Ricky Villa and 10 Amazing Solo Dribbling Goals

On May 14, it will be 34 years to the day since one of Wembley’s most iconic moments.

Back in 1981, the FA Cup final replay between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City stood level at 2-2 with 14 minutes remaining. That was when Tottenham’s Ricky Villa decided to take matters into his own hands.

One of the few foreign players operating in English football at the time, Argentina international Villa set off on a mazy run that took him first outside and then inside the City defence before he buried a low shot past goalkeeper Joe Corrigan for what proved to be the winner.

The goal immediately found a place in FA Cup, Spurs and Wembley folklore, but as these solo specials show, it is far from the only time a player has decided to go it alone.

N.B. This isn’t a definitive top 10. Feel free to mention your favourite solo goals in the comments section!

Diego Maradona, Argentina vs. England, 22 June 1986

Let’s start with one of the all-time greats of the genre: Diego Maradona’s stunning second goal against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup.

Just four minutes after his infamous Hand of God opener, Maradona received the ball in his own half, span away from two England midfielders and embarked on the most remarkable shuffling run, which took him past every Englishman who tried to challenge him before he rounded goalkeeper Peter Shilton and slotted home.

It was one of the moments that underlined Maradona’s true genius and established his name at the very head of the queue whenever the greats of the game are discussed.

Regardless of what was to come in the future, both he and football would always have this. For that, we should always be grateful.

Lionel Messi, Barcelona vs. Getafe, 18 April 2007

What is it about Argentinians and mazy runs?

Twenty-one years after Maradona wowed the world with his wonderful goal in the Estadio Azteca, a 19-year-old called Lionel Messi underlined his potential to take his compatriot’s crown with this remarkably similar goal for Barcelona against Getafe at Camp Nou.

Messi burst into the opposition half from the right side of the pitch—just like Maradona did—before leaving several opponents trailing in his wake, rounding the goalkeeper and producing a calm finish.

For a player who wasn’t even born until a year and two days after that moment of Maradona magic, this was a pretty good imitation.

Ryan Giggs, Manchester United vs. Arsenal, 14 April 1999

Whatever an Argentinian can do, a Welshman can do too.

Take out that night in Barcelona, and this is surely the first moment you think of when you cast your mind back to Manchester United’s 1999 treble of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. The semi-final of the latter competition was lit up by this wonderful goal from Ryan Giggs against Arsenal at Villa Park.

Started after he received the ball from a famously loose pass from Patrick Vieira, Giggs’ brilliantly incisive run is followed by an unerring finish, fired above David Seaman and into the back of the net, with the winger removing his shirt as he charged off in celebration.

United won the FA Cup final against Newcastle United later that season, with even greater successes to follow.

Saeed Al-Owairan, Saudi Arabia vs. Belgium, 29 June 1994

Oh I ran. And ran and ran and ran.

If you’re going to score a great solo goal, then you might as well do it at a World Cup. Saeed Al-Owairan’s moment arrived just five minutes into Saudi Arabia’s final group-stage match of USA ’94 against Belgium in Washington, D.C.

The then-26-year-old midfielder—who spent his entire club career at Al-Shabab in his homeland—was deep inside his own half when he got the ball, incredibly proceeding to run through four Belgian challenges before firing into the net.

The strike proved to be the winner, as the Saudis picked up their second win of the group stage to reach the second round, in which they lost 3-1 to an impressive Sweden team in Dallas.

George Weah, AC Milan vs. Verona, 8 September 1996

Running by far the furthest of any of our featured players here is Liberian star and 1995 Ballon d’Or winner George Weah, who somehow had the stamina to score this incredible length-of-the-pitch goal for AC Milan against Verona in Serie A in 1996.

Collecting the ball from a Verona corner, Weah literally turns defence into attack by himself, sprinting down to the other end of the field, beating every challenge that came his way before burying a low shot into the bottom corner.

This is the sort of goal you need to watch a few times to truly appreciate the staggering nature of it, and it was the finest example of the genius of Weah—one of the best forwards around in the 1990s.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ajax vs. NAC Breda, 22 August 2004

You were waiting for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to turn up, weren’t you?

He’s produced several special strikes down the years, but the super Swede’s stunning goal for Ajax against NAC Breda is next up, and it showcases all of the well-utilised arrogance that has gone in to making him the player we know and, in most cases, love today.

Ibrahimovic twists and turns his way through several challenges on the way to scoring this wonder goal in the Eredivisie for the Amsterdam giants, whom he left for Juventus just a week later.

It wasn’t a bad way to bow out.

Steve McManaman, Celtic vs. Liverpool, 30 September 1997

The great solo goal is given an even greater element of drama when it comes at a crucial point in the match, as Steve McManaman demonstrated at Celtic Park in a UEFA Cup tie in 1997.

With Liverpool losing 2-1 to Celtic in the 89th minute, McManaman got the ball on the right touchline midway inside his own half, fooled an opponent with his first touch and then hared toward the edge of the penalty area, from where he produced a composed finish with his supposedly weaker left foot.

The goal was a crucial equaliser for Liverpool and was to prove vital to the tie, which the Reds won on away goals following a goalless draw at Anfield two weeks later.

Thierry Henry, Arsenal vs. Tottenham, 16 November 2002

He’s in his absolute pomp here, so Thierry Henry is running so fast in this video that you might have to watch it a couple of times to truly appreciate just what he’s done.

This goal came in a north London derby, one of the most hotly contested matches of any Premier League season. Henry took control of the ball by picking the ball up in his own half and simply charging at a posse of panicking and retreating Tottenham players before dispatching an accurate left-footed finish into the corner.

At his best, Henry could do this sort of thing with his eyes closed. This is a strike that demosntrated just why he was the best player around in the Premier League at the time.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, Manchester United vs. Fulham, 22 March 2003

He made a career out of scoring goals from inside the penalty area, but it took a long and mazy run for Ruud van Nistelrooy to get in there for this goal against Fulham in the Premier League in March 2003.

As with many of the goals on this list, there is a moment in the centre of the pitch when Van Nistelrooy takes control of the ball and spins away from a challenge. But after that, he only has one thing in mind as he heads toward the penalty area.

Once he’s in there, the calmness of his finish shows of what he was capable when he was master of all that he surveyed at Old Trafford in the early 2000s.

Neymar, Santos vs. Flamengo, 27 July 2011

We end with a goal which is a little different to the others on this list, as Neymar—who was just 19 when he scored this—does rely on the help of a team-mate halfway through, but that doesn’t detract from the outright individual quality on show.

FIFA’s Puskas Award winner in 2011, this goal demonstrates everything that was good about the young Brazilian superstar on the way to global recognition, as his stunning pace and brilliant trickery fooled the Flamengo defence ahead of his classy outside-of-the-foot finish.

Barcelona were obviously taking note. Pretty soon, everyone else was too.