What are the best individual performances in football… ever?
We know you've got your own idea, with evocative images immediately coming to mind when the question is asked. So we wanted to come up with a definitive list of the greatest 90-minute – or 120-minute – displays from players from across the history of the sport.
Football, when it's done properly, is an art. A medium to admire and inspire: so consider this century of performances to be the seminal masters of the beautiful game.
How FourFourTwo's experts decided on the best individual performances in football ever
Our list was collated by FourFourTwo's expert team, factoring in games from throughout the course of history. We wanted to include displays from various competitions and levels of the game, giving equal weight to non-league and Premier League, League Cup and World Cup.
When we had a list of far more than 100, our trusty experts decided upon a ranking, taking into account more than just how good a player was, or how many goals they scored. There are players here who played in a different position, played through an injury, or won their team a game almost single-handedly. We thought of that when choosing our list – but we also went for which games meant something to football
We wanted to consider brilliance, but also brilliance within the grand scheme of the the game. We didn't simply want to reward masterclasses without context: we wanted this collection of games to act as signposts to the greatest moments that the sport had ever witnessed. Sure, scoring six against San Marino is great: but is it really more impressive than a 45-minute cameo to win your club the Champions League final?
As with any list, this was assembled completely subjectively – ask us again in another six months' time, and we'll probably have changed our minds completely. We all have our biases, after all: but which do you agree with? Which performances have we cruelly overlooked? Tell us, @FourFourTwo.
100. Jamie Vardy: Leicester City against Manchester United (Premier League, 2014)
Those who pay no heed to life outside the Premier League would have been unfamiliar with Jamie Vardy when he took to the field against Manchester United in the fourth game of the 2014/15 season.
But the striker made the world sit up and pay attention in an unexpected 5-3 victory over Louis van Gaal’s side. Vardy repeatedly exposing United’s defensive frailties as he set up Leonardo Ulloa’s early equaliser, won his side two penalties (the second of which earned Tyler Blackett a red card) and scored his first-ever Premier League goal.
Leicester City struggled to feed Vardy for the rest of a difficult season, but he had marked his cards for the phenomenal success that lay ahead.
99. Jack Grealish: Aston Villa against Liverpool (Premier League, 2020)
Liverpool had been virtually indestructible throughout the disrupted 2019/20 campaign as they ended their 30-year wait for a league title, and had continued that form into the new season with three straight wins over Leeds, Chelsea and Arsenal. Aston Villa, meanwhile, had escaped relegation by just a single point in 2019/20 having only just earned promotion from the Championship.
So it was a complete shock when Villa absolutely smashed their way to a 7-2 victory at Villa Park. The irresistible Grealish scored Villa’s sixth and seventh having already set up two for Ollie Watkins and one for Ross Barkley. Already well-established as his boyhood club’s star player, Grealish was now indisputably a Premier League superstar.
98. John Stones: Manchester City against Inter Milan (Champions League, 2023)
Pep Guardiola’s tactical surprise for the 2013 Champions League final all revolved around John Stones. Usually deployed as a centre-back who would step into midfield, Stones instead reverted to his early-career right-back role out of possession.
The twist was that Stones was still coming into midfield… only this time, it was on the right of a midfield diamond. Despite his lack of natural creativity in advanced areas, Stones performed the role superbly, helping Manchester City to finally claim the crown of European champions for the first time.
97. Fraser Forster: Celtic against Barcelona (Champions League, 2012)
Celtic had little margin for error in their bid to get out of a tough Champions League group that contained Barcelona, Benfica and Spartak Moscow – and Forster’s heroics against the Catalans at Celtic Park proved crucial.
With Celtic holding just 27 per cent possession after taking the lead through Victor Wanyama midway through the first half, Forster was under constant siege pulling off a series of saves that included a magnificent fingertip to turn a Lionel Messi strike onto the crossbar.
To cap it off, the goalkeeper then set up Celtic’s late second goal, playing a low drive through for teenage debutant Tony Watt to put him one on one with Victor Valdes. Messi finally breached Forster’s goal in injury time – but by then the game was already won.
96. Just Fontaine: France against West Germany (World Cup, 1958)
Only five men have equalled or bettered Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals at World Cups: Lionel Messi, Gerd Muller, Ronaldo, and Miroslav Klose. The difference between Fontaine and the rest is that he scored all of his in just a single tournament. The striker scored in all six games he played for France at the 1958 World Cup, setting a record for consecutive World Cup goalscoring appearances that only Jairzinho has been able to match, in 1970.
Despite the disappointment of missing out to a Pele-inspired Brazil in the semi-finals, Fontaine saved his best until last, notching four against West Germany in the third-place play-off as France claimed bronze with a 6-3 win.
95. Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal against Sweden (World Cup qualifier, 2013)
Billed, inevitably, as Ronaldo v Ibrahimovic, Portugal held a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg of their World Cup qualification play-off in Stockholm.
Ronaldo struck first in the 50th minute, sparking the until-then anonymous Ibrahimovic into life as he responded with two goals in four minutes to level the tie. Typically, Ronaldo was not to be outdone, shrugging off an injury worry to race through and restore Portugal’s lead in the 77th minute before killing the game off by completing his hat-trick just two minutes later.
94. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Sweden against England (Friendly, 2012)
It’s rare for England fans to shrug their shoulders and say ‘yeah, fair enough’ after a defeat to a team they’d usually be expected to win, but there was little else they could do after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stunning display to christen Sweden’s new national stadium.
Ibrahimovic ruined the occasion of Steven Gerrard’s 100th cap – and Raheem Sterling’s debut – with a four-goal display capped by an unbelievable 30-yard overhead kick in injury time after Joe Hart came out of his box to head it into the maverick’s path.
93. Franco Baresi: Italy against Brazil (World Cup, 1994)
It all ended in disaster for Baresi as he missed Italy’s first spot kick as the 1994 World Cup final went to penalties… but it never would have got that far had it not been for the skipper’s incredible performance at centre-back.
Up until that final in Pasadena, Brazil had not gone a single game without one or both of Romario and Bebeto on the scoresheet. But despite losing Paolo Maldini as his centre-back partner after his Milan teammate had to move to left-back, Baresi kept the Brazilians quiet to help ensure the game ended goalless.
92. Phil Jagielka: Sheffield United against Arsenal (Premier League, 2006)
Keeping a clean sheet in a victory over a side who had been Champions League finalists just a few months prior would be a source of pride for any centre-back. Doubly so when over half an hour of that was spent as a stand-in goalkeeper.
Neil Warnock had selected all outfielders for his Blades bench, but says he didn’t panic when he had to call on Jagielka to replace the injured Paddy Kenny, who couldn’t resist laughing as he gave the centre-back his shirt. Jagielka was rarely tested as Sheffield United dug in, but did make an excellent stop to deny Robin van Persie’s late bouncing effort to help ensure his side got the three points.
91. Eusebio: Portugal against North Korea (World Cup, 1966)
North Korea were the surprise package of the 1966 World Cup, incredibly beating Italy in their final group game to get through to the knockout stage at the Azzurri’s expense and earn themselves a place in the neutral English hearts. Portugal were nonetheless fancied to get past North Korea in the quarter-finals at Goodison Park, but found themselves three goals down inside 25 minutes.
Up stepped Eusebio to prove his standing as one of the greatest players in the world: he scored four times to overturn the deficit by himself before the hour mark, with two top-corner stunners complemented by a pair of unstoppable penalties, the second of which he won himself. Jose Augusto made sure with a fifth for Portugal.
90. Teddy Sheringham: England against Netherlands (European Championship, 1996)
Coming up against “Total Football” lovers Netherlands is never likely to be a walk in the park, but a frontline duo of Teddy Sheringham and Alan Shearer made it look like just another day at work for them.
The Three Lions only needed a draw, but Sheringham doubled England’s lead just after half-time with an expertly directed header.
He selflessly set Shearer up for England’s third, before getting back in on the action himself on the end of a rebounded Darren Anderton effort to see Terry Venables’ side sail into a four-goal advantage.
The Dutch attempted to respond in the 78th minute through Patrick Kluivert but it was too little, too late — England had built up a Sheringham-led buffer that never looked likely to be combatted, thanks to a classic centre-forward performance.
89. Bastian Schweinsteiger: Germany against Argentina (World Cup, 2014)
‘Immortal’ was the German press’ verdict of Bastian Schweinsteiger following the 2014 World Cup final victory over Argentina.
The Bayern Munich man was the rock on which Joachim Low’s team was built, completing 90 per cent of his passes and finishing the game bloodied and bruised, but triumphant.
“Schweinsteiger was the boss on the pitch,” said German outlet Die Zeit. “He structured Germany’s game, passed the ball when it was sensible, tackled when it was necessary. If there was something he didn’t like, he interfered.”
It takes guts to wear boots with ‘The Chosen One’ written on them in a World Cup final, but Basti pulled it off.
88. Matthias Sindelar: Austria against England (Friendly, 1932)
The story of Matthias Sindelar is one of the most fascinating of any footballer over the past 100 years. The fulcrum of Austria’s revolutionary 1930s Wunderteam, few had ever matched his dribbling ability and creativity, with the centre-forward’s sublime technique on full display when Austria met England in December 1932, in what was a clash between perhaps the two best teams in the world.
While England were able to hold off their visitors 4-3 at Stamford Bridge, the British press admitted the Three Lions were lucky to win, with Sindelar weighing in with a goal and an assist.
As tensions in Europe grew in the following years, Sindelar would refuse to play for the new German national team after the Nazi regime had annexed Austria in 1938. In January 1939, Sindelar and his girlfriend Camilla Castagnola were found dead in their Vienna apartment, with the official verdict citing carbon monoxide poisoning, while theories speculated that their deaths were either an accident, suicide or murder.
87. Steve McManaman: Liverpool against Bolton (League Cup final, 1995)
He liked a final, did Steve McManaman. While his sublime volleyed goal and man-of-the-match display for Real Madrid in the 2000 Champions League final against Valencia is the mainstream pick here, the real heads will look to the 1995 League Cup final.
Bruce Rioch’s second-tier Bolton started brightly at Wembley, but McManaman’s positive display was rewarded with the opening goal after 37 minutes, with the England winger doubling his and Liverpool’s tally on 68 minutes, as Wanderers had no answer for his bold attacking play jinking runs and precision finishing.
McManaman would win the Alan Hardaker Trophy as man of the match following Liverpool’s 2-1 win, with fans on the red half of Merseyside renaming the match ‘The McManaman Final.’ And how’s this for a glowing reference after the game? Sir Stanley Matthews was the guest of honour at Wembley, telling the press that, “He remind me of me when I was playing… I wish there are more dribblers like him.”
86. Sadio Mane: Southampton against Aston Villa (Premier League, 2015)
For 18 years, Robbie Fowler’s four-minute and 33 hat-trick was the quickest in Premier League history, but that treble was relatively glacial compared to Sadio Mane’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it two minutes and 56-second assault on Shay Given’s Aston Villa goal in 2015.
The Senegal international struck in the 13th, 14th and 16th minutes to boost Southampton’s hope of a European place, capitalising on a host of Villa errors at the back, showing a ruthlessly predatory instinct to end this game before it had barely begun.
85. Eden Hazard: Belgium against Brazil (World Cup, 2018)
“I perfectly succeeded in everything I was trying to do,” Eden Hazard later said about his performance for Belgium in the World Cup 2018 quarter-final win over Brazil.
And he wasn’t wrong. The former Chelsea man put in a performance for the ages, outshining the likes of Neymar and Philippe Coutinho in the Brazil side, while establishing himself as the leading light of Beglium’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’. Everything Hazard did at his best was wondrous – and for one night only, the most entertaining player on a pitch with Brazilians was Belgian.
84. Robbie Fowler: Liverpool against Arsenal (Premier League, 1994)
What have you achieved in the last four minutes and 33 seconds? We made a brew and got a packet of biscuits out of the cupboard, which makes us a fair bit less productive than Robbie Fowler was in August 1994, when he left a shellshocked Arsenal defence picking up the pieces after what was then the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history.
The 19-year-old striker started proceedings by effortlessly dispatching a loose ball home, before latching onto a Steve McManaman pass to nutmeg Lee Dixon and past David Seaman. His third was a tad more fortuitous as a John Barnes ball over the top fell kidly to him at close range.
And what did the teenage Fowler make of the most clinical five-minute spell the Premier League had ever seen?
“I had three chances and three of them seemed to go in,” he downplayed.
83. Paul McGrath: Republic of Ireland against Italy (World Cup, 1994)
You know you’re doing something right when you’re the best defender on a pitch that also contains the likes of Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta.
And it’s even more remarkable when you consider the fact that Paul McGrath himself didn’t think he should have been playing in Ireland’s 1994 World Cup group stage clash against Italy in New Jersey, due to a shoulder injury he was carrying.
"As I walked out at Giants Stadium, I thought this is just ridiculous. I shouldn't be here and we all knew that. My arm was swinging beside me and I'm trying to play a World Cup match against one of the tournament favourites."
But Jack Charlton kept the faith with the former Manchester United and Aston Villa centre-back and was rewarded with one of the greatest-ever performances in an Ireland shirt, as McGrath was instrumental in repelling wave after wave of Italian attacks after a Ray Houghton’s early goal. Ireland would hold on to win 1-0 to start a famous World Cup run with an iconic victory.
82. Mesut Ozil: Arsenal against Leicester City (Premier League, 2018)
2018 was the most difficult year of Mesut Ozil’s career, from a poor 2017/18 season, to a World Cup group stage humiliation and subsequent international retirement. His display against Leicester that October ranks as his In Rainbows: a late-career drop of beauty and brilliance, against all expectations after the rather more influential performances of his youth – but no less enrapturing or stirring.
Other games may matter more, other players may drive with more intensity. Yet Ozil’s 90 minutes at home to Leicester was a lesson in grace and elegance, seemingly auditioning for a highlights reel with every touch and shoulder feint. The German’s mantra of always moving the ball to a better place than where he received it has never been encapsulated better – and though his dummy for the sumptuous team goal that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finished off is the profile picture of what turned out to be another random win in another disappointing campaign for the Gunners, Ozil’s influence had never been clearer in a Premier League fixture.
Even for this night alone, he was worth the record fee, the bad press, the accusations of laziness and languor. The Arsene Wenger era ended in north London in May – but thanks to Ozil, his ideals of a beautiful game were alive and well the following autumn.
81. Michael Owen: England against Germany (World Cup qualifier, 2001)
The terrace chant reminds us that ‘even Heskey scored’ when England dispatched Germany 5-1 in Munich back in 2001, but make no mistake, this was Michael Owen’s night.
Injuries had already began to slow the Liverpool forward’s progress following his explosion onto the international scene at the 1998 World Cup, but after Alan Shearer’s Three Lions retirement after Euro 2000, Owen was England’s main man up top.
And after that memorable night in Germany, it looked like England could be world-beaters under Sven-Goran Eriksson, as Owen was at his electric, fearless best as he made a mockery of experienced Bundesliga defenders such as Jens Nowotny, Thomas Linke and Christian Worns.
This was Owen’s finest performance in an England shirt and the game that saw him end the year as the first English Ballon d’Or winner since Kevin Keegan.
80. Jay-Jay Okocha: Bolton Wanderers against Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, 2003)
It was easy to scoff at Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers side of the 2000s for being a collection of no-nonsense bruisers who would kick their opponents off the park for 90 minutes before seeing Kevin Davies bundle home a winner.
While Big Sam would bring in a steady supply of ageing veterans with a Youri Djorkaeff here and a Fernando Hierro there, for four glorious seasons he could call on Jay-Jay Okocha to silence the critics. Picking Okocha’s best performance in a Trotters shirt is no easy feat, given some of the goals and moments of genius he provided the Wanderers faithful, but the 1-0 win over Tottenham in 2003 was something else.
The Nigerian simply ran the show against Spurs in a virtuoso display of passing, dribbling, movement and control. He would hit the woodwork three times before teeing up Kevin Nolan’s winner in what was a 90-minute individual highlight package.
“I’ve been with this club as a player and manager for 17 years,” Allardyce said shortly afterwards, “I’ve never seen a better player. People talk about Nat Lofthouse and the like, but I honestly believe Okocha is the best we’ve ever had.”
79. Oleg Salenko: Russia against Cameroon (World Cup, 1994)
Russia’s 1994 World Cup not-quite-dead-rubber Group B closer against Cameroon in Stanford, California was an unlikely setting for the most devastating goalscoring performance in World Cup history. But, hey, that’s exactly why we all love football, isn’t it?
This was Russia’s first World Cup since the fall of the Soviet Union three years earlier and took on Cameroon needing a big win, plus other results to go their way to qualify for the knockouts and Oleg Salenko emphatically saw that they delivered on the first front. The then-Dynamo Kyiv striker opened his account that afternoon with a simple side-footed goal after 15 minutes, before springing the Cameroon offside trap for an easy second. His hat-trick came courtesy of a penalty, before blasting home a pull-back just inside the area.
He saved his best until last, dinking the ball over Jacques Songo’o who was rushing out of his goal to complete his five-goal haul, a feat unmatched before or after in the World Cup. He then even threw in an assist as Russia sealed a 6-1 win, with the Cameroon strike seeing Roger Milla extend his record as the tournament’s oldest-ever goalscorer.
Despite the fireworks from their No.9, the victory was not enough to see Russia progress and somewhat incredibly, Salenko would never play another minute of international football. Talk about going out on a high...
78. Mark Viduka: Leeds United against Liverpool (Premier League, 2000)
The domestic high-point of Leeds United’s ‘living the dream’ era saw Australian striker Mark Viduka announce his Premier League arrival by putting a very good Liverpool side who would end the season with three trophies to the sword at Elland Road.
Leeds’ summer signing began to stir after his side fell 2-0 down inside 18 minutes, starting with an opportunist dinked finish, before levelling the score with a deft header. His hat-trick came courtesy of a sublime turn inside that box that Maradona would have been proud of, with his every touch of the ball inch-perfect to leave Patrick Berger and Markus Babbel flummoxed before firing past Sander Westerveld.
He would top this two minutes later, as his flawless first touch in the box gave him the time and space to lift the ball over Westerveld and past Jamie Carragher to win it for Leeds.
“I don’t think I had an exceptionally good game,” the ever-modest Viduka told Sky Sports in the tunnel following his four-goal haul. We respectfully disagree…
77. Robert Lewandowski: Bayern Munich against Wolfsburg (Bundesliga, 2015)
Bayern Munich headed into halftime of their home clash with Wolfsburg staring down the barrel of an embarrassing defeat in front of their own fans. Robert Lewandowski was swiftly introduced to try and turn the tides for the most dominant side in German history and took just six minutes to do so.
What followed was one of the most remarkable feats of goalscoring excellence ever witnessed as the Polish international grabbed five goals in just nine minutes to put Bayern 5-1 up on the hour mark.
Left foot, right foot, close range, long distance, volleys and acrobatics - this display had it all. If he wasn’t already, this showing cemented the striker’s name in Bundesliga and European footballing history
76 and 75. Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano: Real Madrid against Eintracht Frankfurt (European Cup, 1960)
There have only ever been four hat-tricks in men’s European Cup or Champions League finals, and two of them came in thumping 7-3 win courtesy of Di Stefano and Puskas (who got four goals, and then added another hat-trick in the 1962 final).
Already well-established as the dominant force of European football, Puskas and Di Stefano made a European Cup final look like child’s play at Hampden, repeatedly making a very talented Eintracht Frankfurt side look like absolute chumps… despite going behind in the 18th minute. By the time the Germans got their second, Real Madrid already had a five goal lead, which they restored just moments later as Di Stefano completed his treble.
No other side has ever scored so many in a European Cup or Champions League final.
74. Erling Haaland: Manchester City against Manchester United (Premier League, 2022)
Many players would be overwhelmed by shouldering the pressure of their first Manchester derby following a big-money move, but not Erling Haaland. The striker made yet another brutal statement of intent on his way to a record-breaking debut campaign at the Etihad against Manchester United.
The towering Norwegian opened his account towards the end of the first half, nodding in to convert a delightful Kevin De Bruyne delivery before doubling his tally on the stretch to convert another De Bruyne cross just three minutes later.
Not satisfied with his afternoon’s work, he then turned provider for Phil Foden to put City 4-0 at half time. He swept up his hat trick in typical clinical style midway through the second half before providing Foden with another assist for his hat-trick to complete a six-goal rout late on.
73. Lothar Matthaus: West Germany against Yugoslavia (World Cup, 1990)
A midfielder who was just good at every role he was given, Matthaus was the West Germany’s captain and star player on their way to glory at Italia 90 right from their very first game of the tournament.
Matthaus got two goals from outside the box, one on either foot, first turning away from a defender to find the bottom corner with his left. For Germany’s third in the 4-1 win, Matthaus carried the ball from his own half and skipped past Davor Jozic before spotting the bottom corner and smashing home from 28 yards
72. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer: Manchester United against Nottingham Forest (Premier League, 1999)
The term super-sub has become synonymous with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over time, and no performance warranted the title quite like his showing at the City Ground.
Introduced as a second-half substitute, Solskjaer took no time to get himself on the scoresheet just eight minutes after his introduction, sweeping home a delightful Gary Neville delivery.
He had his hat trick just 11 minutes later, before rounding off an 8-1 thrashing in stoppage time grabbing four and breaking a Premier League record for the most goals ever scored by a substitute in a match, a record which still stands alone to this day.
71. Cammy Bell: Dundee United against Dunfermline (Scottish Championship, 2016)
You probably need to ask some questions of your team’s discipline when giving away three penalties in the first half, but then again, if you’ve got Cammy Bell between the sticks, it’ll probably be alright anyway.
Three times Dunfermline had a chance from the spot, and three times Bell got his hand to the effort, ensuring his side went in 1-0 up at the break and undoubtedly being the key factor in Dundee United’s ultimate 3-1 win.
If hat-tricks exist for goalkeepers, it feels like this is probably the definition, but the “Hatrick Bruce Building Services” visible on the advertising hoardings behind does still feel a bit on the nose.
Dunfermline even tried three different takers on the day – sometimes, there’s just no way past.
70. Lionel Messi: Argentina against Croatia (World Cup, 2022)
You’ve had a great tournament, with pundits and fans alike raving about your abilities and where your next big move might be. That is, until Lionel Messi turns you inside out, running half the length of the pitch with you chasing after him like a dog desperate for their owner’s attention.
That’s how Josko Gvardiol must have felt in the 69th minute of Croatia’s 3-0 defeat to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup semi-final. In an expert display of his immeasurable dribbling skills, Messi then showed his presence of mind to set Julian Alvarez up for his second goal of the game - after he had already bagged a first-half penalty in emphatic style.
69. Karim Benzema: Real Madrid against Paris Saint-Germain (Champions League, 2022)
Bang. Bang. Bang. That’s the devastation Karim Benzema inflicted upon PSG at the Bernabeu in March 2022. With the French side having extended their advantage in the tie to two goals, Real looked down and buried. Step forward, talismanic captain, Benzema.
His smart closing down on Gianluigi Donnarumma swiftly saw Vinicius Jr set him up for the first goal, before Luka Modric slid the ball through the eye of the needle to set up his second a quarter-of-an-hour later. PSG were rattled, and Benzema duly took advantage. Latching onto a loose ball from the kick-off, he poked a ball into the corner of the goal to cap a fine hat-trick and send Real Madrid into the quarter-finals of that year’s Champions League.
68. Michel Platini: France against Belgium (European Championship, 1984)
The best player in the world at the time and right at the peak of his powers, Platini ran the show for a dominant France at Euro 1984 with nine goals, including two back-to-back in the group stage.
The first came in a 5-0 win over neighbouring Belgium, who quickly resorted to simply kicking him as much and as often as possible. It didn’t work: Platini not only caused Belgium constant problems with his all-round play, but grabbed a perfect hat-trick of left-foot, right foot, header.
The midfielder smashed home left-footed from outside the box after a free kick had cannoned back off the crossbar, converted a penalty right-footed after being scythed down by the goalkeeper, then completed his hat-trick and France’s rout by heading home off the post.
67. Erling Haaland: Norway against Honduras (U20 World Cup, 2019)
Everyone knows Erling Haaland is a menacing goal machine, with most sides in the Premier League having experienced the Norwegian’s wrath. But none have been subjected to something quite as horrific as the Honduras U20 side in 2019, as Haaland bagged nine times. Yes. Nine.
In what is now a scary foreshadowing of the trajectory of his career, Haaland plunders goal after goal against the unfortunate Central American side, with each of his finishes as clinical and delivered with such unerring accuracy as we have become accustomed to.
66. Roberto Baggio: Italy against Bulgaria (World Cup, 1994)
This entertaining game boasted the top three players from the 1994 Ballon d’Or. Although Hristo Stoichkov eventually claimed that prize, Bulgaria were knocked out by an Italy side boasting Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio.
The Divine Ponytail was majestic that summer, creating and scoring at a remarkable rate. He grabbed both goals here to put the Azzurri in control against staunch opposition and earn them a place in the final.
For his first, Baggio wriggled away from two tackles and curled the ball into the corner from just outside the box. His second was a smart half-volley expertly angling away from the goalkeeper. Stoichkov pulled one back but Bulgaria couldn’t recover.
65. Lionel Messi: Barcelona against Bayern Munich (Champions League, 2015)
Champions League semi-finals don’t come much bigger than Barcelona vs Bayern Munich, and 2015 was no exception. The famous ‘MSN’ front line was in full flow ready to go head to head with one of the most formidable defences on the planet.
It was Messi, as it so often is, who stole the show on the night. A tense affair remained goalless with 15 minutes to go until Barcelona’s number ten received the ball on the edge of the area, shifted onto his left and fired a low rocket into the near post, racing past Manuel Neuer before he could get down to stop it.
Minutes later, the Argentine was at it again, this time going one-on-one with Jerome Boateng, arguably the world best defender. Scurrying towards the penalty area, Messi jinked inside and quickly out again leaving the German defender flat on his face as the ball was majestically lifted over Neuer and into the next.
Yet another timeless goal in an untouchable collection for the world’s greatest-ever player.
64. Harry Kane: Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester City (Premier League, 2022)
Runaway Premier League leaders looked set to extend their nine-point league at the top of the Premier League as a struggling Tottenham side arrived at the Etihad having won just four games away from home all season.
However, momentum quickly shifted in the visitors' favour as a pinpoint pass from Harry Kane played almost blind behind the defence for Son resulted in an early lead against the run of play. Normality was quickly restored as the reigning Champions grabbed an equaliser shortly after, before Kane again took centre stage, timing his run to perfection he met Heung-Min Son’s delivery on the volley firing into the top corner.
The hosts then appeared to have salvaged a point after Riyad Mahrez converted a stoppage-time penalty at the end of the game before the Spurs saviour once again provided a moment of magic.
A clipped ball from Kulesevski floated across the face of goal to be met by an onrushing Kane who nipped in ahead of compatriot Kyle Walker to power a header past Ederson, securing the most dramatic of victories for Tottenham.
63. Tino Asprilla: Newcastle United against Barcelona (Champions League, 1997)
Fans dream of seeing their local side take on European giants under the floodlights of their own stadium; Barcelona’s visit to St James’ Park fit the bill entirely.
Luis Figo captained a Barca side containing names like Rivaldo and Luis Enrique, but it was Tino Asprilla who would steal the limelight. He baited goalkeeper Ruud Hesp into tripping him in the box, before converting the spot-kick.
That would have been enough to dine out on, but he rose above the pack to meet a Keith Gillespie header for his second and repeated the trick on the other side of half-time.
Late goals from Enrique and Figo will have set Geordie nerves jittering, but they held out until the final whistle, sealing a legendary tale to tell for years to come.
62. Arjen Robben: Netherlands vs Spain (World Cup 2014)
Robin van Persie may have been the literal flying Dutchman against Spain in 2014, thanks to his mesmeric diving header, but Arjen Robben epitomised everything about the term.
Bamboozling one of the greatest-ever centre-back partnerships of Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, Robben’s first goal of the night came after a sharp run in behind saw him picked out by Wesley Sneijder. After some excellent control, the forward’s hunger proved more than Ramos as he slotted past Iker Casillas. The second, though, provided the real wow factor.
With Ramos given a full six-yard headstart on the halfway line, Robben proceeded to burn past him just 20 metres later, take the ball past him, sit Casillas down on three occasions before then firing the ball into the back of the Spain net to make the game 5-1.
61. Joe Bambrick: Ireland against Wales (Friendly, 1930)
Getting a hat-trick in an international game is a feat players will talk about for the rest of their life, getting two in one game is something few can speak of.
But Joe Bambrick can; he netted six goals in Ireland’s 7-0 win over Wales back in 1930.
Still to this day, the most goals scored in a single game by any British player in an international game, and it made up half of his own personal record, netting 12 in the 11 games he played for Ireland throughout his career.
60. Petr Cech: Chelsea against Bayern Munich (Champions League, 2012)
“Petr Cech is sitting with me at doping control. He’s completely shy, reserved, and he eventually says to me ‘Hey, what was with the penalty?’. I look at him and say: ‘Eh?’. Then he says to me, ‘You wanted to shoot towards the other corner first. You totally confused me. I knew you were going for the other corner. He pretty much said what happened. That’s brutal. That made me realise again what a great goalkeeper he is, who also read the players and the players’ body language.”
And that’s coming from Mario Gomez, who actually scored – just – in Bayern’s penalty shootout defeat in the 2012 Champions League final.
In an immense performance, goalkeeper had already saved an Arjen Robben spot kick in extra time to get Chelsea there, then dove the right way for each and every one of Bayern’s five penalties. After being narrowly unable to deny Philipp Lahm, Gomez and Manuel Neuer, Cech saved from Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger, allowing Didier Drogba to step up and score the winner.
59. Zinedine Zidane: France against Brazil (World Cup, 1998)
The 1998 World Cup final had a near-perfect set-up. Hosts France were looking to win the tournament for the first time and had called on a squad of players with grounds from all corners of the planet. They were up against the defending champions Brazil who were able to call upon a 21-year-old Ronaldo, who was one of the most exciting talents to emerge in recent years and had netted four times on the way to the final.
But confusion reigned shortly before kickoff, as Ronaldo’s name was omitted from the Brazil teamsheet, only for him to be reinstated shortly after. It would later emerge he suffered a fit and had spent three hours that afternoon in hospital.
France clearly benefitted from Brazil’s chaotic build-up to kick-off and it was Zinedine Zidane who pulled the strings. The Juventus star was at the heart of everything the hosts were creating and put Less Bleus ahead just before the half-hour mark, heading in an Emmanuel Petit corner.
It was that same combination that put France 2-0 up in first-half stoppage time, with Zidane this time putting his header through the legs of Roberto Carlos. Petit sealed the win when he scored with the last kick of the game, but it was Zidane’s final, with the midfielder cementing national hero status and even receiving the Legion of Honour later that year.
58. Ronaldinho: Barcelona against Chelsea (Champions League, 2005)
Prior to a first leg against Barcelona in 2005, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho took the liberty of announcing not just his starting XI, but his counterpart Frank Rijkaard’s, too. The omniscient Portuguese super-villain backed up the bravado, too, with an aggregate win at Stamford Bridge, later succumbing to Luis Garcia’s ghost goal.
But really, the second leg wasn’t Jose’s or Chelsea’s or anyone in blue’s: it was Ronaldinho’s, even in defeat. It was his from the moment he received the ball on the D, stopped, swaggered and poked the ball with the outside of his foot, no backlift or follow-through, through the eye of a needle. Petr Cech stood helpless. The Bridge fell silent.
As was so often the case in his career, the Brazilian was the standout genius. That night in London, he led the charge, did things no one else could and found ways to puncture arguably one of the best teams of all time in a way that only he could ever conjure. And not even Jose could see it coming.
57. Paolo Rossi: Italy against Brazil (World Cup, 1982)
Everyone loves a comeback story and few in football history match up to Paolo Rossi’s 1982 World Cup redemption arc.
Two years before the tournament in Spain, the Italy striker had been implicated in the Totnero betting scandal and was banned for three years. He would miss the 1980 European Championship, but after seeing his ban reduced by a year, was able to return in time for the World Cup.
After a slow start to the tournament for both Rossi and the Italy team, the Azzurri overcame Argentina in the second group stage to set up a clash against what was considered one of the best-ever Brazilian sides, featuring the likes of Zico, Socrates and Falcao, for a place in the semi-finals.
Rossi started as he meant to go on, opening the scoring after five minutes with a header. Brazil soon levelled, but Rossi doubled his tally with a drilled shot on 25 minutes, only for the South Americans to again come back after the break. Rossi would complete his hat-trick in the 74th minute when he latched onto a poor clearance and gave Italy the lead for the third time, with Brazil unable to come back again.
It was one of the best matches in World Cup history and Rossi was the main protagonist, earning the nickname of ‘the executioner’ in Brazil, who dubbed the defeat ‘the Sarria Tragedy’. Rossi would go on to win the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball, as Italy won the tournament.
56. Toni Turek: West Germany against Hungary (World Cup Final, 1954)
Difficult as it might be to imagine West Germany going into a game with Hungary as plucky underdogs, that was certainly the case here. Against all the odds, the Miracle of Bern ensued, owing much to the goalkeeping heroics of Toni Turek.
He was beaten twice early on, as Hungary raced into a 2-0 lead, before Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn levelled the scores. Turek then came into his own, denying the prolific trio of Ferenc Puskas, Nandor Hidegukti and Sandor Kocsis with some spectacular saves.
The Magyars’ golden generation were repelled by Turek time and again as the final wore on. Rahn eventually made them pay with an unexpected late winner.
55. Serge Gnabry: Bayern Munich against Tottenham Hotspur (Champions League, 2019)
It's never been confirmed by Serge Gnabry whether his ‘stirring the pot’ celebration is has anything to do with infamous criticisms from one-time boss Tony Pulis that he couldn't cope with the intensity of English football. Couldn't hack it? He owned these shores for one night in 2019.
Mauricio Pochettino’s job was on a cliff-edge before Gnabry gave the Argentine an almighty 300 kick in the second half. The former Arsenal man was effervescent, constantly looking to stretch a beleaguered Spurs backline every time he received the ball: he could ride challenges, he could evade them altogether. He didn’t waste the ball once, cutting inside to bury his first on 53 minutes, before doubling his tally with a first-time shot on his weaker left foot two minutes later.
By the time Gnabry completed his hat-trick seven minutes from time, Tottenham had been handed a lesson in directness, audacity and sheer power from the forward. He had time for a fourth, too: north London was red, all right, and perhaps Pulis was, too.
54. Eric Cantona: Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, 1993)
Old Trafford saw Eric Cantona at his sparkling best against Tottenham Hotspur in 1993 as he put on a creative masterclass in behind the striker.
The Frencham created chance after chance without reward before taking matters into his own hands, looping an inch-perfect header back across goal to give the Red Devils the lead.
He continued to offer an attacking threat following the goal, eventually finding Dennis Irwin with an exquisite first-time pass with the outside of his foot to make it 2-0 and effectively seal the victory. United would go on to win 4-1, but it was Cantona who made the headlines. He had arrived.
53. Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid (Champions League, 2017)
It was deemed to be his competition for a reason. Cristiano Ronaldo simply was the Champions League, as synonymous with those operatic swirls as the star ball itself.
His treble against Atletico Madrid in 2017 just one of several humblings of Los Blancos' local rivals over the years from CR7, but by no means any less special than any other. He nodded Real ahead within 10 mnutes, and despite Diego Simeone's side withstanding significant pressure until the 73rd minute, eventually succumbed to two more swings of Ronaldo's right boot.
He may be the greatest goalscorer of all time – and on this showing, who's to say he's not?
52. Dennis Bergkamp: Arsenal against Leicester City (Premier League, 1997)
Bergkamp was possibly never better at showing off every string he had to his bow than on this occasion at Filbert Street, where he netted a brilliant hat-trick and created multiple other chances for teammates that were put to waste in a 3-3 draw.
His hat-trick started with an sumptuously unstoppable curling strike to the far top corner from outside the box off a short corner, followed by an opportunistic run through the middle after sending his defender in completely the wrong direction with a brilliant first touch. But that was nothing compared with his third: Bergkamp flicked up a raking pass into the box with his right foot, then juggled it with his left to send his marker sprawling the wrong way and give him just the keeper to beat.
51. Jan Tomaszewski: Poland against England (World Cup qualifier, 1973)
Brian Clough infamously called him ‘a clown’ in the lead up to this crucial World Cup qualifier, but it was Tomaszewski who had the last laugh, restricting England to a 1-1 draw at Wembley.
The home side needed to beat Poland in order to reach the tournament at their expense but they were repeatedly foiled by an unorthodox goalkeeper in outstanding form. An injured hand, caused by his own ill-advised decision to roll out in range of Allan Clarke, didn’t deter him.
Tomaszewski was busy all game – clawing the ball away from danger, tipping it over the bar and coming out to deal with a bombardment of crosses – and only once beaten by Clarke’s penalty.
50. Jerzy Dudek: Liverpool against Milan (Champions League, 2005)
Normally, conceding three goals would mean that a goalkeeper hasn’t had the best of days at the office. In Istanbul in May 2005, though, Jerzy Dudek subverted that narrative.
After an incredible double save from Andriy Shevchenko in extra-time of the game, which the Pole admits he “can’t explain how I saved it”, Dudek then went on to perform heroics in the penalty shootout. First, his ‘spaghetti legs’ antics saw Serginho fire over the bar for Milan, before he made two strong saves against Andrea Pirlo and Shevchenko again.
(It’s a good job VAR didn’t exist at the time, though - he strayed miles off his line for both…)
49. Kylian Mbappe: France against Argentina (World Cup, 2018)
Every world class player has that game which announces themselves onto the world stage. For Kylian Mbappe, the World Cup last-16 clash with Argentina was that moment.
While he had proven he had great potential in the years leading up to this point, he hadn’t quite delivered a performance that made people sit up and go, ‘Wow’. As he picked up the ball deep inside his own half, dribbled through two Argentine players then blitzed past Marcos Rojo to win a penalty, that all changed.
Still only 19 at the time, later on he then displayed a neat bit of skill to get into a scoring position, which he duly dispatched, before netting again just minutes later with a clinical finish. This was the day Mbappe announced himself to the world.
48. Andres Iniesta: Barcelona against Arsenal (Champions League, 2006)
The first of Iniesta’s four Champions League wins came early on in his career, before he’d nailed down a starting spot. Named on the bench, he was brought on as a half-time substitute and helped Barcelona come from behind to beat 10-man Arsenal.
Deployed in a deeper role than normal, Iniesta received the ball from the defence and got his team playing forward quickly, tiring out the opposition. He also had the freedom to drift into pockets of space and identify gaps to exploit.
Along with fellow substitute Henrik Larsson, Iniesta changed the game in Barca’s favour. The two combined well to set up Samuel Eto’o for the equaliser before Juliano Belletti broke Arsenal hearts four minutes later.
47. David De Gea: Manchester United against Arsenal (Premier League, 2017)
One of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, David De Gea’s finest hour came on a cold winter’s night at the Emirates stadium as Manchester United raced into an early 2-0 over their bitter rivals.
In traditional Jose Mourinho fashion, United parked the bus and parked it hard. Over the course of the next 80-odd minutes, the Spaniard was forced into a Premier League record 14 saves, including a number of different ‘save of the season’ contenders.
The pick of the bunch came as he dropped quickly to get down to a driven Lacazette effort before immediately launching to meet Alexis Sanchez’s effort from point-blank range, securing an unlikely victory for the Red Devils.
46. Steven Gerrard: Liverpool against West Ham (FA Cup, 2006)
This game has gone down in history as ‘the Gerrard final’ for good reason. Few players have been so adept as the former Liverpool captain at seizing the moment, rescuing his team from the brink of defeat and leading them to glory.
West Ham went 2-0 up at the Millennium Stadium but Gerrard was integral to pegging them back. He set up to Djibril Cisse with an incisive lofted pass to halve the deficit and then thumped in an equaliser from Peter Crouch’s knockdown.
The all-action midfielder saved the best for last, cancelling out Paul Konchesky’s goal with a rip-roaring half-volley from 30 yards out as the final whistle beckoned. He also converted his penalty in the shootout as Liverpool claimed an improbable victory.
45. George Best: Manchester United against Northampton (FA Cup, 1970)
Northampton were always likely to struggle against Manchester United in their FA Cup fifth-round tie, especially with Best showing no mercy to opponents who weren’t in remotely the same class as him.
The maverick winger scored a double hat-trick on a County Ground mud-bath. He showed his full range of talents with a mix of headers, instinctive finishes and opportunism as United won 8-2.
The most famous of Best’s six goals that afternoon was the last one. He skipped by one challenge, feigned a shot to get the goalkeeper to dive and then wandered past him unopposed to put the ball into an empty net. Sheer impudence.
44. Tim Krul: Newcastle United against Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, 2013)
A goalkeeper being the standout star of any game usually requires something special, and Tim Krul certainly brought that against Tottenham Hotspur in 2013.
Spurs tried 14 times to breach the Dutchman’s net, and 14 times he stood firm and defended his lines, pulling off acrobatic fingertip saves, making instinctive lunges with his legs and running into battle with attackers.
Krul was keen to praise the rest of the team for the win in his post-match interview, but there was no doubt he had been the main man, taking all three points back up to Newcastle with him.
His 14 saves broke a record that could only be equalled by David de Gea and Vito Mannone in the Premier League era — just think what the Fantasy Premier League haul must have been!
43. Kevin De Bruyne: Manchester City against Wolves (Premier League, 2022)
De Bruyne was at perhaps the peak of his considerable powers in 2022 and demonstrated as much with four goals at the Molineux as Man City hammered Wolves to move a step closer to the title.
The Belgian midfielder was dynamic, intelligent and technically excellent, sealing a hat-trick after just 24 minutes with three left-footed finishes. The third stood out as he cut inside and smashed the ball into the bottom corner, giving Jose Sa no chance.
De Bruyne’s fourth goal was more straightforward, responding quickly to dispatch a loose ball, but he was a menace throughout the game – driving forward from midfield and consistently picking the right pass.
42. Cristiano Ronaldo: Juventus against Atletico Madrid (Champions League, 2019)
Cristiano Ronaldo and the UEFA Champions League are a match made in heaven, a fact cemented by his heroic performance for Juventus against Atletico Madrid.
Having lost the first leg of their round of 16 tie 2-0 away to the Spanish giants, the former Real Madrid legend received his fair share of grief from the gloating Los Colchoneros faithful.
With the odds stacked against him, Ronaldo produced a remarkable hattrick in the return leg, bravely flying in ahead of his marker to head in his opener before a towering leap saw him notch his second after halftime. A thumping late penalty secured the victory for the Old Lady and added yet another glittering page to the career of the world’s greatest-ever goalscorer.
41. Ronaldo: Barcelona against Atletico Madrid (Copa Del Rey, 1997)
This was the game that inspired Pep Guardiola to become a football manager. Considering Barcelona went 3-0 down and won 5-4, it didn't exactly provide a blueprint for his stringently compact principles.
At times during this season, Real Madrid were almost a third wheel to Barça and Atletico, who slugged it out in two clashes in the league, a Super Cup and this Copa quarter-final in which Sir Bobby Robson's composure in the face of annihilation awestruck Pep. But it was his team-mate who turned the tide, almost on his lonesome, as Ronaldo activated ‘god mode’ – and not for the last time in European football.
The Brazilian was a bolt of lightning: he was the unpredictability that the Catalans so badly lacked in the final third, yet trustworthy on the ball whenever he received it. Milinko Pantic scored four on the opposite team – and yet Ronaldo's hat-trick stole the headlines, as the youngster captivated, dragging Robson's men through the tie – and towards a cup double.
40. Gareth Bale: Tottenham Hotspur against Inter Milan (Champions League, 2010)
Maicon was widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world at this point, but Gareth Bale almost singlehandedly destroyed his reputation on an unforgettable night at the San Siro.
Although Tottenham might have lost the match 4-3, Bale’s performance was the major talking point as he tormented Inter with his pace, fearless dribbling and clinical finishing, signalling the start of his rise to superstardom.
The Welsh winger scored a hat-trick on that occasion and was equally impressive in the 3-1 home win a couple of weeks later that helped Spurs advance to the knockout rounds.
39. Ademola Lookman: Atalanta against Bayer Leverkusen (Europa League, 2024)
Bayer Leverkusen had done the unthinkable: gone unbeaten for the whole season, smashed Bayern Munich’s monopoly on the Bundesliga and lifted their first-ever league title — now it was time for their procession to glory in the Europa League final.
Enter stage: Ademola Lookman of Atalanta.
The London-born forward broke the deadlock with 11 minutes gone, ghosting in behind the full-back to poke home the opener. Still in the first half, Lookman picked up an errant Leverkusen header in midfield, nutmegged his way inside and curled an effort to double the lead.
Atalanta were cruising, but the Nigeria international wasn’t done. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box, he left his marker for dead with a quick stepover, this time going on the outside to thunder home his hat-trick.
The unbeatables were beaten, thanks almost entirely to Lookman. Impact.
38. Neymar: Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain (Champions League, 2017)
For as much success as he’d enjoyed at Barcelona, Neymar was destined to remain in the enormous shadow of Lionel Messi. His chance to break out of a supporting role came at PSG, just months after knocking them out of the Champions League with a virtuoso display.
Barcelona were 4-0 down after the first leg and seemingly destined for an early exit but Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez had other ideas. They scored four goals between them to help overturn a huge deficit on a wild night at the Nou Camp.
The Brazilian international was at his beguiling best, cutting in from the left to unsettle defenders, create chances and rescue Barca with two late goals – a stunning free kick and a composed penalty. That set the stage for Sergi Roberto’s winner, which he also assisted.
37. Ferenc Puskas: Hungary against England (Friendly, 1953)
It may only have been a friendly, but the fact this game is labelled ‘The Match of the Century’ should tell you it was a little more important than that.
Ferenc Puskas – who now has a goal award named after him, so good was he at putting them in the back of the net – with his Hungary team-mates became the first international side to defeat the Three Lions at Wembley, in front of a 120,000-strong crowd.
It took Hungary just 28 minutes to charge into a 4-1 lead, with Puskas setting up his second with a nifty drag back that would have looked more at home on FIFA Street than grainy British Pathe footage.
The game ended 6-3 to the visitors – Puskas netting two – a result so seismic the Hungarian regime tried to use it as proof of communist superiority.
36. Tim Howard: USA against Belgium (World Cup, 2014)
Even in defeat, Tim Howard successfully enhanced his reputation with a string of fine saves against a talented Belgium team who were clear favourites to progress.
The veteran goalkeeper kept out a record-breaking 15 efforts from the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard. His best stop arguably came from a one-on-one with Everton teammate Kevin Mirallas, which he deflected wide with his left foot.
Howard was eventually beaten twice in extra time as the USA were knocked out in the second round, but his inspired performance will live long in the memory. Many supporters took to calling him the country’s Secretary of State for Defense. His is the only performance on this list to have been congratulated by Barack Obama, too.
35. Trent Alexander-Arnold: Liverpool against Leicester City (Premier League, 2019)
Assists used to be overlooked, but not anymore. In the age of data analysis and fantasy football, everyone is on the lookout for a player who creates plenty of goalscoring opportunities.
That’s exactly what Alexander-Arnold has always done since breaking into the Liverpool first team as a teenager. Here, he was involved in three of the Reds’ four goals, setting up two and scoring one himself.
A right-back with an exceptional passing range and set-piece delivery, he swung in a cross for Roberto Firmino’s opener and then fizzed the ball across for him to make it 3-0. Alexander-Arnold rounded off a comfortable win himself, drilling his shot beyond Kasper Schmeichel before lapping up the acclaim of the away fans.
34. Wayne Rooney: England against France (European Championship, 2004)
Having made his Premier League debut aged just 16, and still yet to make his famed move to Manchester United, people were still trying to work out just how good the 18-year-old Wayne Rooney could be when Euro 2004 came around.
They had a decent idea after watching him come up against a France team that sounds like someone reeling off their all-time greatest XI.
Rooney lifted the ball over Lilian Thuram’s head like he was still on the playground, charged away and won the Three Lions a penalty. He outmuscled players 10 years his senior. He dazzled the likes of Robert Pires and Zinedine Zidane with neat tricks.
England left without the win, but also without any doubts about the level of player Rooney might go on to become.
33. Fabio Cannavaro: Italy against Germany (World Cup, 2006)
The Italian media took to calling Cannavaro ‘the Berlin wall’ as he captained Italy to success at the World Cup. He played every minute of the tournament as they kept five clean sheets and conceded just two goals.
On an individual level, Cannavaro’s best performance came in a tense semi-final against hosts Germany that had a dramatic conclusion. He doggedly marshalled the Azzurri defence, keeping the likes of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski at bay for more than 120 minutes.
Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero both scored deep into injury time to steal the headlines, but it was Cannavaro’s leadership and many vital defensive interventions that made it possible. At the end of the year, he was rewarded with the Ballon d’Or.
32. Michael Owen: Liverpool against Arsenal (FA Cup, 2001)
There’s little doubt that Arsenal should have won this FA Cup final. They spurned a host of chances before Freddie Ljungberg finally gave them the lead and Stephane Henchoz should have been sent off for handling the ball on the line to deny Thierry Henry.
But these details were rendered irrelevant by a thrilling late salvo from Michael Owen, who scored twice in the space of five minutes to give Liverpool the trophy against the run of play on the way to a unique treble.
The boy wonder fired in a loose ball to equalise after Arsenal failed to deal with Gary McAllister’s free kick. Then Patrik Berger played the ball into space behind the Gunners backline and Owen did the rest, accelerating away from Lee Dixon and Tony Adams to find the bottom corner and stun the Millennium Stadium.
31. Rivaldo: Barcelona against Valencia (La Liga, 2001)
Not all hat-tricks are born equal. Far from it. On the final day of the season, with Champions League qualification at stake, Rivaldo produced arguably the finest treble of all time to sneak Barcelona into fourth place ahead of their opponents.
His first goal was a pinpoint free kick curled beyond the reach of Santiago Canizares from 30 yards out. The Brazilian star then worked space for himself and fired the ball in low from a similar distance. Each time, Ruben Baraja equalised for Valencia.
With the clock ticking down to full time, and Barca in danger of falling short, Rivaldo struck again. Frank de Boer clipped the ball in to him on the edge of the box, he chested it up in the air and executed an outrageous overhead kick to win the game. The greatest of three moments of pure magic.
30. Peter Schmeichel: Manchester United against Newcastle United (Premier League, 1996)
St James’ Park is never an easy place to go, especially so in the 90s, but Peter Schmeichel was an equally tricky customer to face.
With a napping Red Devils defence in front of him, the barking Great Dane punctuated his shouting matches with some incredible last-ditch saves, two of which came in the first five minutes. The iconic gloveman’s first-half contributions provided the platform for Eric Cantona to bury a volley after the interval.
That goal would prove to be the winner on the night, but only after Schmeichel had exercised his textbook acrobatic leap to take the ball off the foot of Rob Lee to deny an almost certain equaliser with the goal gaping.
It would prove an important win: Sir Alex Ferguson’s side pipped the Magpies to the title by just four points that year.
29. Ashley Cole: England against Portugal (European Championship, 2004)
Ashley Cole BC usually refers to ‘before Chelsea’. The left-back's stellar career was one of two simplified halves: attacking like prime Roberto Carlos at Arsenal to overlap Robert Pires, before the Josefication of learning to pocket attackers following his move to Stamford Bridge.
Cole's Euro 2004 came long before moving to play for Mourinho, the ‘tapping up’ saga and all that mess – but was a defining defensive performance against a young Cristiano Ronaldo in which the England man didn't put a toe out of step. Time and again, Portugal battered down his flank – but he didn't waver.
The Three Lions lost on penalties, because of course they did. But one man certainly didn't deserve to be leaving the tournament at the quarter-final hurdle.
28. Robert Lewandowski: Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid (Champions League, 2013)
In an era moving away from the classic centre-forward with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo stealing the limelight, Robert Lewandowski was everything you could have hoped for in a throwback.
He rarely made a stronger claim to that reputation than his four goals against Real Madrid for Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League semi-final first leg. Each of his first three goals came from hustling and harrying the Los Blancos backline to find any sniff of a chance. The fourth, a penalty, was struck so fiercely it’s a wonder the net survived – no stuttered run-up messing about for this Polish poacher.
Those goals proved crucial to advance to the final, where they were unfortunately stopped by their German stablemates, Bayern Munich.
27. Lionel Messi: Barcelona against Manchester United (Champions League, 2011)
There is no end to the incredible back catalog of outings Lionel Messi created in a Barcelona shirt, but outclassing Manchester United on home soil at Wembley in the Champions League final is up there.
His name only rests officially next to the Spanish outfit’s second goal, a thunderbolt of a driven strike which rocketed past the goalkeeper, but he was the chief creator for the third, too.
Seemingly well-contained on the right flank, he set off on one of his signature zippy runs with the ball appearing glued to his foot, entering the box and causing enough chaos that the ball eventually fell to David Villa on the edge of the penalty area to curl home. Messi added another major trophy, and another incredible performance, to a list already fit to burst, but there was plenty more to come.
26. Geoff Hurst: England against West Germany (World Cup, 1966)
Performances don’t come much more notable than Geoff Hurst at the old Wembley Stadium, against West Germany in the World Cup final in 1966. Until Kylian Mbappe in 2022, Hurst remained the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, to deliver England’s single piece of major silverware to date.
The trio of goals included the controversial 101st-minute strike, which Germans will likely tell you didn’t cross the line, and his third goal in the final minute to cap the event, delivering the most iconic line of commentary ever uttered.
“They think it’s all over; it is now!”
25. Johan Cruyff: Barcelona against Real Madrid (La Liga, 1974)
It was an Englishman who invented tiki-taka, by the way. Vic Buckingham's pass-and-run football transformed Ajax, before he campaigned as a Barcelona boss behind the scenes for Spanish football to invite overseas stars to glitter under its lights. Naturally, Ajax's most famous son had to be a pioneer for others, in that respect.
One of Johan Cruyff's most memorable contributions on the pitch came in the world’s most renowned fixture. It was the first Clasico that Cruyff would play for the club he’d go on to do so much to shape, and it was a promising start, popping up quite literally anywhere on the pitch to provide a goal and two assists, bamboozling any defenders that got in his way in the process.
The entire football world would end up playing football by his rules. But it was in this 5-0 walloping, in which Real Madrid fans stood and applauded their idealistic opposites that the sport really began to embrace its globalisation. The Cruyff Turn came that summer, with a World Cup in colour: the rest is history.
24. Bert Trautmann: Manchester City against Birmingham (FA Cup, 1956)
Something special is required for a goalkeeper to take home the plaudits from a trophy-winning final, and it doesn’t come much more special than Bert Trautmann’s selfless act to get his side over the line.
The German gloveman required lengthy treatment after taking a strong impact from Birmingham forward Peter Murphy, but this was before the days of well-stocked substitute benches, so Trautmann decided to power through his injury rather than see his side go down to ten.
It later transpired that Trautmann had played those last 17 minutes with a broken bone in his neck, but still managed to make two further saves, earning his place in the history books and then some.
23. Kaka: Milan against Manchester United (Champions League, 2007)
Carlo Ancelotti-led Milan arrived in Manchester with a star-studded line-up, but it was Kaka who would stand out from the pack. He was unplayable on the night, expertly operating in tight spaces, often with two or three defenders on his case, to no avail.
He notched the equaliser to make it 1-1, but it was the Brazilian’s second goal that you will have seen replayed over and over again. With the Red Devils’ defence stretched, he lofted the ball over the head of Gabriel Heinze before nodding it between Heinze and Patrice Evra closing in, rounding the pair and slotting home past Edwin van der Sar.
Despite his performance, Milan still lost that leg, but he was back on the scoresheet to reverse that result at the San Siro, before ultimately lifting the trophy against Liverpool in the final.
22. Mohamed Salah: Liverpool against Manchester City (Premier League, 2021)
By the 80th minute of Manchester City’s visit to Anfield in 2021, it looked as though Mohamed Salah had single-handedly delivered a crucial three points for Liverpool. Skinning Joao Cancelo down the right flank, the Egyptian charged towards goal and laid on a perfect chance for Sadio Mane to open the scoring in the second half.
But it was his own effort 15 minutes later – rampaging through City’s backline as though they weren’t there before squeezing home a finish from an impossible angle – that would be the most memorable, restoring the Reds’ lead after a Phil Foden equaliser.
Kevin De Bruyne’s late equaliser was painful as a result but will hurt even more in hindsight knowing City pipped the Merseysiders to the league by just one point that year.
21. Jack Wilshere: Arsenal against Barcelona (Champions League, 2011)
A teenager stared down Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets at their peak – and he beat them all. “There was a moment about 30 minutes in where I made a tackle on Andres Iniesta,” Jack Wilshere told FourFourTwo in 2022. “We were 1-0 down at the time and the whole crowd lifted. It really brought us back to life.”
The midfielder put in a complete performance, winning the ball and skating through opponents to single-handedly inspire Arsenal to a 2-1 win over the best team in the world. But this performance means more than the victory it gave Arsenal on the night: it was more than just 90 minutes of football, but a fixed point in British football lexicon.
Perhaps no player has ever been associated with any one game – perhaps it's because it ignited the idea of English football's place in the world at an uncertain time for its national team. Soon, academies would be awash with Wilsheres, capable of playing this way against the best. But that night, this teenager was an underdog, performing with grit, guile and grace against the three best players in the world, according to the Ballon d'Or podium. It was the display of a lifetime.
20. Diego Maradona: Argentina against England (World Cup, 1986)
One goal causes particular consternation on English shores from this game: the opener batted in by the hand of Maradona, latterly renamed God. In the age of VAR, England would have done enough in this tie to earn a draw, and who knows what might have happened from there? But Maradona’s second, later named FIFA’s goal of the century, was probably worth two anyway.
In 11 seconds, he went from holding up the two Peters – Reid and Beardsley – inside his own half, to netting the winner. On that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it journey, he skipped past at least half of the England team before rounding a third Peter – Shilton, this time – and poking the ball home despite strong challenge. It’s a game and an individual performance that will be replayed forever more, only increased in value by Argentina’s World Cup win that year.
For those two moments alone, it was a game that would turn any player to gold – but from the moment of Maradona's team talk before the kick-off, recalling those lost in the Falklands war, the game was Argentina's. El Diego didn't waste a touch on a surface that shifted as you stepped across it. “You have to say that's magnificent,” commentator Barry Davies said – and he was spot on.
19. Lionel Messi: Barcelona against Arsenal (Champions League, 2010)
A draw at the Emirates the week prior had set up an interesting-looking tie in Barcelona for the second leg – Arsenal looked like they had a chance of sneaking through to the semis.
Lionel Messi, as he so often does, had other ideas. He promptly set about netting a first-half hat-trick to crush any thoughts of European glory for the Gunners, before notching a fourth in the final few minutes to add insult to injury, creating another historic night at the Nou Camp.
Sadly, he couldn’t summon those same powers in the next round, bowing out to the ultimate victors that year, Inter Milan – though an ash cloud and a rampaging Jose Mourinho had their say. It takes a special fan to make a quarter-final the most notable performance of a tournament, though…
18. Manuel Neuer: Germany against Algeria (World Cup, 2014)
As knockout ties in World Cup competitions go, Germany would have hoped their meeting with Algeria was a fairly routine outing. It was anything but.
Algeria managed to breach the German backline on multiple occasions, but each time they were met by the kamikaze defensive run of Neuer, almost playing as an additional centre-back rather than a goalkeeper. Sweeper keepers had come before him, but rarely had they been as daring as the German gloveman was, and on the most dramatic of stages.
His display kept a promising-looking Algeria side at bay until the final seconds of extra-time, with Germany’s two strikes enough to send them through, ultimately to World Cup glory. Neuer came third in that year’s Ballon d’Or rankings, a remarkable feat for a goalkeeper in the attack-laden ceremony, thanks in part to his performance for Germany.
17. Thierry Henry: Arsenal against Liverpool (Premier League, 2004)
Technically, Arsenal still had to go to White Hart Lane to wrap it up – but let's be honest, Thierry Henry won the league against Liverpool with a hat-trick.
The Gunners had been knocked out of two competitions by the time Liverpool rocked up and led at the break. And it was during this 90 minutes that Henry wrote the lore surrounding his aura. The trademark right-footed finish, the typical cascade through swarms of defenders, the ability to pop up wherever he needed to. Every cliche you've ever heard about the man was written down for future reference on this afternoon, to be trotted out for years to come.
This was the moment that Henry declared himself the best that the Premier League had ever seen. No one has come close to surpassing him.
16. Pele: Brazil against Sweden (World Cup, 1958)
Cristiano Ronaldo recently had a disguised pop at the likes of Pele, claiming goalscoring superiority because all of his goals were videoed.
Well, one that the sculpted Portuguese man cannot take off his record-holding competitor comes from back in 1958 when football was scarcely screened, but Pele still found a way to make a name for himself. A 17-year-old Pele set the world alight in the World Cup final that year, netting twice to deliver the ultimate trophy for his country.
His first was the history-maker, expertly holding off one defender as he controlled a cross with his chest, before instinctively flicking it over the head of another and letting off his strike. Even a stud to the groin from the second defender couldn’t stop the Brazilian. Nothing would prevent Pele from announcing himself to the world that day.
15. Lionel Messi: Barcelona against Bayer Leverkusen (Champions League, 2012)
A side rarely gets to the knockout stages of the Champions League only to look utterly out of their depth on the big stage, and Bayer Leverkusen might have avoided such tarnishing if only a pesky little Lionel Messi had rung in sick that night in 2012.
As it happens, he didn’t. The only bug he had was of the goalscoring variety, plundering five against a helpless Bernd Leno between the Leverkusen sticks.
Close your eyes and you’ll be able to picture the goals: shuttling runs through an endless stream of defenders, audacious chips when the goalkeeper thinks he’s got all angles covered, and zippy one-twos inside a congested penalty area. Messi brought every tool from his extensive toolbox.
14. Ronaldo: Real Madrid against Manchester United (Champions League, 2003)
Never before, or since, has an opposition player received a standing ovation at Old Trafford after netting a hat-trick against the Red Devils.
This was a Galacticos side featuring the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Iker Casillas, but it was Ronaldo who stole the show. There looked to be no angle for his first, and it’s a wonder the net withstood the force of his third, from a good distance outside the penalty area.
One, two, even three defenders at points were not enough to contain the Brazilian that night under the floodlights, somehow always finding a route to goal or one of the star-studded cast around him. There was nothing left for the United contingent to do but stand there and clap, admiring the history being made before their eyes.
13. Diego Maradona: Argentina against Belgium (World Cup, 1986)
Maradona’s name is linked to the 1986 World Cup in English minds for altogether different reasons, meaning another of his era-defining performances in Mexico, this one against Belgium, can sometimes get overlooked.
It was an all-around classic Maradona display, with the typical display of flair and physics-bending control of both himself and the ball, all of which were encapsulated in his, and Argentina’s, second goal of the game.
Defender Jose Luis Cuciuffo drove forward with the ball before laying it off to Maradona for a one-two, only the two never arrived. With four defenders packed tightly between him and the goal, he somehow slalomed through the lot of them as though they were statues, before curling a shot with the outside of his boot around the goalkeeper – all while somehow staying on his feet.
12. Toni Kroos: Germany against Brazil (World Cup, 2014)
Germany looked unbeatable at the 2014 World Cup, but everyone watching knew it was going to take something pretty special to beat hosts Brazil in their own backyard. Toni Kroos knew the task at hand, and boy did he deliver.
Producing one of the most special cameos ever seen on the international stage, Kroos bossed the Samba nation off the park, scoring two goals in two minutes to help the Germans race into a devastating 4-0 lead. The Real Madrid man also grabbed two assists in an eventual 7-1 win, whilst also earning the nickname 'Garcom,' Portuguese for waiter, for his ability to deliver the ball.
Joachim Low’s men went on to win the final against Argentina, but Kroos’ performance will long be remembered in helping them achieve that very feat.
11. Lucas Moura: Tottenham Hotspur against Ajax (Champions League, 2019)
Tottenham have endured plenty of golden moments in Europe. Famous UEFA Cup success in 1972 and 1984 will forever be etched in the memory of a certain era of Spurs fans, but when it comes to modern-day performances, just mention the name Lucas Moura at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Trailing 2-0 to Erik ten Hag’s impressive side at the break, up stepped one man. Moura would go on to score one of the most memorable hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League history, sinking the Eredivisie outfit.
What stands out most is his last-gasp effort that evaded Andre Onana’s outstretched arm to nestle into the net, sending Spurs to a first European final in 35 years.
We will always have that night in Amsterdam, Lilywhites fans recall.
10. David Beckham: England against Greece (World Cup qualifier, 2001)
“Beckham could raise the roof here. I don’t believe it,” ushered Gary Bloom, as the former Manchester United icon lashed in England’s deciding goal to take them to the 2002 World Cup.
Beckham knew the stage so well, with Greece the opponents at Old Trafford. With the score at 2-1 and entering into injury time, the moment was set for just one man. It's arguably recognised as the most famous goal in England history.
But while that one moment was heralded redemption for the skipper, who'd been hounded after his red card in 1998, it didn't tell half the synopsis.
Having played perhaps more centrally than usual, England’s iconic No.7 was everywhere that afternoon, popping up to dictate the game, pepper the goal from dead-ball situations and put in a true captain's performance.
The redemption wasn't his: it was England's. Becks showed exactly who he was that day – and the apologies simply had to be as loud as the disrespect.
9. Bobby Moore: England against Brazil (World Cup, 1970)
The iconic image of Bobby Moore swapping shirts with Pele still endures over 50 years later, the pair of them both clearly enjoying the fact that they had both played against the best player either of them would ever face.
In the two sides’ second group game, Moore’s supreme combination of brilliant positioning and perfectly-timed tackling helped keep a brilliant Brazil side who went on to blitz their way to the trophy unusually quiet in the sweltering Mexican heat.
Unfortunately for England, not even Moore was unable to stop Brazil claiming a 1-0 win, with Jairzinho’s first-half strike proving the difference.
But over the rest of the 90 minutes, Moore was utterly imperious, making numerous timely interceptions and a particularly memorable sliding tackle on a rampaging Jairzinho – immortalised by Baddiel and Skinner’s Three Lions – that set England off on a counter-attack that was eventually put wide by Jeff Astle.
That heroic defeat would be the last throes of an England side who had claimed the World Cup in 1966, precipitating a long slide into under-performance and mediocrity – but on that day, they had a captain they could be proud of.
8. Dusan Tadic: Ajax against Real Madrid (Champions League, 2019)
Those of us watching from England knew Tadic well from his time at Southampton, but we’d never seen this from him.
Real Madrid were the reigning holders of the Champions League at the time, while Ajax had not played a knockout game in the competition since 2006 and had not won one since 1997.
After losing the first leg of their last 16 clash with Real 2-1 in Amsterdam – Sergio Ramos even took a deliberate yellow in the first leg to sit out the second, keeping himself fresher for tougher opponents. – Ajax’s prospects looked dim to none.
Up stepped Tadic. The Serbian raced past Nacho Fernandez to get into the Real box seven minutes in before pulling back for Hakim Ziyech to score. 11 minutes later, Tadic produced a sensational roulette to pirouette past Casemiro before sliding in an inch-perfect through ball for David Neres to race onto and finish.
Just after the hour, Tadic added a goal to his two assists, receiving the ball just inside the Real box and smashing a postage-stamp finish into the top corner.
Both sides scored a goal each to finish the game off, but both were completely academic: Tadic’s brilliant individual performance had already knocked Real out of the competition for the first time in four years.
7. Kylian Mbappe: France against Argentina (World Cup, 2022)
There may never have been a player who gave more to a World Cup final and still ended up on the losing end.
France had been one of the most convincing sides at the 2022 World Cup, with their only defeat before the final coming in what was for them a dead rubber against Tunisia in the third and final group stage game with passage already assured.
Argentina, meanwhile, had been up and down: they suffered the shock of losing to Saudi Arabia in their first game, a fightback attempt from Australia in the second round, and a penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
There may never have been a player who gave more to a World Cup final and still ended up on the losing end.
Both sides were pulled along through the tournament by their two star players. Going into the final, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi were joint-top of the running for the golden boot with five goals apiece.
Messi ended a pulsating classic with a brace, but Mbappe went one better by becoming only the second man ever to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, helping France to come back from 2-0 down at half time and then from 3-2 down in extra time.
Both Messi and Mbappe scored their sides’ opening penalties, but France twice faltered while Argentina were flawless from 12 yards. It was Mbappe’s day… but unfortunately, not France’s.
6. Wayne Rooney: Manchester United against Fenerbahce (Champions League, 2004)
If this was a Hollywood script, you’d call it laughably farfetched. It simply shouldn’t have happened. Even after Manchester United had announced the teenage Rooney’s mega-money from Everton – a superstar in the making joining the biggest club in England – nobody thought he would actually start his first match, a Champions League group stage clash with Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
But Fergie knew there was simply no holding the 18-year-old back, starting him alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy in attack (with a young Cristiano Ronaldo benched to make way). Wazza thanked his new boss by scoring a hat-trick of ludicrous quality. His first saw him latch onto a slide-rule pass from his Dutch strike partner and fire beyond the ‘keeper.
Cue Wazzamania. His second, a daisy cutter into the bottom corner, followed a delightful shoulder drop and shimmy on the edge of the box. He then completed the dream debut by postage stamping a free-kick at the Stretford end. Goals from RVN, Ryan Giggs and David Bellion completed a 6-2 rout.
Fergie knew there was simply no holding the 18-year-old back, starting him alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy in attack
“He is only 18 and a young boy, don’t forget,” said a grinning United manager, post-game. “The important thing for me as a coach is to allow the boy to develop naturally without too much public attention. I want him to be as ordinary as he can.”
Balls to that. Rooney was never ordinary.
He’d go on to break the club’s scoring record (with 253), firing them to five Premier League titles, three League Cups, an FA Cup and a Champions League. So many wondergoals and glories followed, but he arguably never had another night quite like this.
5. Steven Gerrard: Liverpool against Milan (Champions League, 2005)
Liverpool’s 2004/05 Champions League campaign was as dramatic as it got. The Reds wouldn’t even have made it to the knockouts if it hadn’t been for Gerrard’s late strike against Olympiacos in their final group stage game, which ensured Liverpool progressed on their head-to-head record.
Bayer Leverkusen were brushed aside with a pair of 3-1 victories, then Liverpool had to endure a tense goalless draw away to Juventus when a 1-0 win for the hosts would have put them through on away goals instead.
It was Gerrard – subject to strong rumours he was about to leave for Chelsea – who was Liverpool's inspiration
And, of course, there was the controversial Luis Garcia ‘did it cross the line?’ goal against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the semis; it stood, of course, and was the only goal across the two legs.
But even all that could not have prepared anybody for a thoroughly deranged final.
Rafa Benitez quite simply got his tactics wrong from the start, controversially dropping holding midfielder Dietmar Hamann to get an extra forward into the side. Milan went ahead through Paolo Maldini in the very first minute, then Hernan Crespo struck twice more as half time approached. At 3-0, Liverpool were surely dead and buried.
But if belatedly introducing Hamann at the break swung the game in Liverpool’s favour, then it was Gerrard – subject to strong rumours he was about to leave for Chelsea – who was their inspiration. The skipper put a brilliant, towering header home on 54 minutes, setting the stage for Vladimir Smicer to make it 3-2 just two minutes later.
Milan were now visibly panicking with Gerrard’s brilliant midfield display causing all kinds of problems, and gave away a penalty that Xabi Alonso saw saved before racing in to slam the rebound into the ceiling of the net. Liverpool held on throughout injury time, then won it on penalties.
4. Ronaldinho: Barcelona against Real Madrid (La Liga, 2005)
Ronaldinho could be seen sharing a little joke with international teammate/El Clasico opponent Ronaldo just before kick-off – but only ‘Little Ronaldo’ was left with a smile on his face at the end. If there had been any doubt at all that Ronaldinho had far surpassed his namesake at this point, none was left on the final whistle.
Playing out on the left of the Barcelona front three, Ronaldinho absolutely menaced Michel Salgado right from the beginning. The experienced right-back threw himself into a tackle four minutes in, and Ronaldinho just stepped around him. Lesson duly learned, the next time Ronaldinho ran at him, Salgado backed off and backed off – nothing exactly something he was known for doing.
Plan C. Already 1-0 down through Samuel Eto’o’s strike, Real sent Sergio Ramos further over towards Salgado to provide additional cover; Ronaldinho back-heeled it to Xavi in the space that had been left, received a back-heel back into his path. It was still just toying, but it was clear who was on top. Ronaldinho was even booked for leaving an elbow on Ramos just to show him bullying tactics wouldn’t get them anywhere either.
It went on like this, Ronaldinho at one point beating Ramos twice in the same run seemingly just for fun. Then, on the hour, the games were over: Ronaldinho picked the ball up on halfway, absolutely skinned Ramos, got into the box, and sent Ivan Helguera to the shops with a dummy to cut inside into such a dangerous area that the defender was mourning the goal before Ronaldinho even got his shot off.
If there had been any doubt at all that Ronaldinho had far surpassed Ronaldo before the game, none was left on the final whistle.
Then the final coup de grace. Salgado had just got a shot off at the other end when Barcelona broke forward and found Ronaldo on the left, one-on-one with Ramos. Just like Salgado earlier, the Real Madrid defender clearly had no idea what to do against a player in unstoppable form: make a challenge? Back off?
By the time he had made up his mind, it was immaterial: Ronaldinho breezed past him and into the box, slotting past the helpless Iker Casillas. 3-0, and a masterclass well and truly delivered.
3. Roy Keane: Manchester United against Juventus (Champions League, 1999)
In 1999, keeping Zinedine Zidane quiet presented one of the hardest tasks any midfield man could be stationed with. Roy Keane made that role look like a walk in the park, producing one of the finest Champions League displays of all time.
The Red Devils were just 90 minutes away from the final in their semi-final second leg in Turin, with the former Republic of Ireland international taking the game by the scruff of its neck, governing everything United did. Opening the scoring after 24 minutes, Alex Ferguson’s side won 3-2, progressing to the 1999 final in Barcelona. We all know how that story ends.
But the fact that Keane was ruled out of the final through suspension only makes the story all the more remarkable. Yes, he'd never have even considered dropping less than 100 per cent – but it showed his incredible mentality to control the midfield world-class opposition, for the good of his team-mates.
That was the game that marked Keane as perhaps the greatest leader Manchester United – maybe the Premier League – had ever seen.
2. Stanley Matthews: Blackpool against Bolton (FA Cup, 1953)
It says it all that Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick in the 1953 FA Cup final, and yet the game is universally known as ‘The Matthews Final’. Even at the time, the game was known as a silly, low-quality but exciting affair riddled with goalkeeping errors – but Matthews quality shone through it all.
Matthews was already known as one of the finest players in the world at the time, winning the inaugural Ballon d’Or three years later. But even at 38 years old in 1953, Matthews was perhaps never more influential than in this game as he desperately sought to lay his hands on the trophy for the first time having been a runner-up in 1948 and 1951.
Bolton took the advantage in the Lancashire derby at the old Wembley, going 3-1 up after 55 minutes despite their third goalscorer, Eric Bell, having picked up an extremely evident hamstring injury in the first half; there were no substitutions in those days, so on he played.
Even at 38 years old in 1953, Matthews was perhaps never more influential than in this game
Matthews truly hit his stride in the second half and inspired Blackpool’s comeback, with the Bolton defence constantly bamboozled by his runs and trickery up the right wing. Bill Perry missed a sitter off one square ball from Matthews’ wing, but Mortensen exploited a goalkeeper fumble off Matthews’ cross to bundle home on 68 minutes.
Mortensen’s free kick made it 3-3 in the 89th minute, and Blackpool were firmly in the ascendancy with Matthews again and again carving Bolton open. Bolton escaped another goalie fumble off a dangerous Matthews cross with Blackpool poking wide – but Perry made no mistake in the final seconds, slotting home after Matthews got onto the end of a move he started and skinned Tommy Garrett to get to the byline before sliding it across to the back post.
1. Zinedine Zidane: France against Brazil (World Cup, 2006)
If Zinedine Zidane's final moments in football were a live-action reimagining of the shocking, political French painting The Death of Marat, his quarter-final against Brazil mere days earlier remains Napoleon Crossing the Alps. It's outrageous, graceful, head-spinning and regal – in equal parts. Gallic as garlic, too. The single gleaming masterclass that the sport should aspire to.
He put on a show, that night; starting in the first minute when he began puppeteering from midfield, as every time the ball entered his orbit, it seemed to disappear up his sleeve. All game, he pirouetted past Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka (who all won Ballon d'Ors, too). He looked like he had no plan or purpose: he just marauded and meandered before making the perfect pass. Every time.
Granted, others on this list have done far more, output-wise, within the confines of an hour-and-a-half of football, than just a solitary assist – and yet so few have looked like they were taking the piss as royally Zizou did that night.
Any moment in that tournament could have been his last (as we found out in rather dramatic fashion). And yet here was Zidane, sparking flames from crackling embers, to bamboozle and ultimately, put France into the World Cup's final four. With every gasp in his auditorium, Zidane was proving himself, aged 34 (just), as still the best footballer on Earth. More importantly, as the most captivating.
He looked like he had no plan or purpose: he just marauded and meandered before making the perfect pass.
A 1-0 win ended the Samba nation's 11-game unbeaten run at the World Cup. It bookended their last defeat: the World Cup final in 1998, at the hands of… Zinedine Zidane, of course, both rose and thorn on the greatest stage. He was him. And while the Frenchman was neither the last true entertainer of the game, nor was this performance a definitive last feast before a hypertactical age cloaked the sport, Zidane's display was a monument: the final time that international football – and not the Champions League – was seen as the greatest barometer of elite quality.
And the night that one man took on the greatest nation in footballing history, only to out-play them all their own game. Outrageous. Graceful. Head-spinning and regal, all right. And so, damn, French.
