10 of the most jaw-dropping dribbles in football history
The history of football is chock-full of moments that made the jaws of fans drop, but there aren’t many things more entertaining than a goal produced by a solo dribble. One of the toughest aspects of the game to master, a truly brilliant dribbling effort requires an expert mix of skill, strength and speed.
Some players such as Argentinian greats Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona have been more renowned for their dribbling abilities than others. Hwever, only a select few have been able to produce truly world-class goals with those abilities. When they have though, those goals have been amongst the most widely-celebrated of all time.
In no particular order, here are 10 of the most jaw-dropping dribbles of all time. As a disclaimer, of course, remember that this is a purely subjective list, and if your favourite one has been missed out, please leave a note below in the comments section.
#1 Roberto Baggio - Italy vs. Czechoslovakia, 1990
One of the most highly-rated strikers of the early 1990s, Roberto Baggio was nicknamed ‘The Divine Ponytail’ for his incredible skills on the pitch. Over the years he scored some amazing goals for Fiorentina, Juventus and AC Milan, but perhaps his greatest one came for Italy in a 1990 World Cup game with Czechoslovakia.
With just over 10 minutes remaining and Italy holding onto a 1-0 lead, Baggio collected the ball on the left side of the pitch from Giuseppe Giannini before playing a quick one-two with the Roma man. From there, he was away – weaving past three Czech defenders before finding his way into the box, where he fired a shot past the goalkeeper and into the net.
It was a genuinely brilliant solo effort and one that left ITV commentator Alan Parry simply repeating “Oh yes!” over and over. The goal was later voted the 1990 World Cup’s goal of the tournament – and went onto be named as the 7th best goal in tournament history in a 2002 FIFA poll.
#2 Michael Owen - England vs. Argentina, 1998
After winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot in 1997-98 with 18 goals for Liverpool, many fans expected 18-year-old Michael Owen to make an impact for England at the 1998 World Cup. Even the most optimistic people couldn’t have imagined how big an impact the teenager would have, though.
In England’s second-round clash with Argentina, less than 10 minutes had gone before Owen’s pace and dribbling skills allowed him to win a penalty. With the game tied at 1-1, just minutes later he made an even greater mark on the game.
A long pass from David Beckham found Owen just inside the Argentine half, and the Liverpool striker expertly flicked the ball forward with his right leg before easily beating Roberto Ayala for pace. From there he continued to bear down on goal, sprinting to his right past Jose Chamot before firing past Carlos Roa and into the net.
It was an incredible goal, made possible by Owen’s unbelievable pace and ball control – as well as his cool finishing. In 2013, the goal was voted the third-greatest in England’s history, but at the time, it signalled his arrival as a truly world-class player.
#3 George Weah - AC Milan vs. Verona, 1996
The current serving president of Liberia, George Weah enjoyed a massively successful playing career, winning both the Ballon d’Or and being named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995. But despite winning multiple trophies, it’s his goal for AC Milan against Verona in 1996 that he’s remembered best for today.
That famous goal saw Weah actually control the ball in his own penalty box after a failed corner kick. From there, the Liberian striker set off on a wild dribble, leaving his teammates – most of whom had been defending the dead-ball – in his wake.
Weah kept running and simply didn’t stop. At one point he somehow shrugged off two simultaneous challenges from a pair of Verona defenders – and still emerged with the ball. Unbelievably, seconds after leaving his own box, he found himself bearing down on goal – and rifled a right-footed shot into the corner of the net.
It was a simply ridiculous goal by anyone’s standards. Could Verona’s defenders have done better? Perhaps, but then who expects a player to dribble from his own box before scoring? It’s easy to see why this one is so fondly remembered more than 20 years on.
#4 Lionel Messi - Barcelona vs. Getafe, 2007
Argentine wizard Lionel Messi is quite rightly recognised as one of the best dribblers of all time. Countless defences have been torn apart by the Barcelona man’s incredible skills on the ball, but perhaps his greatest solo effort came as a 19-year-old in the 2007 Copa del Rey semi-final clash against Getafe.
This incredible goal saw Messi initially receive the ball just inside his own half on the right-hand side of the pitch. Somehow wriggling past two oncoming Getafe defenders, the Argentine then set off on a run towards goal, shrugging off one chasing defender before also slaloming past two incoming challenges.
From there he was into the penalty area, and a deft touch took him around Getafe’s goalkeeper before he fired the ball in from an acute angle to seal the deal. It was a goal of simply phenomenal skill, with the ball appearing to be glued to his foot throughout the run.
Even Getafe’s fans were left applauding the effort, and it came as no surprise when, in 2019, it was voted the best goal in Barcelona’s history in a poll of over 500,000 votes.
#5 Ryan Giggs - Manchester United vs. Arsenal, 1999
Manchester United’s treble-winning campaign of 1998-99 is best-remembered for their last-gasp Champions League final win over Bayern Munich. But the game that saw their best goal was their FA Cup semi-final replay win over Arsenal. That goal came from Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, who produced one of the best dribbles of all time in the process.
With the game tied at 1-1 and deep into extra time, it looked like we were heading for a penalty shoot-out. That was until Giggs collected a sloppy pass from Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira just inside his own half. From there he set off on a mazy run, dribbling towards 4 of the Gunners’ defenders.
The defenders looked both confused and mesmerised and were unable to challenge the Welshman, who then found himself inside the box. With an angle opened up, he then smashed the ball high past David Seaman and into the roof of the net.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game, and taking into consideration the timing, quality of opposition and skills involved, easily stands as the best of Giggs’ career.
#6 Theo Walcott - Arsenal vs. Liverpool, 2008
Thus far all of the goals in this list have ended with the dribbling player scoring a solo effort. This dribble from Theo Walcott for Arsenal in a Champions League quarter-final match with Liverpool actually ended in a goal from Emmanuel Adebayor. However, the insane skills from the England winger that led to it makes it fully worthy of a place here.
Collecting the ball on the edge of his own box after a Liverpool attack, Walcott simply caught the Reds cold with his unbelievable pace. He knocked the ball past one defender before sprinting away from a second, and suddenly, he had seemingly miles of empty space to move into.
Liverpool’s other defenders attempted to catch him, but none dared throw in a challenge due to his speed. And seconds later he’d gone past two more before entering the box, and from there he slid a low cross to Adebayor for an easy finish.
Walcott never fully reached his potential overall – at Arsenal and in his career as a whole – but this amazing dribble stands as one of the most memorable of all time, particularly in the Champions League.
#7 Saeed Al-Owairan - Saudi Arabia vs. Belgium, 1994
Saudi Arabia have hardly been the most successful side when it comes to the World Cup, but the 1994 edition saw them surprisingly make it into the knockout stages. They got there largely thanks to one of the all-time great World Cup goals, an unbelievable solo effort from midfielder Saeed Al-Owairan in their final group match against Belgium.
The game was only 5 minutes old when the ball found itself at the feet of Al-Owairan deep inside his own half. From there, he found space between two Belgian defenders and darted into the opposition half. And suddenly he’d slalomed his way past two more to head directly into the penalty area.
Belgium keeper Michel Preud’homme came out to meet him, but before he could get near the ball, Al-Owairan – who was tumbling to the ground at the time – flicked it over him with his right foot and into the net.
It was a stunning goal that caught the entire world by surprise and it turned out to be a sucker punch that Belgium couldn’t recover from. Saudi Arabia would fall to Sweden in the Round of 16, but nobody would forget Al-Owairan’s goal, and in 2002 it was voted the 6th best in World Cup history after a FIFA poll.
#8 Son Heung Min vs. Burnley, 2019
The most recent goal on this list saw Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min score one of the best solo efforts in Premier League history last December. With his side already 2-0 up against Burnley, the South Korean produced a dribble reminiscent of George Weah’s legendary goal some 23 years earlier to surely clinch the 2019-20 Goal of the Season award.
Son collected the ball on the edge of his own box, and with little pressure from the opposition, began to make his way to the halfway line. Somehow escaping the challenges of four oncoming defenders, the South Korean suddenly found a pathway to goal, and he skipped past a final challenge before darting into the box to slot home.
It was a truly unbelievable run made possible by Son’s rapid pace and slick ball control. While you could argue that Burnley’s defenders could’ve done more, how could any of them have expected such a dribble?
#9 Neymar vs. Flamengo, 2011
FIFA’s Puskas Award was created in 2009 to reward a calendar year’s best goal, and 2011 saw it being won by a truly magnificent dribble from Brazilian star Neymar. The striker was still playing for his boyhood club Santos at the time, and the goal came against Flamengo in a Brasileirao Serie A match.
The goal saw Neymar somehow escape the attention of two Flamengo defenders on the left-hand side, wriggling free to play a one-two with a teammate before receiving the ball back around 30 yards from goal. From there he shrugged off a chasing defender, flicked the ball past another and somehow got to it before another two oncoming opponents before lifting it over the keeper and into the net.
The Brazilian often comes under criticism for being too flashy and being not enough of a team player, but it’s goals like this that remind his critics exactly how talented he is. Few players on the planet could’ve pulled this goal off, as it took absolutely ridiculous levels of skill, poise and timing.
#10 Diego Maradona vs. England, 1986
And so we end with the goal usually described as the ‘Goal of the Century’, arguably the finest strike ever produced on a football pitch. It came, of course, from the legendary Diego Maradona during his eventually successful quest to win the 1986 World Cup for Argentina.
Faced with a tough England side in the quarter-finals, La Albiceleste were leading the game 1-0 after a controversial Maradona goal, when the ball came to him near the halfway line. The Napoli forward somehow pirouetted his way around two English defenders, and then set off on an incredible run towards goal.
The chasing defenders couldn’t keep up with him, and a deft flick sent him around an oncoming opponent. Another one was beaten easily as Maradona shot into the penalty area, and a feint then sent him past goalkeeper Peter Shilton and allowed him to slot into the empty net.
It was a truly phenomenal goal, worthy of winning any match, and in all honesty, England’s defenders couldn’t have done any more to stop the Argentine wizard. The goal was voted the greatest in World Cup history in a 2002 poll by FIFA voters, and despite a further 4 tournaments taking place since, it still hasn’t been beaten.