Known as the beautiful game, football brings endless joy to the millions of fans and followers around the globe.
Great saves, big tackles, tactical competence and great goals are all that make the sport so great.
But there’s something else, something a little different that is more of the game now than it ever has been: tricks.
Tricks are often used to a player’s advantage, helping him get past an opponent in order to further his team’s progression up the pitch. They’re also used to humiliate the opposition or for sheer entertainment purposes.
Whatever way a trick is intended to be used, they certainly add a little spice to the game.
So, with that in mind, here are 10 great football tricks and the players who invented them:
The Cruyff Turn: Johan Cruyff
The Cruyff turn is one of the most famous and one of the most evasive tricks in football.
Though the Dutch hero undoubtedly performed it countless times beforehand, it was first witnessed by the masses during the 1974 World Cup in Germany.
Cruyff, one of the most talented players the game has ever seen, faked to pass the ball before dragging the ball in the opposite direction and heading into the penalty area—leaving the Swedish defender utterly baffled.
See Also: 5 Football Matches With The Most Goals Scored In History
The Flip-Flap: Rivelino
Also known as “the akka” or “the elastico,” Brazilian Rivelino first executed the trick during the 1970 World Cup.
Often done using the player’s stronger foot, the ball is moved one way—as if meaning to go past the opposition in that direction—before being whipped back, using the inside of the foot.
Ronaldinho perfected it after bursting onto the scene, and it has since been used by countless other players.
See Also: These Are The 10 Most Successful Clubs In The World
Seal Dribble: Kerlon
Undoubtedly one of the most irritating tricks—if you’re a defender, that is—Kerlon’s “seal dribble” is something of a rarity.
The Brazilian often flicks the ball up in the air and opts to run with it, bouncing it on his head as he passes opposition players.
As the video shows, not everybody is a fan of it…
See Also: 5 Footballers You Probably Didn’t Know Were Born Into Wealthy Families
The Back-Heel: Juan Carlos Lorenzo
“The back-heel” is one of the more simple tricks in football, but if used correctly, it can be one of the best.
Simply put, when wanting to play a pass or a shot in the opposite direction from where a player is facing, “the back-heel” is the most effective method of doing just that.
It is believed that Real Madrid forward Alfredo di Stefano was one of the first to execute it, after notching one of his four goals in a match against Atletico Madrid back in 1955.
La Cuauhteminha: Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Rarely ever seen and used by predominantly by one man, “La Cuauhteminha” is used by Mexican football Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
Often when facing two defenders, Blanco would hold the ball between both feet and hop through the air, carrying the ball past his opponents.
Though not always successful, the move is highly entertaining and could leave a number of defenders embarrassed when executed properly.
See Also: Here Are 8 Footballers Who Became Successful In Other Fields After Retiring From Football
The Panenka: Antonin Panenka
One of the cockiest or most skilful ways of beating a goalkeeper from the penalty spot, “the Panenka” sees a player nonchalantly chip the ball down the centre of the goal whilst the goalkeeper dives either one way or the other.
As reported on FIFA’s official website, “the Panenka” first came about in the final of the 1976 European Championships.
Antonin Panenka stepped up with a chance to score the winning penalty for Czechoslovakia against Germany. Facing German custodian Sepp Maier, Panenka simply lofted the ball down the centre of the goal and past the keeper.
See Also: Here Are 7 Of The World’s Most Decorated Footballers Of All Time
The Rabona: Ricardo Infante
Though it’s difficult to identify exactly who used this trick first, it is believed that the first “rabona” was performed by Ricardo Infante in a game between Estudiantes and Rosario in 1948.
The term “rabona” came about because an Argentine football magazine, El Grafico, displayed a picture of Infante performing the trick with the caption “Infante played hooky”—”rabona” in Spanish meaning to play hooky or to skip school.
See Also: These Are The Top 10 Highest Scoring Defenders Of All Time
The Marseille Roulette: Diego Maradona
Also known as “the 360” and “the Gringo,” this move was made famous by Diego Maradona.
Whilst running at the opposition, “the Marseille roulette” is executed by using one foot to stand on the ball, spinning over it in order to shield it away from the opponent and then using the other foot to drag it away from him.
Whilst Maradona was the man to introduce this to the world, this video shows Zinedine Zidane executing it in the best possible way.
See Also: We Bet Y’all Didn’t Know These Footballers Wear Contact Lenses During Games
The Ronaldo Chop: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is full of skills and tricks and is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever grace the game—his recent exploits in Portugal’s astonishing 3-2 win over Sweden, in which he scored a hat-trick, are proof of that.
One of Ronaldo’s favourite and most successful tricks is “the Ronaldo chop.”
When facing a player from the opposition, the Juventus man often attacks at pace, using the inside of either foot to move the ball inside the standing leg and at such an angle that it takes him in a different direction.
See Also: 11 Footballers With Weird And Long Names
The Puskas ‘V’ Move: Ferenc Puskas
Ferenc Puskas was a Hungarian forward who played for Spanish giants Real Madrid, amongst others, and his goalscoring record put him up there with the best.
Puskas’ famous trick came in 1953 when playing for Hungary. The forward receives the ball on the edge of the six-yard box and, instead of shooting, opts to drag the ball back—fooling the sliding defender—and move in a different direction in one fluid movement.
source: Bleacher Report
If you have a story you want to share with Kuulpeeps and the world, please send us an email to [email protected]
