World Football: The Top 25 Goal Montages on YouTube

Of all the myriad delights that are to be found on the Internet, few can draw you in as completely as YouTube.

It is all too easy to go to the revolutionary video sharing site to watch one clip or to listen to one song, and all of a sudden you snap out of a trance and two hours or more have gone by.

No wonder Google paid an unprecedented $1.65 billion in 2006 to acquire it. With annual revenue predicted to pass £1 billion next year, it looks a pretty shrewd investment.

Arguably no subject within the vast memory banks of YouTube sucks in the viewer like that of goals. Here are some of the best goal compilations that it has to offer.

1. Goalkeeper Fails

The Internet can bring out the masochist in all of us, and so montages of footballing misfortune are no exception.

No position on the pitch sees as much poor luck fall upon it as that of goalkeeper, and here is a healthy dollop of 50 such bloopers from the men between the sticks.

Extra points for the choice of music—albeit oddly looped—which is Moanin' by Charles Mingus

2. Own Goals

Another hefty dose of schadenfreude can always be found with the own goals of players from teams other than your own.

This clip begins with your standard selection of bullet headers from defenders into their own net, but evolves through a whole range of far more spectacular efforts before culminating in one that just has to be seen to be believed.

3. Penalties

They may all start the same, with a dead ball placed 12 yards from the goal, but from there the choice is yours.

There is no better place to open such a compilation than with Antonin Panenka's seminal "falling leaf" penalty which won Czechoslovakia the 1976 European Championship against the mighty West Germany.

There are several other imitations of this technique to follow, including Zinedine Zidane's in the 2006 World Cup final, but it's worth pursuing to the end after watching a handful of spot-kicks that the editor deemed worthy more for their importance than their artistic merit. 

4. Free-Kicks

Quite simply, this is a collection of 20 first-class free-kick strikes. All different types are here—curlers, fizzers, dippers and unadulterated piledrivers.

While this may not be the definitive top 20, it is hard to quibble with any of the choices made here, and the No. 1 is still the same choice as almost anyone would have made. 

5. Solo Goals

These are 10 truly breathtaking efforts, most of which you will have seen but perhaps the odd one will have escaped you.

There are plenty of star names—Pele, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic—though which goal is the best is very much open to debate.

Points should be docked for the choice of music though. Could they not have just used Survivor's original?

6. Long-Rangers

Ah, this is more like it: the original Final Countdown by Europe.

Oh, the goals. Right, well here is an exhaustive though unrated compilation of various free-kicks, half-volleys and rockets from all kinds of ranges which players have no right to score from. 

On another day they would have been castigated by their teammates rather than mobbed by them.

7. Lobs

An astounding collection of chips, dinks and lifts here, and a surprising first entry so far for Ronaldinho.

The Brazil great opens proceedings nicely here, and there are two jaw-dropping efforts from Maradona too.

As for the No. 1...Arsenal fans may be pleased to know that it is not Eric Cantona's against Sunderland.

8. Handballs

Perhaps inspired by Thierry Henry's shameless effort against Ireland which led to France winning their World Cup playoff back in 2009, Spanish national broadcaster TVE rounded up four more examples of goals clearly scored by the hand.

Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi, Raul and some chap called Maradona all feature here, but somehow having such crimes exposed fails to dent their reputations in quite the same way as Henry's was irreparably tarnished.

9. Volleys

There are, of course, thousands of volleyed goals to choose from, but this top 10 swiped straight from the BBC focuses purely on those scored at World Cups.

There are two bonus features here: 1) two classic pieces of commentary from David Coleman ("One-nil!") and John Motson ("Chipped in...and volleyed in!") and 2) Michael Owen's goals against Argentina tacked on to the end.

10. Headers

One of the more "rough and ready" videos in this rundown, nevertheless it manages to blend some stunning headers with those that actually won trophies.

Just don't complain here over the ropey choice of music or the heavy Spain/Barcelona bias.

11. Pele

While the oft-repeated adage that Pele was a great scorer of goals but not a scorer of great goals may be true, his abilities and achievements as a striker are second to none. 

This top 20 from the 700 or so scored by the Brazil legend may not be the most immediately impressive selection. However, it helps give an all-around view of just how many different types of finishes the only man ever to win three World Cups was so adept at, making it essential viewing.

12. Maradona

Now here is one man who was undeniably a scorer of great goals.

All of El Diez's most famous and iconic goals are included in yet another exemplary compilation from our Italian friends, but there are also plenty of other gems rarely seen by the casual viewer.

All of this adds weight to the argument that while Pele was the greatest striker that ever lived, Maradona was the greatest footballer.

13. Cristiano Ronaldo

Bringing things back up to date now is one-half of the present day's greatest rivalry. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has only been at Real Madrid for a little more than two full seasons, but already the Portuguese superstar has scored in excess of 100 goals for Los Merengues.

In addition to his trademark rampages in from the channels, there are several headers and free-kicks which also draw plenty of admiration.

14. Lionel Messi

Messi may only get 20 to Ronaldo's 25 here, but once you have drunk in all of the dazzling vision, skill and pace that have gone into these goals from the Barcelona and Argentina forward, even the most ardent Messi lover will understand.

Rarely has there been a truer illustration of the expression "quality, not quantity."

15. Ronaldo

Forget Cristiano though: In the eyes of most football fans there will only ever be one Ronaldo.

The striker is the second-highest goal scorer for Brazil, behind Pele, and also has netted more goals at World Cup finals than any other player ever.

This compilation is a nice reminder of just what a devastating striker he was before injuries and his lifestyle finally caught up with him.

16. Gabriel Batistuta

From one outrageously talented South American striker to another, "Batigol" for years terrorised defences the length and breadth of Italy on a weekly basis as he notched up an obscene 402 goals in 603 professional appearances for club and country.

The Argentina international's glory years were at Fiorentina, so it is no surprise that most of these predatory strikes come in the distinctive purple strip of La Viola.

In case you were wondering, that is a good thing.

17. Wayne Rooney

Not quite as prolific as any of the aforementioned names, Rooney certainly knows how to find the back of the net all the same.

The Manchester United and England striker often plays from a much deeper position than that of a proper centre-forward, and as a result has scored more than his fair share of stunning screamers.

18. Sinisa Mihajlovic

Say what you want about the free-kicks of Beckham or Ronaldo, neither were ever able to strike a dead ball with such consistent pace, power and precision as Mihajlovic.

The Serbian defender made his name slamming in a record number of free-kicks in Serie A during spells at Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio and Inter Milan, while all the time playing nominally as a centre-back. 

Despite his incredible record he is not exactly the most popular of people, especially now he is a manager, and so the Imperial March theme to this video seems rather apt.

19. Paul Scholes

Another great player who now has sadly had to hang up his boots, Scholes was never one to score a tap-in.

The 35 or so goals in this nine-minute burst only add to the school of thought that the Manchester United midfielder was not fully appreciated during his peak, and it was only when his powers began to wane that many realised how special a player he was.

20. World Cup 2010

The general consensus among football fans seems to be that last year's World Cup was rubbish.

A quick viewing of this compilation of some of the best goals in South Africa will do plenty to make people reappraise that. 

21. Brazil in 1982

Of course, the standard for World Cups had been set rather high at previous tournaments, most notably in Spain in 1982.

The Brazil team featuring Zico, Socrates, Eder and Falcao is widely regarded as the best not to win the tournament. Here is why.

22. Overhead Kicks

After the high standards set by that Brazilian team of almost 30 years ago, it's time to bring out the big guns.

They don't come much bigger than this sensational collection of overhead kicks. When even the most average effort looks impressive, some of these goals are simply mind-blowing.

23. Goal-Scoring Goalkeepers

Let's face it: There are few simpler and more satisfying pleasures in life than seeing a goalkeeper come up the field for a last-minute corner. 

It could all end in tears, with the set piece being cleared quickly by the opposition, allowing them a free pot shot at your own goal with no one there to protect it.

But, sometimes...

24. Lucky Goals

We have had own goals, and we have had some of the more outlandish circumstances in which goals can be scored, but here are a few which are almost undefinable...

...other than the say that the scorers of them were pretty fortunate.

25. Goals, Goals, Goals

Ultimately, the joy of trawling YouTube is the sheer volume of glorious goals you are rewarded with.

While understanding the names, teams and context may more often than not be what makes a goal great, sometimes it's nice just to watch a slickly edited montage of one incredible strike after another.

While the title of the "best goals ever" may be a little off the mark, this is a highly enjoyable video that should round off this little journey nicely.