Best Football Goals of the 21st Century
The most spectacular goals scored since 2000, ranked by skill, difficulty, and sheer audacity. Zlatan Ibrahimović appears four times — his 30-yard bicycle kick against England (2012) might be the greatest goal ever scored in an international friendly. Zidane's Champions League final volley (2002) is technically perfect.
Messi dominates the list with multiple entries: the Boateng destruction (2015), the Copa del Rey solo run against Bilbao, and the last-minute Bernabéu winner. Ronaldinho's free kick that lobbed David Seaman (2002) changed how people thought about dead-ball situations.
The list includes goals from outside the top leagues too — Faiz Subri's impossible free kick (2016) from the Malaysian league and Riley McGree's scorpion kick prove great goals happen everywhere. Vote for the goals that made you rewind the replay.
Zlatan's 30-Yard Bicycle Kick (2012)
The Flying Dutch Man (2014)
Ankara Messi (2007)
Kaka's Solo Goal vs. Man United (2007)
Ronaldinho's Free Kick vs. England (2002)
Zlatan's Solo Goal with Untied Shoelaces for Ajax (2004)
Rafael Van Der Vaart's Back Heel Goal (2003)
Ronaldinho's Overhead Goal vs. Villarreal (2006)
Patrik Schick's Super Strike (2021)
Bergkamp's Pirouette Goal vs. Newcastle (2002)
Ronaldo's Bicycle Kick vs. Juventus (2018)
Neymar's Solo Goal vs. Flamengo (2011)
Faiz Subri's Free Kick (2016)
Ronaldinho's Toe Poke vs. Chelsea (2005)
Riley McGree's Scorpion Kick (2018)
David Luiz's Free Kick vs. Colombia (2014)
Messi's Solo Goal vs. Bilbao in Copa Del Rey (2015)
Cristiano Ronaldo's Knuckleball vs. Portsmouth (2008)
Forlan's Goal vs. Germany (2010)
Gareth Bale's Copa Del Rey Winner (2014)
Rivaldo's Bicycle Kick vs. Valencia (2001)
Son Heung-Min's Solo Goal vs. Burnley (2020)
Zidane's Volley vs. Leverkusen (2002)
Tim Cahill's Picture-Perfect Volley (2014)
Zlatan's 500th Goal (2018)
Andres Vasquez's Rabona Goal (2007)
Jack Wilshere's Team Goal vs Norwich (2014)
James Rodriguez's Goal vs. Japan (2014)
Zlatan's Back Heel Volley vs. Italy (2004)
Ronaldinho's Overhead Kick vs. Osasuna (2004)
Messi Destroys Boateng (2015)
CR7's Header vs. Sampdoria (2019)
Messi vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina (2014)
Messi's Last Minute Goal in Bernabeu (2017)
Rooney's Bicycle Kick vs. Man City (2011)
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