The air inside Everton’s Goodison Park had a different feel to it than the average English Premier League fixture. There was no electricity and aggression of a Merseyside Derby or the nail-biting anxiety of a relegation-decider in the spring sunshine. Instead, the air was filled with betrayal, rooted in a deep sense of fan injustice as Everton Football Club had been handed a 10-point deduction in the Premier League due to a breach of financial rules. Faithful Toffees held up pink slips with the word ‘corrupt’ and, amidst a chorus of boos and hostility, a tottering Manchester United side took to the pitch and kicked off a series of fixtures that pundits and fans alike consider to be critical to their season and the job security of manager Erik ten Hag. It was that very air that Alejandro Garnacho rose into, with just three minutes on the clock, as he scored what might be the goal of the season. Or the decade.
Breaking down a strike for the ages
Garnacho celebrates with Harry Maguire after his moment of genius
After United had gained control from a failed Everton long ball, Victor Lindelof played a diagonal to Marcus Rashford, who had advanced on the right wing. The English winger fed it to Diogo Dalot on the overlap, and the Portuguese full-back swung in a deep cross from the far side of Everton’s penalty area. The cross looked to be a mishit, since it was a good three to four metres behind Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay near the penalty spot, as well as Garnacho, who was initially darting towards the far post. But, as soon as the cross came in, the 19-year-old Argentine steadied his feet and ran back a few paces. Garnacho kept his eyes on the rapidly approaching ball as, with his back towards the goal, he propelled himself off the ground with his left leg. He met the ball cleanly with his right foot and executed a perfectly-timed overhead kick about 15 yards away from goal, finding the top right corner past a hapless Jordan Pickford in the Everton net. As Garnacho broke away to perform the ‘siuuu’ celebration made famous by a former Red Devils’ winger, viewers could be forgiven for rubbing their eyes and wondering if Cristiano Ronaldo had indeed come back.
While Garnacho’s goal is undoubtedly special on first glance, let us break it down some more to better appreciate its brilliance. One of the most important things about the wonder strike is Garnacho’s ability to adapt to the cross, going from rushing to the back post with the expectation of receiving a ball to head in to running backwards to meet the ball within a split second of it leaving Dalot’s foot. Garnacho also makes the decision in real time to go for the spectacular, instead of facing the goal and going for a more conventional volley. In doing so, he has to shift his body weight to be able to get off the ground such that his right foot rises at the perfect speed and in the perfect place to smash the ball. Garnacho can be seen stretching himself to hang in the air as he waits for the ball to come to him. He makes contact with one end of the boot, near the tip of the ankle, ensuring his world-class goal lacks neither power nor placement.
Comparing Garnacho’s effort with those of Rooney and Ronaldo
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, former United icons, are no strangers to overhead kicks themselves
As is often the case among football fans, taking in the goal over the next few minutes and hours sprung comparisons to the great man’s overhead kick. Yes, the man mentioned earlier, but also another — who scored arguably the greatest overhead kick in Premier League history against bitter rivals Manchester City and who also has a deep connection with Everton. Although these comparisons are fraught with controversy, I will nevertheless attempt them. I place Garnacho’s goal above Wayne Rooney’s, but below Ronaldo’s.
Wayne Rooney connects with his overhead kick for Manchester United versus Manchester City in 2011
Rooney’s bicycle kick, the winning goal in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in February 2011, came from an in-swinging cross from Nani that led to Wazza contorting himself and swinging in mid-air to find a similar corner of the net as Garnacho. As spectacular as it was, there are a few things that set Garnacho’s effort apart from Rooney’s. Firstly, Rooney did not have to make up any ground to get to the ball, owing to Nani’s delivery being far better than Dalot’s. Plus, Rooney’s feet were mostly set before the ball left Nani. Most importantly, in terms of execution, Rooney’s shot seemed to come off his shin, rather than the meat of his foot, which automatically makes Garnacho’s strike more technically sound. Finally, though we can only speculate at the time of writing, Garnacho’s goal feels more significant. Even though Rooney’s goal gave United the win over City, it did not dramatically change either team’s fate for the rest of the season. United marched on to another domestic league title, while City clinched the FA Cup (beating United in the semi-final). Garnacho’s goal, though, might have a stronger impact on United’s season, by galvanising a campaign that had been wobbling thus far amidst fears of a European exit and an underperforming, injury-stricken squad. Not to mention the endless headlines about new owners taking over from the much-maligned Glazer family.
Cristiano Ronaldo nearing completion of his bicycle kick for Real Madrid against Juventus in 2018
However, Garnacho’s goal, for me, did not quite eclipse his idol’s, as Ronaldo’s overhead kick in the 2018 UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final for Real Madrid’s trip to Juventus comfortably reigns supreme. Ronaldo’s movement eclipsed Garnacho’s because the former was initially at the spearhead of the attack and laid off the ball to Lucas Vazquez from the edge of the pitch, before sprinting back into the danger area to await Dani Carvajal’s cross. Additionally, the height to which Ronaldo rose and the precision of the contact with his laces was superior to Rooney and Garnacho, making the physical feat of climbing to, and connecting with the ball, near superhuman and physics-defying. Indeed, the goal was so stunning that it drew sustained applause from a Juventus crowd staring down the barrel of a Champions League exit, and ultimately stood out as the moment of the season where Ronaldo signed off on a magical nine-year stint with Real Madrid having won his fifth UCL trophy. Beyond the contribution to the winning cause, the goal also had a lasting impact, where the reception from Juventus fans is said to have endeared Ronaldo to Turin, which helped seal a move to the Old Lady for the Portuguese superstar a few months later.
Goodison and the goal may well be what launches Garnacho towards superstardom
The goal against Everton may just be the spark that Garnacho’s career needed
Comparisons to other overhead kicks are inevitable. There is Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s freakish 30-yard overhead kick against England (although “The Lion” would not take kindly to being compared to humans!) as well as one of the more underrated ones from another ex-United player, Dimitar Berbatov, who doomed Liverpool with a bicycle kick that was a part of a hat-trick in 2010. In 2012, Philippe Mexes struck a beauty in UCL football for AC Milan against Anderlecht, while Olivier Giroud showcased his extraordinary athleticism with a gem of his own for Arsenal against Crystal Palace on the first day of 2017. Real Madrid fans who adore Ronaldo’s aforementioned effort will fondly remember another one, from Gareth Bale, which came in the same season, but in the UCL final against Liverpool.
Irrespective of what you think of Garnacho’s place on this list, you cannot deny that the goal is the most potent reminder till date of the Argentine starboy’s rising stock in the game. After impressing in bits and pieces for United, Goodison and the goal may well be what launches Garnacho towards superstardom, creating another icon on the United wings. Now when have we seen that before!
Sourojit Ghosh is a fourth year PhD candidate in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. His academic research focuses on studying human-centeredness in social recommender systems and designing such systems. Outside of his research, Sourojit writes poetry and short thrillers, and is an ardent fan of cricket and football.
