3-1 when Schöne applied the coup de grâce from a free-kick close to the touchline on the left. With everyone expecting a cross, the Danish midfielder opted for glory – and swirled the ball high beyond Thibaut Courtois to general disbelief. A strike so good that Ajax named their Goal of the Month award the Lasse Schöne Trophy just a few months later.
Alexis Sánchez
Arsenal 6-0 Ludogorets
• Group stage • 19 October 2016
Expectations were high when Arsenal snapped up Alexis from Barcelona, and the Chilean forward did not disappoint. Powerful, quick and technically sublime, Alexis also brought a force of character that could bend matches to his will. His stocky frame and tireless running belied his ability as a finisher of consummate imagination, a talent he underlined with this goal. Racing into the area from the left channel, Alexis cut inside, sending one defender sprawling. As another closed in, he wafted an angled lob beyond Vladislav Stoyanov and into the far corner, a touch of nonchalant finesse that set the tone for a comfortable victory.
Karim Benzema
Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid
• Quarter-final first leg • 6 April 2022
The image of Benzema hurtling towards goal and blasting into the top corner isn’t hard to picture, his educated feet having placed countless shots beyond stretching goalkeepers. But it was with his head that he began to loosen holders Chelsea’s grip on the trophy. For his first strike of a hat-trick, the Frenchman played a one-two with Vinícius Júnior, who flew down the left before crossing towards the penalty spot. Benzema galloped into the box and, without breaking stride, smashed a header high into the net beyond Édouard Mendy. In a flash, the Madrid ace demonstrated the reflexes of a panther and an apparent laser-guidance system on his forehead.
An exquisite pinpoint cross, a well-timed crunching tackle or a meaty defensive header are all pleasurable, but nothing beats the emotion of a goal. They can be dizzying 20-pass team moves, or thunderous shots from obscene distances. Sometimes it’s an acrobatic work of art, or a lucky deflection off the shin of a hapless defender. Some are more important than others. The winning goal in a final, like Vinícius Júnior’s crisp back-post finish for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the 2022 decider, holds more weight than a fabulous consolation effort in a 7-1 defeat, such as Daniele De Rossi’s over-the-shoulder volley for Roma at Manchester United in 2007.
Can ‘basic’ goals be great? It often depends on the context. Manchester United fans love rewatching Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s winner against Bayern München in the 1999 final, but not for the aesthetics. Mario Mandžukić’s overhead kick for Juventus in the 2017 showpiece was ten times more appealing, but his side lost 4-1 to Madrid, so it’s largely forgotten. Centre-forwards suffering a drought do not care where their next success comes from, even if it’s a fortunate effort that wouldn’t grace their personal top 100.
But is there anything wrong with a selection of Champions League goals based purely on beauty? Absolutely not. There are occasions when everyone is left open-mouthed and wide-eyed, and half the planet watches the deed on a loop the next day. Here is our stab at a top 60 from the modern Champions League era, including five apiece from the three men to have reached their own personal centuries: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the newest member of the 100 club, Robert Lewandowski. Look out too for a few masterstrokes you may not know about, like French maverick Philippe Mexès against Anderlecht in 2012. Believe it or not, some of these entries might even have changed Gianni Brera’s stance.
Ronaldinho
Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona
• R16 second leg • 8 March 2005
Such was the quality of Ronaldinho’s strike at Stamford Bridge that all other narratives – including Barcelona’s elimination from the Champions League – took a back seat. Chelsea cruised into a 3-0 lead within 20 minutes, but Barcelona’s brilliant Brazilian pulled something special out of his magic hat. After scoring his first goal from the spot, Ronaldinho received the ball on the edge of the ‘D’ and stopped it dead. Completely surrounded with nowhere to go, feinting with a dancer’s poise, he launched a shot with barely any back-lift past Petr Čech, who seemed just as awestruck as everyone watching. A goal so unique, so audacious and so nonchalant that only ‘El Gaucho’ could have pulled it off.
George Weah
Bayern München 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain
• Group stage • 23 November 1994
With Paris already through to the knockout stage, coach Luis Fernández told Weah to “go shopping” in Munich before their game against Bayern. At 0-0 in the second half, however, it was King George himself who delivered the goods. Coming off the bench, he received the ball from Paul Le Guen with ten minutes left and combined with Pascal Nouma before setting off. A scoop turn, a quick touch and a jink onto his right left three defenders in his wake. As he worked his way into the box, he unleashed a thunderbolt that fizzed into the top corner inside Oliver Kahn’s near post. “I take my hat off to George Weah,” cooed his beaming coach.
Fredrik Ljungberg
Arsenal 3-1 Juventus
• Second group stage • 4 December 2001
With maximum respect to Ljungberg, this goal was all about Dennis Bergkamp. Arsenal’s ‘Iceman’ was ice cool on a memorable Highbury night, appearing to freeze time itself as he toyed with the Juve defence. Ljungberg had launched the Gunners on a counterattack and fed Bergkamp at the corner of the area, where the Dutch maestro slowed the tempo, shuffling the ball one way and the other like a hustler playing three-card monte. Paolo Montero was his first victim, then Alessio Tacchinardi was lured into the trap, and soon everyone in black and white was mesmerised, allowing Bergkamp to release Ljungberg with a flicked lob. Off sprinted the Swede, beating Gianluigi Buffon with a delightful chip of his own.
Dejan Savicévić
AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona
• Final • 18 May 1994
In AC Milan’s star-studded side, Savićević wasn’t always a first-team regular, but he was known as ‘the Genius’ for a reason. An unpredictable winger given to mazy dribbles, nutmegs and spectacular strikes, the mercurial Montenegrin lit up a devastating 4-0 victory over Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ with a glorious third goal. Closing down Miguel Ángel Nadal’s clearance on the right flank, he reacted to the loose ball without a moment’s thought, fashioning an angled lob of outlandish impudence and precision that defied the stranded Andoni Zubizarreta. “There are some things you never think of trying, but geniuses do,” said coach Fabio Capello. “Savićević was a genius – the goal was jaw-dropping.”
Steven Gerrard
Liverpool 3-1 Olympiacos
• Group stage • 8 December 2004
Liverpool go into the break needing to score three to keep their Champions League dream alive – sound familiar? The ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ is seared into footballing consciousness but, oft forgotten, the Reds were in the same predicament in their last group outing. Needing to beat Olympiacos by two goals to progress, Rafa Benítez’s men trailed 1-0 at half-time. “We thought we were out,” Gerrard said of the mood among the players, but it was the home-grown hero who capped the comeback late on, hammering in a half-volley that found the corner like a tracer bullet.
Benni McCarthy
Porto 2-1 Manchester United
• R16 first leg • 25 February 2004
José Mourinho took the headlines with his touchline dash following Costinhá’s decisive 90th-minute equaliser at Old Trafford, but McCarthy was the star of the tie. The South African had already levelled at the Estádio do Dragão with a fine swivelled volley when he met Nuno Valente’s cross with a powerful leaping header that went in off the crossbar, although it left him with mixed emotions. “I support Man United and always wanted to play for them, so I was heartbroken to score twice,” he said. “I got hammered by Mourinho because I wasn’t very happy. He told me that if I didn’t cheer up, I’d never play in his team again.”
Saúl Ñíguez
Atlético de Madrid 1-0 Bayern München
• Semi-final first leg • 27 April 2016
Pep Guardiola’s artisans were undone by a moment of individual brilliance from an Atlético artist. There were barely more than ten minutes on the clock when Saúl brought down a high ball inside the centre circle and began plotting a route to goal, first twisting one way and the other to shake off Thiago Alcántara. The midfielder then skipped past Juan Bernat and Xabi Alonso to reach the penalty area, where more quick footwork created just enough space to bend a precise shot between a pair of defenders and inside the far corner. “It’s the most important goal of my career,” said Saúl. “And my most beautiful.”
Vieirinha
Wolfsburg 3-2 Manchester United
• Group stage • 8 December 2015
Wolfsburg had already hit back after conceding early when they took the lead with a move that swept from one penalty area to the other. Julian Draxler’s long crossfield pass from right to left stretched the United defence and the No10 picked up André Schürrle’s return to glide past three defenders. A one-two with Max Kruse took Draxler into the area, where he drew out David de Gea before squaring unselfishly for Vieirinha to tap in. “A thing of beauty,” gushed the BBC’s analysis. “The move started with keeper Diego Benaglio … and 11 passes later the ball was nestled in the back of the United net. Va va voom.”
Paul Scholes
Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona
• Semi-final second leg • 29 April 2008
Deadly shots were a Scholes trademark, and Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona got served a reminder to settle this semi-final. Gianluca Zambrotta nudged a tame clearance into the United midfielder’s path about seven metres outside the box and he was soon regretting it as Scholes took a touch before spearing a half-volley high into the far corner with the outside of his foot. The power and swerve left Víctor Valdés helpless. The view from behind Scholes revealed his hip and shooting foot at a right angle to the goal in the airborne follow-through, showing how he produced such ferocious movement on the ball.
Allan Ravn
Brøndby 2-1 Bayern München
• Group stage • 16 September 1998
“I think I’ve met everyone who was at the stadium that day!” says Ravn of a goal that means – at least in one suburb of Copenhagen – he’ll never need to buy another drink. The stage was set by an 87th-minute own goal that had brought Brøndby level. Enter the unlikely figure of Ravn, a midfielder who averaged a goal per season. He chipped over two defenders and charged to the edge of the box. “I didn’t have the energy to take on the last man as well,” he recalls. So he took on the shot, and watched it arc past Oliver Kahn and in off the post. Not for the last time that season, Bayern were undone by a spectacular comeback.
Gheorghe Hagi
Galatasaray 3-2 Monaco
• First group stage • 12 September 2000
As Stéphane Porato climbed to his feet and tried to regain his bearings, like a hurt boxer attempting to unscramble his senses, the Monaco goalkeeper shot his tormenter a wounded glance. “How could you do that to me?” Porato appeared to be asking. Not that Hagi noticed. The brilliant Romanian was too busy beckoning team-mates to join his celebrations after whizzing a pearler of a strike into the top-right corner from out wide on the left, around 35 metres from goal. It took some chutzpah to try his luck from there, but Hagi was not wanting for audacity and – after two touches to steady himself – he sent the ball on a rapid, unerring journey beyond the affronted keeper.
Zinédine Zidane
Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Real Madrid
• Final • 15 May 2002
For years, this was considered the best goal ever scored in a final, practically synonymous with the Champions League itself. Roberto Carlos was the provider, though there was nothing inevitable about the outcome as his speculative cross looped up and over from the left. The ball hung for what felt like minutes in the Glasgow air as Zidane waited beneath, calculating what needed to happen next. Then the Frenchman showed his class, swinging at the ball with his supposedly weaker left foot to steer an elegant volley high inside the near post. “I knew it was going to be a goal as soon as the ball left my boot,” said the scorer. He wasn’t alone.
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How do you like your free-kicks? There’s much to be said for set pieces that appear to defy physics as they bend around a wall, but sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than pure, unadulterated power. And for a prime example of the latter…
No English team had previously beaten Madrid at the Bernabéu and few expected a stuttering Arsenal side to break the mould.
Lars Ricken
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Juventus
• Final • 28 May 1997
Nothing about Ricken’s pearl seemed logical. He’d only just come on as a substitute and was going into battle against Europe’s defensive masters and their rock of a keeper, Angelo Peruzzi. From his own half, though, Andreas Möller fed Ricken and the counter was on. Noting Peruzzi was off his line and avoiding the hassle of a one-on-one, the 20-year-old swept the ball first time over the Italian from outside the box to make it 3-1, a mere 16 seconds after his introduction. It resembled a goal from a cartoon but was gloriously real.
Federico Valverde
Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City
• Quarter-final first leg • 9 April 2024
The final strike of six in a pulsating contest at the Bernabéu was also the UEFA technical observers’ pick as the 2023/24 Goal of the Season. With 11 minutes to go and Madrid 3-2 down, Valverde timed his run into the area perfectly to get on the end of Vinícius Júnior’s ball in from the left. The Uruguayan met it with what the observers called “a precise, angled volley”, directing his shot across Stefan Ortega and low inside the far post. Even Pep Guardiola had to doff his cap, saying: “When Vinícius crosses and Valverde volleys like that, what can you do except applaud?”
Stelios Giannakopoulos
Olympiacos 1-0 Porto
• Group stage • 17 September 1997
The Greek side’s first Champions League game was only six minutes old when they countered from a Porto corner, playing the ball to Ilija Ivić on the left wing. A pass inside found Giannakopoulos advancing in the Porto half and, though, by his own admission, “my first touch wasn’t very good”, his second more than compensated as the ball sat up perfectly. “It bounced kindly in front of me and gave me the chance to try to lob the keeper. I was lucky to hit the target,” he added, underselling a thumping shot that was past Rui Correia before the goalkeeper had started his dive.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City 5-0 Sparta Praha
• League phase • 23 October 2024
Cyborg. Robot. Machine. Haaland has been called many things since his goalscoring exploits began, and in Manchester City’s league phase dismantling of Sparta Praha, his instinctive first strike only added to his superhuman reputation. Savinho blazed skilfully down the right before floating in a cross which Haaland approached sideways, almost with his back to goal. A huge leap and stretch lifted his left boot higher than most footballers’ heads, and he back-heeled the ball midair to send it bouncing into the corner. Team-mate Phil Foden perfectly summed up what everyone was thinking: “If I tried to do that, I’d pull my groin!”
Dimitar Berbatov
Roma 1-1 Leverkusen
• Group stage • 3 November 2004
“When the ball is on the way to me,” Berbatov once explained, “I know what I’ve got to do.” That just makes this stunning solo effort all the more ridiculous. No one else had a clue when Marko Babić slid a pass forward to the Bulgarian. With his back to goal and Traianos Dellas breathing down his neck, he flicked the ball up with his first touch, lifted it over his shoulder to bamboozle Dellas and then calmly lobbed the goalkeeper. Peak Berbatov.
Arjen Robben
Manchester United 3-2 Bayern München
• Quarter-final second leg • 7 April 2010
Defending a flimsy one-goal aggregate lead and down to ten men, United were showing the strain at a seething Old Trafford. Even so, it took a moment of inspiration for Bayern to knock Sir Alex Ferguson’s men out on away goals. With 16 minutes remaining, Franck Ribéry delivered the ammunition, flighting a corner to the far edge of the area, where Robben was hovering with intent. Noting the ball’s trajectory, a startled Michael Carrick dashed to close him down – to no avail. The Dutchman swept a majestic left-footed volley low beyond Edwin van der Sar to secure, in the words of Franz Beckenbauer, “one of the most beautiful defeats in the history of FC Bayern”.
Luis Diáz
Manchester City 3-1 Porto
• Group stage • 21 October 2020
Start as you mean to go on? Luis Díaz was less than 14 minutes into his Champions League debut when he showed exactly what he’s all about, punishing City with the kind of driving run that would soon become familiar. The threat looked minimal when Porto intercepted a pass on the halfway line, but then their Colombian winger was off down the left, keeping Kyle Walker at bay before cutting sharply infield. After sidestepping Rodri, he turned at another sheer angle, bustling into the box and drifting wide of João Cancelo to crack a low shot back beyond Ederson. “We cannot concede like this,” lamented Rúben Dias afterwards. “Someone needs to stop him.” Good luck with that.
Michael Essien
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona
• Semi-final second leg • 6 May 2009
A rancorous night that ended with Chelsea eliminated and aggrieved began with Michael Essien’s howitzer from outside the area. This was a robust, combative and direct Chelsea team and only nine minutes had elapsed when Petr Čech belted upfield for Didier Drogba. Playing off the talismanic striker, the hosts worked an opening for Frank Lampard to pass into the area. Yaya Touré, operating in the middle of Barcelona’s defence, intercepted to send the ball looping, apparently harmlessly, in Essien’s direction. The Ghanaian midfielder swung his weaker left foot through the dropping ball and comprehensively beat Víctor Valdés with a strike that found the net via the underside of a bruised crossbar.
Hernán Crespo
Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (aet, Liverpool win 3-2 on pens)
• Final • 25 May 2005
Liverpool’s comeback from 3-0 down and subsequent penalty win mean that Milan don’t dwell on the 2005 final. But Crespo’s second goal in Istanbul was glorious for three reasons. Firstly, the way Kaká turned a prime Steven Gerrard upon receiving the ball in his own half and glided away from the English powerhouse. Secondly, for how Milan’s silky schemer dissected the Reds’ midfield and defence with a pass of surgical precision to Crespo. One on one with Jerzy Dudek, the Argentinian then capped it all with a single touch that resembled a trick shot in billiards, spinning the ball around the keeper and into the net. 3-0 and game over… or so we thought.
Juninho Pernambucano
Bayern München 1-2 Lyon
• Group stage • 5 November 2003
“The search for Juninho’s secret had become an obsession,” Andrea Pirlo wrote in his autobiography. “It occupied my every waking thought.” The greatest free-kick exponent of all time? Many, like Pirlo, say the Brazilian’s range and repertoire is unrivalled by anyone before or since. Juninho scored a world-record 77 free-kick goals over the course of his career, but this was his favourite. Lining up fully 35 metres from Oliver Kahn’s goal, he made the sweetest of knuckleball connections with his left foot, sending a ball boy scampering in anticipation before a vicious swerve and dip lured his effort into the top corner. Unstoppable.
Radamel Falcao
Manchester City 5-3 Monaco
• R16 first leg • 21 February 2017
Falcao endured a difficult two-year loan spell in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea, injury rendering the man known as ‘El Tigre’ toothless by his own lofty standards. He returned to Monaco in summer 2016 and was suddenly rejuvenated; the apex predator was back. His 24th goal of the season, in a classic tie against the other half of Manchester, was a moment to cherish. Running on to a long ball, the Colombian seated John Stones as he cut inside and, with two defenders closing, lifted a deft chip over Willy Caballero from almost the penalty spot. “One of the best goals I’ve ever seen,” said ex-England winger Chris Waddle, no stranger to special finishes.
Raúl González
Manchester United 2-3 Real Madrid
• Quarter-final second leg • 19 April 2000
Fernando Redondo was many things: a strong tackler, a master passer, a tempo-setter and a leader. But he wasn’t a twinkle-toed, slinky-hipped winger – except on one spring night at Old Trafford. Madrid faced holders Manchester United, and from a seemingly innocuous position on the left, the Argentinian produced a burst of wizardry out wide to nutmeg Henning Berg with a back-heel, accelerate around the Norwegian, somehow keep the ball in play and stroke a perfect low cross for the gleefully unmarked Raúl to tap in. Everyone watching knew Redondo’s quality, but no one realised he could also do a top-tier Johan Cruyff impersonation.
Hugo Almeda
Inter Milan 2-1 Porto
• Group stage • 1 November 2005
How do you like your free-kicks? There’s much to be said for set pieces that appear to defy physics as they bend around a wall, but sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than pure, unadulterated power. And for a prime example of the latter… step forward, Hugo Almeida, 35 metres from goal, as he did at San Siro two decades ago. The Porto striker was too far out to beat Júlio César with trickery through the air, but raw pace was another matter – and the Inter keeper was left flailing as Hugo Almeida generated frightening speed with his left foot, dispatching a missile into the top corner that was still rising as it crashed into the net.
Kaká
Manchester United 3-2 AC Milan
• Semi-final first leg • 24 April 2007
Among the most elegant players to grace the Champions League, Kaká sent the walls of United’s rearguard tumbling down at Old Trafford. Close to the touchline on the left, he began by winning a bouncing ball against Darren Fletcher, revealing his deceptive strength before performing a sombrero over Gabriel Heinze in true samba fashion. Next, Kaká nodded the ball between the scrambling Heinze and onrushing Patrice Evra, who collided after the Milan man had nipped around them. But still he had to get the better of imposing goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The composed No22 passed the ball into the net, just beyond the Dutchman’s reach. Pace, power and precision in one goal.
Kevin Prince Boateng
AC Milan 2-3 Barcelona
• Group stage • 23 November 2011
The virtuosity, the instinct, the result. This had it all. Boateng caught out one of the best sides in history with a flash of cheeky street football. The Ghanaian international produced not one but three magical touches, bringing the ball down inside the area with immaculate control and then, via a single flick, sending every defender, the keeper, his own team-mates and even the fans the wrong way. To cap it all, he drilled a shot from a difficult angle that swerved inside the near post. The back-heel dink before it was perfection, and the finish had the quality to match.
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Anderlecht 0-5 Paris Saint-Germain
• Group stage • 23 October 2013
It typically requires something extraordinary for a partisan home crowd to salute a conquering rival. For the fans behind Thomas Kaminski’s goal in Brussels, their applause for Ibrahimović’s jackhammer strike was possibly due to relief that the net had protected them from the ball. The rest rose to acclaim a devastating effort, the Swede connecting brutally with a dropping ball around 25 metres from goal to send it screaming past Kaminski, who must look back and wonder why he bothered diving. “It was a big honour for me to have the home fans clap,” said Ibrahimović, who completed a hat-trick with this goal and later added a fourth.
Casemiro
Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli
• R16 first leg • 15 February 2017
A strike so technically perfect that even Madrid coach Zinédine Zidane would have been proud to call it his own. The hosts had been advancing by stealth in a bid to unknot Napoli’s rigid back line. Centre-back Raúl Albiol read a pass into the box for James Rodríguez and stepped in to intervene. Albiol’s luck was out, however, although he surely wouldn’t have feared the worst as the ball looped towards Casemiro, all alone nearly 25 metres from the target. Without a goal from open play in his 30 previous European appearances, what were the chances of the Brazilian breaking his duck from here? The answer was conclusive, Casemiro arcing a dipping, swerving first-time volley inside goalkeeper Pepe Reina’s right post.
Alessandro Florenzi
Roma 1-1 Barcelona
• Group stage • 16 September 2015
Florenzi’s own celebration said it all – the hands on his head, a look of disbelief on his face. His captain Daniele De Rossi was the first to embrace him, letting the Roma right-back know that he wasn’t simply daydreaming. Yes, Florenzi really had recovered possession in defence, carried the ball beyond halfway and taken aim from a mind-boggling distance close to the touchline, having spotted goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen out of position. The shot combined power and accuracy, bouncing in off the far post for added aesthetic value. “It was craziness and heart that allowed me to score this beautiful goal,” said Florenzi. “The ball seemed to be in the air for an eternity.”
Gareth Bale
Inter Milan 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur
• Group stage • 20 October 2010
All three goals of the Welsh upstart’s hat-trick against the defending champions were remarkable, but the first, in the 52nd minute, silenced San Siro. The Spurs No3 started on the left wing well inside his own half, zoomed away from Maicon, left Javier Zanetti trailing, reached the area and launched a rocket into the far corner before Walter Samuel’s desperate lunge could stop him. The previously ironclad Inter defence was suddenly made to look like an over-50s team thanks to Bale’s turbo charge and crowning touch. For fans outside the UK, this was their introduction to the Gareth Bale show.
Dejan Stanković
Inter Milan 2-5 Schalke
• Quarter-final first leg • 5 April 2011
Ask any Inter fan, and they will call this a “cursed” goal. Stunning, for sure, but a deceptive early mirage on a night when the Nerazzurri lost 5-2 and never recovered in the tie. The clock had yet to tick a full minute when Stanković put his team in front, summoning the audacity to shoot from close to the halfway line as he volleyed Manuel Neuer’s headed clearance back over the goalkeeper. Trying it was one thing, but actually pulling it off was another – yet Stanković’s form was perfect, his right leg at 90° to his standing left as he struck the ball, while connecting with the outside of his boot added oomph and accuracy to the trajectory.
Deivid
Fenerbahçe 2-1 Chelsea
• Quarter-final first leg • 2 April 2008
Power, placement and nothing but net. Deivid really had a game of two halves in this Istanbul tussle, but it was his booming strike from 35 metres that everyone remembers. The Brazilian had gifted Chelsea an early own goal, yet he more than made up for it as Fenerbahçe fought back. With full time approaching and the scoreline 1-1, Deivid dropped deep to collect the ball and took a pair of innocuous touches that gave no hint of what was coming. Cue pandemonium, with goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini among the many caught out as Fener’s No99 lashed a savage effort into the top-left corner.
Oscar
Chelsea 2-2 Juventus
• Group stage • 19 September 2012
There aren’t many players who have left Gianluigi Buffon feeling powerless, but Oscar managed precisely that in the blink of an eye. Inheriting the No11 shirt from Chelsea icon Didier Drogba would be a big ask for any 21-year-old, yet Oscar took his first Blues start in his stride. Having scored the game’s opener two minutes before, the Brazilian made a run across the box while being closed down by Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Pirlo. Meeting Ashley Cole’s pass with a nimble touch, he twirled around his markers and arrowed the ball into the top corner, leaving Buffon to leap to his left in vain.
Gabriel Batistuta
Arsenal 0-1 Fiorentina
• First group stage • 27 October 1999
Fiorentina were dubbed the ‘Lions of Wembley’ after this Batistuta net-burster. Up against a tough Arsenal defence, the Argentinian striker used all his skill and physicality to terrorise Tony Adams and Co with a strike that ranks high in his overall pantheon. Batistuta received the ball with plenty of work still to do, just inside the area on the right, but he shifted it from his right foot to his left and raced past Nigel Winterburn on the outside. As the left-back slid in for a last-ditch tackle, Batistuta let fly from the tightest of angles, driving high into the far corner with all the power he had – which, famously, was a lot.
Thomas Delaney
Copenhagen 4-0 Club Brugge
• Group stage • 27 September 2016
“I had a feeling it would go in when I hit it.” The Parken crowd doubtless shared the same inkling as soon as Delaney’s left boot kissed the ball. Team-mate Benjamin Verbič had headed a clearance in his direction and the Copenhagen captain set himself to react, the loose ball bouncing twice before he swung his foot around 30 metres out. Making the kind of contact players dream of in their sleep, Delaney sent a half-volley swooshing around a pair of defenders before it curled back the other way, pinging into the top-right corner off the post. “I don’t think I’ve ever scored a goal like that,” he later reflected. “Hard to say if it will happen again.”
Thierry Henry
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal
• R16 first leg • 21 February 2006
No English team had previously beaten Madrid at the Bernabéu and few expected a stuttering Arsenal side to break the mould. For a start, the Spanish giants boasted a roll-call of Galácticos including Zinédine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo, while the injury-plagued Gunners had to field a makeshift defence. And yet the visitors prevailed, deservedly so, thanks to a solo goal by Henry that illustrated his best qualities: pace, athleticism and finishing prowess. Picking up Cesc Fábregas’s pass inside the centre circle, Arsenal’s record scorer left a trail of white shirts behind him on a surging run into the box, before jabbing a left-footed strike across Iker Casillas to secure a historic win.
Lasse Schöne
Real Madrid 1-4 Ajax
• R16 second leg • 5 March 2019
On a night of surprises, this was the pinnacle. Erik ten Hag’s exciting Ajax team had lost 2-1 at home to holders Madrid but turned all logic on its head in Spain, recalling their 1970s heyday as they pulled off an astonishing display. The Dutch side were already leading 3-1 when Schöne applied the coup de grâce from a free-kick close to the touchline on the left. With everyone expecting a cross, the Danish midfielder opted for glory – and swirled the ball high beyond Thibaut Courtois to general disbelief. A strike so good that Ajax named their Goal of the Month award the Lasse Schöne Trophy just a few months later.
Alexis Sánchez
Arsenal 6-0 Ludogorets
• Group stage • 19 October 2016
Expectations were high when Arsenal snapped up Alexis from Barcelona, and the Chilean forward did not disappoint. Powerful, quick and technically sublime, Alexis also brought a force of character that could bend matches to his will. His stocky frame and tireless running belied his ability as a finisher of consummate imagination, a talent he underlined with this goal. Racing into the area from the left channel, Alexis cut inside, sending one defender sprawling. As another closed in, he wafted an angled lob beyond Vladislav Stoyanov and into the far corner, a touch of nonchalant finesse that set the tone for a comfortable victory.
Karim Benzema
Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid
• Quarter-final first leg • 6 April 2022
The image of Benzema hurtling towards goal and blasting into the top corner isn’t hard to picture, his educated feet having placed countless shots beyond stretching goalkeepers. But it was with his head that he began to loosen holders Chelsea’s grip on the trophy. For his first strike of a hat-trick, the Frenchman played a one-two with Vinícius Júnior, who flew down the left before crossing towards the penalty spot. Benzema galloped into the box and, without breaking stride, smashed a header high into the net beyond Édouard Mendy. In a flash, the Madrid ace demonstrated the reflexes of a panther and an apparent laser-guidance system on his forehead.
An exquisite pinpoint cross, a well-timed crunching tackle or a meaty defensive header are all pleasurable, but nothing beats the emotion of a goal. They can be dizzying 20-pass team moves, or thunderous shots from obscene distances. Sometimes it’s an acrobatic work of art, or a lucky deflection off the shin of a hapless defender. Some are more important than others. The winning goal in a final, like Vinícius Júnior’s crisp back-post finish for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the 2022 decider, holds more weight than a fabulous consolation effort in a 7-1 defeat, such as Daniele De Rossi’s over-the-shoulder volley for Roma at Manchester United in 2007.
Can ‘basic’ goals be great? It often depends on the context. Manchester United fans love rewatching Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s winner against Bayern München in the 1999 final, but not for the aesthetics. Mario Mandžukić’s overhead kick for Juventus in the 2017 showpiece was ten times more appealing, but his side lost 4-1 to Madrid, so it’s largely forgotten. Centre-forwards suffering a drought do not care where their next success comes from, even if it’s a fortunate effort that wouldn’t grace their personal top 100.
But is there anything wrong with a selection of Champions League goals based purely on beauty? Absolutely not. There are occasions when everyone is left open-mouthed and wide-eyed, and half the planet watches the deed on a loop the next day. Here is our stab at a top 60 from the modern Champions League era, including five apiece from the three men to have reached their own personal centuries: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the newest member of the 100 club, Robert Lewandowski. Look out too for a few masterstrokes you may not know about, like French maverick Philippe Mexès against Anderlecht in 2012. Believe it or not, some of these entries might even have changed Gianni Brera’s stance.
Ronaldinho
Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona
• R16 second leg • 8 March 2005
Such was the quality of Ronaldinho’s strike at Stamford Bridge that all other narratives – including Barcelona’s elimination from the Champions League – took a back seat. Chelsea cruised into a 3-0 lead within 20 minutes, but Barcelona’s brilliant Brazilian pulled something special out of his magic hat. After scoring his first goal from the spot, Ronaldinho received the ball on the edge of the ‘D’ and stopped it dead. Completely surrounded with nowhere to go, feinting with a dancer’s poise, he launched a shot with barely any back-lift past Petr Čech, who seemed just as awestruck as everyone watching. A goal so unique, so audacious and so nonchalant that only ‘El Gaucho’ could have pulled it off.
George Weah
Bayern München 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain
• Group stage • 23 November 1994
With Paris already through to the knockout stage, coach Luis Fernández told Weah to “go shopping” in Munich before their game against Bayern. At 0-0 in the second half, however, it was King George himself who delivered the goods. Coming off the bench, he received the ball from Paul Le Guen with ten minutes left and combined with Pascal Nouma before setting off. A scoop turn, a quick touch and a jink onto his right left three defenders in his wake. As he worked his way into the box, he unleashed a thunderbolt that fizzed into the top corner inside Oliver Kahn’s near post. “I take my hat off to George Weah,” cooed his beaming coach.
Fredrik Ljungberg
Arsenal 3-1 Juventus
• Second group stage • 4 December 2001
With maximum respect to Ljungberg, this goal was all about Dennis Bergkamp. Arsenal’s ‘Iceman’ was ice cool on a memorable Highbury night, appearing to freeze time itself as he toyed with the Juve defence. Ljungberg had launched the Gunners on a counterattack and fed Bergkamp at the corner of the area, where the Dutch maestro slowed the tempo, shuffling the ball one way and the other like a hustler playing three-card monte. Paolo Montero was his first victim, then Alessio Tacchinardi was lured into the trap, and soon everyone in black and white was mesmerised, allowing Bergkamp to release Ljungberg with a flicked lob. Off sprinted the Swede, beating Gianluigi Buffon with a delightful chip of his own.
Dejan Savicévić
AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona
• Final • 18 May 1994
In AC Milan’s star-studded side, Savićević wasn’t always a first-team regular, but he was known as ‘the Genius’ for a reason. An unpredictable winger given to mazy dribbles, nutmegs and spectacular strikes, the mercurial Montenegrin lit up a devastating 4-0 victory over Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ with a glorious third goal. Closing down Miguel Ángel Nadal’s clearance on the right flank, he reacted to the loose ball without a moment’s thought, fashioning an angled lob of outlandish impudence and precision that defied the stranded Andoni Zubizarreta. “There are some things you never think of trying, but geniuses do,” said coach Fabio Capello. “Savićević was a genius – the goal was jaw-dropping.”
Steven Gerrard
Liverpool 3-1 Olympiacos
• Group stage • 8 December 2004
Liverpool go into the break needing to score three to keep their Champions League dream alive – sound familiar? The ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ is seared into footballing consciousness but, oft forgotten, the Reds were in the same predicament in their last group outing. Needing to beat Olympiacos by two goals to progress, Rafa Benítez’s men trailed 1-0 at half-time. “We thought we were out,” Gerrard said of the mood among the players, but it was the home-grown hero who capped the comeback late on, hammering in a half-volley that found the corner like a tracer bullet.
Benni McCarthy
Porto 2-1 Manchester United
• R16 first leg • 25 February 2004
José Mourinho took the headlines with his touchline dash following Costinhá’s decisive 90th-minute equaliser at Old Trafford, but McCarthy was the star of the tie. The South African had already levelled at the Estádio do Dragão with a fine swivelled volley when he met Nuno Valente’s cross with a powerful leaping header that went in off the crossbar, although it left him with mixed emotions. “I support Man United and always wanted to play for them, so I was heartbroken to score twice,” he said. “I got hammered by Mourinho because I wasn’t very happy. He told me that if I didn’t cheer up, I’d never play in his team again.”
Saúl Ñíguez
Atlético de Madrid 1-0 Bayern München
• Semi-final first leg • 27 April 2016
Pep Guardiola’s artisans were undone by a moment of individual brilliance from an Atlético artist. There were barely more than ten minutes on the clock when Saúl brought down a high ball inside the centre circle and began plotting a route to goal, first twisting one way and the other to shake off Thiago Alcántara. The midfielder then skipped past Juan Bernat and Xabi Alonso to reach the penalty area, where more quick footwork created just enough space to bend a precise shot between a pair of defenders and inside the far corner. “It’s the most important goal of my career,” said Saúl. “And my most beautiful.”
Vieirinha
Wolfsburg 3-2 Manchester United
• Group stage • 8 December 2015
Wolfsburg had already hit back after conceding early when they took the lead with a move that swept from one penalty area to the other. Julian Draxler’s long crossfield pass from right to left stretched the United defence and the No10 picked up André Schürrle’s return to glide past three defenders. A one-two with Max Kruse took Draxler into the area, where he drew out David de Gea before squaring unselfishly for Vieirinha to tap in. “A thing of beauty,” gushed the BBC’s analysis. “The move started with keeper Diego Benaglio … and 11 passes later the ball was nestled in the back of the United net. Va va voom.”
Paul Scholes
Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona
• Semi-final second leg • 29 April 2008
Deadly shots were a Scholes trademark, and Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona got served a reminder to settle this semi-final. Gianluca Zambrotta nudged a tame clearance into the United midfielder’s path about seven metres outside the box and he was soon regretting it as Scholes took a touch before spearing a half-volley high into the far corner with the outside of his foot. The power and swerve left Víctor Valdés helpless. The view from behind Scholes revealed his hip and shooting foot at a right angle to the goal in the airborne follow-through, showing how he produced such ferocious movement on the ball.
Allan Ravn
Brøndby 2-1 Bayern München
• Group stage • 16 September 1998
“I think I’ve met everyone who was at the stadium that day!” says Ravn of a goal that means – at least in one suburb of Copenhagen – he’ll never need to buy another drink. The stage was set by an 87th-minute own goal that had brought Brøndby level. Enter the unlikely figure of Ravn, a midfielder who averaged a goal per season. He chipped over two defenders and charged to the edge of the box. “I didn’t have the energy to take on the last man as well,” he recalls. So he took on the shot, and watched it arc past Oliver Kahn and in off the post. Not for the last time that season, Bayern were undone by a spectacular comeback.
Gheorghe Hagi
Galatasaray 3-2 Monaco
• First group stage • 12 September 2000
As Stéphane Porato climbed to his feet and tried to regain his bearings, like a hurt boxer attempting to unscramble his senses, the Monaco goalkeeper shot his tormenter a wounded glance. “How could you do that to me?” Porato appeared to be asking. Not that Hagi noticed. The brilliant Romanian was too busy beckoning team-mates to join his celebrations after whizzing a pearler of a strike into the top-right corner from out wide on the left, around 35 metres from goal. It took some chutzpah to try his luck from there, but Hagi was not wanting for audacity and – after two touches to steady himself – he sent the ball on a rapid, unerring journey beyond the affronted keeper.
Zinédine Zidane
Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Real Madrid
• Final • 15 May 2002
For years, this was considered the best goal ever scored in a final, practically synonymous with the Champions League itself. Roberto Carlos was the provider, though there was nothing inevitable about the outcome as his speculative cross looped up and over from the left. The ball hung for what felt like minutes in the Glasgow air as Zidane waited beneath, calculating what needed to happen next. Then the Frenchman showed his class, swinging at the ball with his supposedly weaker left foot to steer an elegant volley high inside the near post. “I knew it was going to be a goal as soon as the ball left my boot,” said the scorer. He wasn’t alone.
How do you like your free-kicks? There’s much to be said for set pieces that appear to defy physics as they bend around a wall, but sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than pure, unadulterated power. And for a prime example of the latter…
No English team had previously beaten Madrid at the Bernabéu and few expected a stuttering Arsenal side to break the mould.
Lars Ricken
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Juventus
• Final • 28 May 1997
Nothing about Ricken’s pearl seemed logical. He’d only just come on as a substitute and was going into battle against Europe’s defensive masters and their rock of a keeper, Angelo Peruzzi. From his own half, though, Andreas Möller fed Ricken and the counter was on. Noting Peruzzi was off his line and avoiding the hassle of a one-on-one, the 20-year-old swept the ball first time over the Italian from outside the box to make it 3-1, a mere 16 seconds after his introduction. It resembled a goal from a cartoon but was gloriously real.
Federico Valverde
Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City
• Quarter-final first leg • 9 April 2024
The final strike of six in a pulsating contest at the Bernabéu was also the UEFA technical observers’ pick as the 2023/24 Goal of the Season. With 11 minutes to go and Madrid 3-2 down, Valverde timed his run into the area perfectly to get on the end of Vinícius Júnior’s ball in from the left. The Uruguayan met it with what the observers called “a precise, angled volley”, directing his shot across Stefan Ortega and low inside the far post. Even Pep Guardiola had to doff his cap, saying: “When Vinícius crosses and Valverde volleys like that, what can you do except applaud?”
Stelios Giannakopoulos
Olympiacos 1-0 Porto
• Group stage • 17 September 1997
The Greek side’s first Champions League game was only six minutes old when they countered from a Porto corner, playing the ball to Ilija Ivić on the left wing. A pass inside found Giannakopoulos advancing in the Porto half and, though, by his own admission, “my first touch wasn’t very good”, his second more than compensated as the ball sat up perfectly. “It bounced kindly in front of me and gave me the chance to try to lob the keeper. I was lucky to hit the target,” he added, underselling a thumping shot that was past Rui Correia before the goalkeeper had started his dive.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City 5-0 Sparta Praha
• League phase • 23 October 2024
Cyborg. Robot. Machine. Haaland has been called many things since his goalscoring exploits began, and in Manchester City’s league phase dismantling of Sparta Praha, his instinctive first strike only added to his superhuman reputation. Savinho blazed skilfully down the right before floating in a cross which Haaland approached sideways, almost with his back to goal. A huge leap and stretch lifted his left boot higher than most footballers’ heads, and he back-heeled the ball midair to send it bouncing into the corner. Team-mate Phil Foden perfectly summed up what everyone was thinking: “If I tried to do that, I’d pull my groin!”
Dimitar Berbatov
Roma 1-1 Leverkusen
• Group stage • 3 November 2004
“When the ball is on the way to me,” Berbatov once explained, “I know what I’ve got to do.” That just makes this stunning solo effort all the more ridiculous. No one else had a clue when Marko Babić slid a pass forward to the Bulgarian. With his back to goal and Traianos Dellas breathing down his neck, he flicked the ball up with his first touch, lifted it over his shoulder to bamboozle Dellas and then calmly lobbed the goalkeeper. Peak Berbatov.
Arjen Robben
Manchester United 3-2 Bayern München
• Quarter-final second leg • 7 April 2010
Defending a flimsy one-goal aggregate lead and down to ten men, United were showing the strain at a seething Old Trafford. Even so, it took a moment of inspiration for Bayern to knock Sir Alex Ferguson’s men out on away goals. With 16 minutes remaining, Franck Ribéry delivered the ammunition, flighting a corner to the far edge of the area, where Robben was hovering with intent. Noting the ball’s trajectory, a startled Michael Carrick dashed to close him down – to no avail. The Dutchman swept a majestic left-footed volley low beyond Edwin van der Sar to secure, in the words of Franz Beckenbauer, “one of the most beautiful defeats in the history of FC Bayern”.
Luis Diáz
Manchester City 3-1 Porto
• Group stage • 21 October 2020
Start as you mean to go on? Luis Díaz was less than 14 minutes into his Champions League debut when he showed exactly what he’s all about, punishing City with the kind of driving run that would soon become familiar. The threat looked minimal when Porto intercepted a pass on the halfway line, but then their Colombian winger was off down the left, keeping Kyle Walker at bay before cutting sharply infield. After sidestepping Rodri, he turned at another sheer angle, bustling into the box and drifting wide of João Cancelo to crack a low shot back beyond Ederson. “We cannot concede like this,” lamented Rúben Dias afterwards. “Someone needs to stop him.” Good luck with that.
Michael Essien
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona
• Semi-final second leg • 6 May 2009
A rancorous night that ended with Chelsea eliminated and aggrieved began with Michael Essien’s howitzer from outside the area. This was a robust, combative and direct Chelsea team and only nine minutes had elapsed when Petr Čech belted upfield for Didier Drogba. Playing off the talismanic striker, the hosts worked an opening for Frank Lampard to pass into the area. Yaya Touré, operating in the middle of Barcelona’s defence, intercepted to send the ball looping, apparently harmlessly, in Essien’s direction. The Ghanaian midfielder swung his weaker left foot through the dropping ball and comprehensively beat Víctor Valdés with a strike that found the net via the underside of a bruised crossbar.
Hernán Crespo
Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (aet, Liverpool win 3-2 on pens)
• Final • 25 May 2005
Liverpool’s comeback from 3-0 down and subsequent penalty win mean that Milan don’t dwell on the 2005 final. But Crespo’s second goal in Istanbul was glorious for three reasons. Firstly, the way Kaká turned a prime Steven Gerrard upon receiving the ball in his own half and glided away from the English powerhouse. Secondly, for how Milan’s silky schemer dissected the Reds’ midfield and defence with a pass of surgical precision to Crespo. One on one with Jerzy Dudek, the Argentinian then capped it all with a single touch that resembled a trick shot in billiards, spinning the ball around the keeper and into the net. 3-0 and game over… or so we thought.
Juninho Pernambucano
Bayern München 1-2 Lyon
• Group stage • 5 November 2003
“The search for Juninho’s secret had become an obsession,” Andrea Pirlo wrote in his autobiography. “It occupied my every waking thought.” The greatest free-kick exponent of all time? Many, like Pirlo, say the Brazilian’s range and repertoire is unrivalled by anyone before or since. Juninho scored a world-record 77 free-kick goals over the course of his career, but this was his favourite. Lining up fully 35 metres from Oliver Kahn’s goal, he made the sweetest of knuckleball connections with his left foot, sending a ball boy scampering in anticipation before a vicious swerve and dip lured his effort into the top corner. Unstoppable.
Radamel Falcao
Manchester City 5-3 Monaco
• R16 first leg • 21 February 2017
Falcao endured a difficult two-year loan spell in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea, injury rendering the man known as ‘El Tigre’ toothless by his own lofty standards. He returned to Monaco in summer 2016 and was suddenly rejuvenated; the apex predator was back. His 24th goal of the season, in a classic tie against the other half of Manchester, was a moment to cherish. Running on to a long ball, the Colombian seated John Stones as he cut inside and, with two defenders closing, lifted a deft chip over Willy Caballero from almost the penalty spot. “One of the best goals I’ve ever seen,” said ex-England winger Chris Waddle, no stranger to special finishes.
Raúl González
Manchester United 2-3 Real Madrid
• Quarter-final second leg • 19 April 2000
Fernando Redondo was many things: a strong tackler, a master passer, a tempo-setter and a leader. But he wasn’t a twinkle-toed, slinky-hipped winger – except on one spring night at Old Trafford. Madrid faced holders Manchester United, and from a seemingly innocuous position on the left, the Argentinian produced a burst of wizardry out wide to nutmeg Henning Berg with a back-heel, accelerate around the Norwegian, somehow keep the ball in play and stroke a perfect low cross for the gleefully unmarked Raúl to tap in. Everyone watching knew Redondo’s quality, but no one realised he could also do a top-tier Johan Cruyff impersonation.
Hugo Almeda
Inter Milan 2-1 Porto
• Group stage • 1 November 2005
How do you like your free-kicks? There’s much to be said for set pieces that appear to defy physics as they bend around a wall, but sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than pure, unadulterated power. And for a prime example of the latter… step forward, Hugo Almeida, 35 metres from goal, as he did at San Siro two decades ago. The Porto striker was too far out to beat Júlio César with trickery through the air, but raw pace was another matter – and the Inter keeper was left flailing as Hugo Almeida generated frightening speed with his left foot, dispatching a missile into the top corner that was still rising as it crashed into the net.
Kaká
Manchester United 3-2 AC Milan
• Semi-final first leg • 24 April 2007
Among the most elegant players to grace the Champions League, Kaká sent the walls of United’s rearguard tumbling down at Old Trafford. Close to the touchline on the left, he began by winning a bouncing ball against Darren Fletcher, revealing his deceptive strength before performing a sombrero over Gabriel Heinze in true samba fashion. Next, Kaká nodded the ball between the scrambling Heinze and onrushing Patrice Evra, who collided after the Milan man had nipped around them. But still he had to get the better of imposing goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The composed No22 passed the ball into the net, just beyond the Dutchman’s reach. Pace, power and precision in one goal.
Kevin Prince Boateng
AC Milan 2-3 Barcelona
• Group stage • 23 November 2011
The virtuosity, the instinct, the result. This had it all. Boateng caught out one of the best sides in history with a flash of cheeky street football. The Ghanaian international produced not one but three magical touches, bringing the ball down inside the area with immaculate control and then, via a single flick, sending every defender, the keeper, his own team-mates and even the fans the wrong way. To cap it all, he drilled a shot from a difficult angle that swerved inside the near post. The back-heel dink before it was perfection, and the finish had the quality to match.
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Anderlecht 0-5 Paris Saint-Germain
• Group stage • 23 October 2013
It typically requires something extraordinary for a partisan home crowd to salute a conquering rival. For the fans behind Thomas Kaminski’s goal in Brussels, their applause for Ibrahimović’s jackhammer strike was possibly due to relief that the net had protected them from the ball. The rest rose to acclaim a devastating effort, the Swede connecting brutally with a dropping ball around 25 metres from goal to send it screaming past Kaminski, who must look back and wonder why he bothered diving. “It was a big honour for me to have the home fans clap,” said Ibrahimović, who completed a hat-trick with this goal and later added a fourth.
Casemiro
Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli
• R16 first leg • 15 February 2017
A strike so technically perfect that even Madrid coach Zinédine Zidane would have been proud to call it his own. The hosts had been advancing by stealth in a bid to unknot Napoli’s rigid back line. Centre-back Raúl Albiol read a pass into the box for James Rodríguez and stepped in to intervene. Albiol’s luck was out, however, although he surely wouldn’t have feared the worst as the ball looped towards Casemiro, all alone nearly 25 metres from the target. Without a goal from open play in his 30 previous European appearances, what were the chances of the Brazilian breaking his duck from here? The answer was conclusive, Casemiro arcing a dipping, swerving first-time volley inside goalkeeper Pepe Reina’s right post.
Alessandro Florenzi
Roma 1-1 Barcelona
• Group stage • 16 September 2015
Florenzi’s own celebration said it all – the hands on his head, a look of disbelief on his face. His captain Daniele De Rossi was the first to embrace him, letting the Roma right-back know that he wasn’t simply daydreaming. Yes, Florenzi really had recovered possession in defence, carried the ball beyond halfway and taken aim from a mind-boggling distance close to the touchline, having spotted goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen out of position. The shot combined power and accuracy, bouncing in off the far post for added aesthetic value. “It was craziness and heart that allowed me to score this beautiful goal,” said Florenzi. “The ball seemed to be in the air for an eternity.”
Gareth Bale
Inter Milan 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur
• Group stage • 20 October 2010
All three goals of the Welsh upstart’s hat-trick against the defending champions were remarkable, but the first, in the 52nd minute, silenced San Siro. The Spurs No3 started on the left wing well inside his own half, zoomed away from Maicon, left Javier Zanetti trailing, reached the area and launched a rocket into the far corner before Walter Samuel’s desperate lunge could stop him. The previously ironclad Inter defence was suddenly made to look like an over-50s team thanks to Bale’s turbo charge and crowning touch. For fans outside the UK, this was their introduction to the Gareth Bale show.
Dejan Stanković
Inter Milan 2-5 Schalke
• Quarter-final first leg • 5 April 2011
Ask any Inter fan, and they will call this a “cursed” goal. Stunning, for sure, but a deceptive early mirage on a night when the Nerazzurri lost 5-2 and never recovered in the tie. The clock had yet to tick a full minute when Stanković put his team in front, summoning the audacity to shoot from close to the halfway line as he volleyed Manuel Neuer’s headed clearance back over the goalkeeper. Trying it was one thing, but actually pulling it off was another – yet Stanković’s form was perfect, his right leg at 90° to his standing left as he struck the ball, while connecting with the outside of his boot added oomph and accuracy to the trajectory.
Deivid
Fenerbahçe 2-1 Chelsea
• Quarter-final first leg • 2 April 2008
Power, placement and nothing but net. Deivid really had a game of two halves in this Istanbul tussle, but it was his booming strike from 35 metres that everyone remembers. The Brazilian had gifted Chelsea an early own goal, yet he more than made up for it as Fenerbahçe fought back. With full time approaching and the scoreline 1-1, Deivid dropped deep to collect the ball and took a pair of innocuous touches that gave no hint of what was coming. Cue pandemonium, with goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini among the many caught out as Fener’s No99 lashed a savage effort into the top-left corner.
Oscar
Chelsea 2-2 Juventus
• Group stage • 19 September 2012
There aren’t many players who have left Gianluigi Buffon feeling powerless, but Oscar managed precisely that in the blink of an eye. Inheriting the No11 shirt from Chelsea icon Didier Drogba would be a big ask for any 21-year-old, yet Oscar took his first Blues start in his stride. Having scored the game’s opener two minutes before, the Brazilian made a run across the box while being closed down by Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Pirlo. Meeting Ashley Cole’s pass with a nimble touch, he twirled around his markers and arrowed the ball into the top corner, leaving Buffon to leap to his left in vain.
Gabriel Batistuta
Arsenal 0-1 Fiorentina
• First group stage • 27 October 1999
Fiorentina were dubbed the ‘Lions of Wembley’ after this Batistuta net-burster. Up against a tough Arsenal defence, the Argentinian striker used all his skill and physicality to terrorise Tony Adams and Co with a strike that ranks high in his overall pantheon. Batistuta received the ball with plenty of work still to do, just inside the area on the right, but he shifted it from his right foot to his left and raced past Nigel Winterburn on the outside. As the left-back slid in for a last-ditch tackle, Batistuta let fly from the tightest of angles, driving high into the far corner with all the power he had – which, famously, was a lot.
Thomas Delaney
Copenhagen 4-0 Club Brugge
• Group stage • 27 September 2016
“I had a feeling it would go in when I hit it.” The Parken crowd doubtless shared the same inkling as soon as Delaney’s left boot kissed the ball. Team-mate Benjamin Verbič had headed a clearance in his direction and the Copenhagen captain set himself to react, the loose ball bouncing twice before he swung his foot around 30 metres out. Making the kind of contact players dream of in their sleep, Delaney sent a half-volley swooshing around a pair of defenders before it curled back the other way, pinging into the top-right corner off the post. “I don’t think I’ve ever scored a goal like that,” he later reflected. “Hard to say if it will happen again.”
Thierry Henry
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal
• R16 first leg • 21 February 2006
No English team had previously beaten Madrid at the Bernabéu and few expected a stuttering Arsenal side to break the mould. For a start, the Spanish giants boasted a roll-call of Galácticos including Zinédine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo, while the injury-plagued Gunners had to field a makeshift defence. And yet the visitors prevailed, deservedly so, thanks to a solo goal by Henry that illustrated his best qualities: pace, athleticism and finishing prowess. Picking up Cesc Fábregas’s pass inside the centre circle, Arsenal’s record scorer left a trail of white shirts behind him on a surging run into the box, before jabbing a left-footed strike across Iker Casillas to secure a historic win.
Lasse Schöne
Real Madrid 1-4 Ajax
• R16 second leg • 5 March 2019
On a night of surprises, this was the pinnacle. Erik ten Hag’s exciting Ajax team had lost 2-1 at home to holders Madrid but turned all logic on its head in Spain, recalling their 1970s heyday as they pulled off an astonishing display. The Dutch side were already leading 3-1 when Schöne applied the coup de grâce from a free-kick close to the touchline on the left. With everyone expecting a cross, the Danish midfielder opted for glory – and swirled the ball high beyond Thibaut Courtois to general disbelief. A strike so good that Ajax named their Goal of the Month award the Lasse Schöne Trophy just a few months later.
Alexis Sánchez
Arsenal 6-0 Ludogorets
• Group stage • 19 October 2016
Expectations were high when Arsenal snapped up Alexis from Barcelona, and the Chilean forward did not disappoint. Powerful, quick and technically sublime, Alexis also brought a force of character that could bend matches to his will. His stocky frame and tireless running belied his ability as a finisher of consummate imagination, a talent he underlined with this goal. Racing into the area from the left channel, Alexis cut inside, sending one defender sprawling. As another closed in, he wafted an angled lob beyond Vladislav Stoyanov and into the far corner, a touch of nonchalant finesse that set the tone for a comfortable victory.
Karim Benzema
Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid
• Quarter-final first leg • 6 April 2022
The image of Benzema hurtling towards goal and blasting into the top corner isn’t hard to picture, his educated feet having placed countless shots beyond stretching goalkeepers. But it was with his head that he began to loosen holders Chelsea’s grip on the trophy. For his first strike of a hat-trick, the Frenchman played a one-two with Vinícius Júnior, who flew down the left before crossing towards the penalty spot. Benzema galloped into the box and, without breaking stride, smashed a header high into the net beyond Édouard Mendy. In a flash, the Madrid ace demonstrated the reflexes of a panther and an apparent laser-guidance system on his forehead.
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History
Head over heels
Automatically worth extra style points, the overhead kick is one of the most thrilling sights in football. Here are five of our Champions League favourites
Philipp Mexès
Anderlecht 1-3 AC Milan
• Group stage • 21 November 2012
Centre-backs aren’t meant to do this. In fact, most forwards would struggle, but Mexès was always cut from different cloth. Three years before getting his name on the Puskás Award shortlist for another spine-tingling strike, the French defender produced this masterpiece, neatly controlling a free-kick with his chest, back to goal on the edge of the area, and launching himself to send a bicycle kick sailing into the far corner. “If Leo Messi had scored that,” said Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, “he’d have been made a saint!”
Mario Mandžukić
Juventus 1-4 Real Madrid
• Final • 3 June 2017
History is written by the victors, but the quality of this strike demanded a significant footnote in an eventual 4-1 defeat for Juve. Mandžukić’s extravagant finish in Cardiff can perhaps be conjured up in the mind’s eye: with his back to goal, the Croatian forward controls on his chest and, as two defenders converge, he hooks a right-footed shot over his left shoulder and beyond Keylor Navas. More easily forgotten is the precision move that preceded it, involving Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro and Gonzalo Higuaín. The goal made it 1-1 and, just for a moment, the Bianconeri could dream.
Mehdi Taremi
Chelsea 0-1 Porto
• Quarter-final second leg • 13 April 2021
Famously a late bloomer, Taremi also left it late to have his say in this tie. For Porto, beaten 2-0 in the first leg, that meant his glorious added-time goal was their parting gift to the competition, but what a goal it was. There was fine work in the build-up too, Fábio Vieira bobbing and turning before releasing Nanu. The defender’s cross was also excellent, handing Taremi the chance to parade his athletic poise as he twisted through the air to steer a crisp overhead kick back across goal and into the top corner. “A work of art,” was O Jogo’s verdict. “It should have counted as two.”
Gareth Bale
Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
• Final • 26 May 2018
It’s not just what great players can do that sets them apart – it’s what they do when it matters most. Gareth Bale sealed his legacy by conjuring perhaps the best-ever goal on the Champions League’s grandest stage. The Welshman had only just come on when, with his side level against Liverpool, he finished off a 16-pass move in spectacular fashion. As Marcelo crossed from the left, Bale sprang high off the ground and uncoiled a left-footed overhead kick that whistled into the top corner. The first of two goals, this was an audacious effort of breathtaking beauty.
Marco van Basten
AC Milan 4-0 Göteborg
• Group stage • 25 November 1992
Some players were great goalscorers. Others were scorers of great goals. Van Basten was both. Blessed with vision, athleticism and elegance, he showcased all three with this hat-trick effort, en route to becoming the first man to hit four goals in a Champions League match. When Stefano Eranio crossed from the right, the Dutchman executed an exquisite overhead kick that sent the ball scudding off the San Siro turf and past Thomas Ravelli at pace. “I would rate Van Basten as a 9.5 tonight, but only because I don’t think perfection exists,” said Milan coach Fabio Capello.
History
Head over heels
Automatically worth extra style points, the overhead kick is one of the most thrilling sights in football. Here are five of our Champions League favourites
Philipp Mexès
Anderlecht 1-3 AC Milan
• Group stage • 21 November 2012
Centre-backs aren’t meant to do this. In fact, most forwards would struggle, but Mexès was always cut from different cloth. Three years before getting his name on the Puskás Award shortlist for another spine-tingling strike, the French defender produced this masterpiece, neatly controlling a free-kick with his chest, back to goal on the edge of the area, and launching himself to send a bicycle kick sailing into the far corner. “If Leo Messi had scored that,” said Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, “he’d have been made a saint!”
Mario Mandžukić
Juventus 1-4 Real Madrid
• Final • 3 June 2017
History is written by the victors, but the quality of this strike demanded a significant footnote in an eventual 4-1 defeat for Juve. Mandžukić’s extravagant finish in Cardiff can perhaps be conjured up in the mind’s eye: with his back to goal, the Croatian forward controls on his chest and, as two defenders converge, he hooks a right-footed shot over his left shoulder and beyond Keylor Navas. More easily forgotten is the precision move that preceded it, involving Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro and Gonzalo Higuaín. The goal made it 1-1 and, just for a moment, the Bianconeri could dream.
Mehdi Taremi
Chelsea 0-1 Porto
• Quarter-final second leg • 13 April 2021
Famously a late bloomer, Taremi also left it late to have his say in this tie. For Porto, beaten 2-0 in the first leg, that meant his glorious added-time goal was their parting gift to the competition, but what a goal it was. There was fine work in the build-up too, Fábio Vieira bobbing and turning before releasing Nanu. The defender’s cross was also excellent, handing Taremi the chance to parade his athletic poise as he twisted through the air to steer a crisp overhead kick back across goal and into the top corner. “A work of art,” was O Jogo’s verdict. “It should have counted as two.”
Gareth Bale
Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
• Final • 26 May 2018
It’s not just what great players can do that sets them apart – it’s what they do when it matters most. Gareth Bale sealed his legacy by conjuring perhaps the best-ever goal on the Champions League’s grandest stage. The Welshman had only just come on when, with his side level against Liverpool, he finished off a 16-pass move in spectacular fashion. As Marcelo crossed from the left, Bale sprang high off the ground and uncoiled a left-footed overhead kick that whistled into the top corner. The first of two goals, this was an audacious effort of breathtaking beauty.
Marco van Basten
AC Milan 4-0 Göteborg
• Group stage • 25 November 1992
Some players were great goalscorers. Others were scorers of great goals. Van Basten was both. Blessed with vision, athleticism and elegance, he showcased all three with this hat-trick effort, en route to becoming the first man to hit four goals in a Champions League match. When Stefano Eranio crossed from the right, the Dutchman executed an exquisite overhead kick that sent the ball scudding off the San Siro turf and past Thomas Ravelli at pace. “I would rate Van Basten as a 9.5 tonight, but only because I don’t think perfection exists,” said Milan coach Fabio Capello.
History
Head over heels
Automatically worth extra style points, the overhead kick is one of the most thrilling sights in football. Here are five of our Champions League favourites
Philipp Mexès
Anderlecht 1-3 AC Milan
• Group stage • 21 November 2012
Centre-backs aren’t meant to do this. In fact, most forwards would struggle, but Mexès was always cut from different cloth. Three years before getting his name on the Puskás Award shortlist for another spine-tingling strike, the French defender produced this masterpiece, neatly controlling a free-kick with his chest, back to goal on the edge of the area, and launching himself to send a bicycle kick sailing into the far corner. “If Leo Messi had scored that,” said Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, “he’d have been made a saint!”
Mario Mandžukić
Juventus 1-4 Real Madrid
• Final • 3 June 2017
History is written by the victors, but the quality of this strike demanded a significant footnote in an eventual 4-1 defeat for Juve. Mandžukić’s extravagant finish in Cardiff can perhaps be conjured up in the mind’s eye: with his back to goal, the Croatian forward controls on his chest and, as two defenders converge, he hooks a right-footed shot over his left shoulder and beyond Keylor Navas. More easily forgotten is the precision move that preceded it, involving Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro and Gonzalo Higuaín. The goal made it 1-1 and, just for a moment, the Bianconeri could dream.
Mehdi Taremi
Chelsea 0-1 Porto
• Quarter-final second leg • 13 April 2021
Famously a late bloomer, Taremi also left it late to have his say in this tie. For Porto, beaten 2-0 in the first leg, that meant his glorious added-time goal was their parting gift to the competition, but what a goal it was. There was fine work in the build-up too, Fábio Vieira bobbing and turning before releasing Nanu. The defender’s cross was also excellent, handing Taremi the chance to parade his athletic poise as he twisted through the air to steer a crisp overhead kick back across goal and into the top corner. “A work of art,” was O Jogo’s verdict. “It should have counted as two.”
Gareth Bale
Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
• Final • 26 May 2018
It’s not just what great players can do that sets them apart – it’s what they do when it matters most. Gareth Bale sealed his legacy by conjuring perhaps the best-ever goal on the Champions League’s grandest stage. The Welshman had only just come on when, with his side level against Liverpool, he finished off a 16-pass move in spectacular fashion. As Marcelo crossed from the left, Bale sprang high off the ground and uncoiled a left-footed overhead kick that whistled into the top corner. The first of two goals, this was an audacious effort of breathtaking beauty.
Marco van Basten
AC Milan 4-0 Göteborg
• Group stage • 25 November 1992
Some players were great goalscorers. Others were scorers of great goals. Van Basten was both. Blessed with vision, athleticism and elegance, he showcased all three with this hat-trick effort, en route to becoming the first man to hit four goals in a Champions League match. When Stefano Eranio crossed from the right, the Dutchman executed an exquisite overhead kick that sent the ball scudding off the San Siro turf and past Thomas Ravelli at pace. “I would rate Van Basten as a 9.5 tonight, but only because I don’t think perfection exists,” said Milan coach Fabio Capello.
Thanks for your interest
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