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.
