Anatomy of a Goal – Zidane vs Leverkusen

I loved Zinedine Zidane. I have no qualms saying that. I loved the inventiveness, the intelligence, the nonchalance, even the spikiness. Here was a man that could do it all on the football pitch. The good, bad and ugly. And the thing that was always apparent above all else was the grace with which he did it. Arsene Wenger has said before that some players turn football into art, and never has this been more applicable to any player.

Now, this is not me saying Zidane is the best player ever. Never has football seen a player as brutally efficient as Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldinho’s highest point could well be higher than anybody’s ever. Lionel Messi is…well, Lionel Messi. But nobody has ever made it look so good.

Which leads me on to the subject of today.  You see, in the grand scheme of things, some goals stand out a little bit more than others. And while Zidane has had a catalogue of stand out goals, like this against Valladolid, or this against Tokyo Verdy or this against Deportivo (I could really go on and on), there’s one goal in the catalogue that peers above all the others.

 

It’s the most beautiful combination of technique, brutal power, unimaginable skill and grandiose occasion. Never mind that it’s on his weak foot, never mind that the ball is seemingly descending from the heavens, it’s the bloody Champions League final! This is the only time the phrase “he has no right to hit that” is passable at all.

However, hit that he did. And here is how. The anatomy of Zinedine Zidane vs Bayer Leverkusen.

Anatomy of a Goal – Bergkamp vs Leverkusen

In this new series, I’m going to take a look at a few of my favourite goals, and try to break down what is happening, why it’s happening and how it’s happening. There are many, many small decisions and moments that make up any goal, and you generally need a lot of things to fall into place to score a goal. The thing that makes the great goals truly great is that they are a series of optimal decisions, executed to perfection. This may sound cold and calculated, like completing an equation in maths class. And the truth is that they are. They are cold, calculated decisions that give 100% chance of success. That’s what makes the players who execute these goals geniuses.

That being said, I see no better place to start than with an Arsenal legend, who’s very nickname suggests ruthlessness and a killer instinct that belies the genius that he undoubtedly is. Ladies and (most probably exclusively) gentlemen, I give you Dennis Bergkamp vs Bayer Leverksuen.