The 20 Most Embarrassing Misses in World Football History

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A comedy howler has always been a feature of football all fans love to chuckle about and gorge over, unless of course the blunder occurs for your team.

In past years, when a player performed an outrageous miss on a football field, he would only have to deal with a few irate local supporters and a bit of ribbing from his teammates.

However, as football has evolved, cameras now pervade matches in the most remote of climates, meaning outrageous gaffes can now be consumed by football fans all over the globe. 

With velvet playing surfaces, advanced training facilities and escalating wages in the game, it becomes increasingly unforgivable for players to commit such blunders.

Therefore, when they do, it becomes all the more amusing.

Cristiano Ronaldo

We start with one of the greatest players in the current era missing from a yard. Ronaldo proves how even the very best are capable of producing some of the worst misses.

Rocky Baptiste

From the upper echelons of football to the lower tiers, Rocky Baptiste provides us with one of the most searched for misses in football history.

Keep watching until the end of the video for a glimpse of what the striker is capable of. Has a player ever stooped so low, only to then reach such heights in the same game?

Fahad Khalfan

Fahad Khalfan has risen to prominence in football for all the wrong reasons.

This epic miss has it all, including some inspiring goalkeeping(!) 

Diego Forlan

Looking back, the Diego Forlan that played for Manchester United was surely an impostor. He cannot be the same player that has achieved such impressive feats both in La Liga and on the international stage?

This memorable miss for United is ably backed up by some severe, disapproving commentary. 

Kanu

Here, Kanu managed to achieve an almost impossible miss for new West Brom manager, Bryan Robson. Robson's disbelief on the sideline is almost as amusing as the miss.

Ilija Sivonjic

Sivonjic produces some sublime defensive skills in all the wrong areas.

Not only does he somehow miss from an inch, but he surely robs his teammate of a stylish finish. 

Jakub Blaszczykowski

Borussia Dortmund dissect their opposition in this clip with some crisp touches before Blaszczykowski, a Polish international with over 40 caps, inexplicably lofts the simplest of finishes over the bar.

The miss has yet to affect his career, as he has now progressed on to become skipper of his country.  

Ronnie Rosenthal

Whenever you Google a player and the first word following a player's name is the word "miss," you know you are going to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Rosenthal is a pioneer of this category whose decent career is generally forgotten for this trend setting miss. 

Noah Hickey

Noah Hickey deserves more flak than most on this list. After rounding the keeper, his attempt at a bizarre showboat ends in tears.

He desperately attempts to make amends by setting up a teammate who, thankfully for us, skies his shot over the bar. 

Peter Van Vossen

Van Vossen commits the ultimate sin in Scotland, erring in an Old Firm derby. Unselfishly slipped a pass, charged with the task of breaching an empty net, the Dutch international fails spectacularly. 

Kei Kamara

Kei Kamara grabbed the headlines in America for this miss. An error different from the others, as the ball does cross the line. However, how Kamara ends up in his final position is hilarious.

What makes it more peculiar is his defiance that he is innocent. He mopes around, bewildered that the goal is not awarded, despite teammates placing their hands on their heads in despair. 

Ryan Giggs

Such are the accolades that continually pour in for Giggs, it is hard to recall this sensational miss.

Another on this list where fans cannot fathom why their player would not just tap it in to an unguarded net.

Chris Iwelumo

Another who has yet to achieve enough in his career to replace this miss, meaning it may well be what he ends up being remembered for when he hangs up his boots.

Iwelumo managed this miss on his Scottish debut and admitted to sitting, watching his error countless times before his wife went and deleted it. 

Jon Dahl Tomasson

Even Tomasson seems to find this howler amusing. With the goal gaping, the Danish forward manages a clearance few defenders could ever achieve. 

Steve Bruce

Bruce is the only defender to make this list. An excuse for some, but Bruce was prolific for Manchester United. He finished the 1991 season with 19 goals, a tally many strikers struggle to reach.

Almost as entertaining as the miss is Bruce's despairing jump after his shot.

Yakubu

What makes Yakubu's miss worse is how consequently, Nigeria were then eliminated from the 2010 World Cup.

Despite converting a penalty moments later, many fans attribute Nigeria's exit on the Everton forward's shoulders, roundly booing him during a subsequent appearance in Nigeria.

Anderson Fredrick

Taken from the lower leagues of Venezuela, Fredrick produces one of the best misses on this list.

For so many of these players, faced with an open goal, why is tapping the ball home never good enough(!)

Steve Stone

Steve Stone is considered a legend by many at Nottingham Forest. Sadly for him, this miss represents what many other fans remember him most for in a Forest shirt.

Enrique Vera

Here, another gem from South America, this time from Paraguay.

Enrique Vera seems to have done it all, surely he can't miss from there?

Veria FC

To finish, a superb team effort. Whatever you do, do not pause this video without reaching the end. You may well initially think the first miss is not worthy of this list, but keep on watching.

Also, crank the volume up. The repeated pain sounded from the terraces enhances the viewing further.

 

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