10 Greatest Goals in World Cup History

5) Maxi Rodriguez, Argentina vs Mexico (2006)

The 2006 World Cup featured plenty of exciting moments, but Rodriguez delivered arguably the best goal of the entire tournament. And it was quite timely, as it was the game-winning goal in injury time, and propelled Argentina to a 2-1 victory. It resulted in Rodriguez garnering “man of the match” honors, too.

The play started with Lionel Messi, who was playing in his first World Cup, as a teenager. He played the ball out wide to captain Juan Sorin, who put in a cross-field pass to Rodriguez. He chested the ball down in the box, and delivered an absolutely beautiful left-footed blast into the upper-90 of the net.

4) Manuel Negrete, Mexico vs Bulgaria (1986)

Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1986, and Negrete gave the host country’s fans something to cheer about with an electric scissor-kick. And the goal was so remarkable that it’s even currently honored with a plaque at Estadio Azteca.

The play started with a series of quick passes, and a bit of skillful juggling, too. The ball was flipped into the box near the penalty spot, where Negrete was waiting. And he delivered a spectacular scissor-kick goal right into the corner of the net.

This goal is worth watching many times over. It never disappoints. The build-up is almost as entertaining as the actual goal.

3) Pelé, Brazil vs Sweden (1958)

It wouldn’t be a proper “top 10” list without including a Pelé highlight. And in this particular one, he was only 17 years old, which makes the feat that much more incredible. He would go on to spend the 13 years that followed with the national team, tallying 77 goals in his career there.

But it’s all about what he did to Sweden and the teams’ central defense in this World Cup Final. He received the ball in the box, and showcased excellent concentration to chest the ball down and then juggle it over the head of a defender. And as the ball fell to his left foot, with him all alone against the keeper, he drilled it into the net. The timing on this strike was almost unfathomable, given that he was a teenager.

This goal propelled Brazil to its first World Cup win. They’ve hoisted the trophy four other times since. And there was no better way to do it than when the “King of Football” had his coming-out party on the big stage.

2)  Saeed Al-Owairan, Saudi Arabia vs Belgium (1994)

This goal remains to be one of the most underrated of all-time. Saudi Arabia isn’t a team known for its success in the tournament or for dominating highlight reels. But Al-Owairan scored a goal that will be entrenched in the record books for years to come.

Al-Owairan received the ball in his defensive third, and it was a long way to goal. But that didn’t matter, as he would not be denied! He was a one-man army on this day, and carved up the majority of the Belgian team.

He used his speed to carry the ball upfield, and then turned on the jets to split two players—one of which attempted to tackle him and failed miserably.  He then made his way toward the box, and two more defenders tried to stop him. He cut through both of them, and as the goalkeeper approached him, he made an exceptional sliding finish into the net.

The goal was so spectacular, Al-Owairan was named “The Maradona of the Arabs.” Which takes us to our final goal on the list…

1)  Diego Maradona, Argentina vs England (1986)

Similar to Pelé , no offensive-centric “top 10” list would be complete without at least one Maradona goal. One of the top midfielders of all-time, “El Diez” scored 91 (!) goals in his 18-year stint with the Argentina national football team.

And The Three Lions had a bone to pick leading up to this particular goal, after Maradona had just deceitfully burned them with the “Hand of God” goal just four minute’s beforehand (see below).

But Maradona would score a legitimate goal—one that many named the “Goal of the Century.”

He won the ball near midfield, and did a nice spin-move to gain some space and beat two players simultaneously. And for England, it was all downhill from there, as he would go on to dribble by half their team—five players in total. And then, later, the goalkeeper as well. He was tripped at the very end of the play, but still buried the ball in the back of the net, because he’s a boss and that’s what bosses do.

It didn’t work out for him as the team’s manager in the last World Cup, but he could both create and finish like the best of them.

(HONORABLE MENTION—Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal, which I won’t include in this list because it was an illegitimate tally that shouldn’t have counted. But it was the first goal of the match for his team, and you can watch it [here].)

About Matt Birch

Matt is the founder of The Sports Daily and manages all daily operations for the website. His work has been featured on MSN, Fox Sports, Yardbarker, SB Nation and Bleacher Report. Matt has also written for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He enjoys eating good food, drinking craft beer and making original, compelling stories go viral.

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