100 GREAT GOALS: Part X - the final ten great goals for you to select from

John Harding 22-06-07

How the hell do you select the best goal/goals from the last 100 years of wonderful football? It's a tough one to call but we are asking givemefootball readers to help us name the best of the best. Here are the final ten, in no particular order and from a different era...

No.91: 2007 - Roo and Ron turn on the style

Bolton Wanderers launched a long throw from the left, deep in United's area, that was headed on by Anelka but reached Ronaldo standing on the penalty spot. He brought the ball under control with his chest, swivelled and nut-megged a Bolton player as he passed out left to Wayne Rooney before immediately accelerating forward. Rooney's instant, disguised return pass took out more or less the whole of the Bolton team and Ronaldo sped away unhindered into the Bolton half with Rooney on his left and Giggs out to the right. Approaching Bolton's area with just one defender to beat, Ronaldo slid a perfect pass to Rooney's feet leaving him with just the keeper to beat. He took one touch, waited for the keeper to dive, before dinking the ball over him into the net! From United's penalty area to the back of Bolton's net, this brilliant five-second counter-attack epitomised United's title triumph.

No.92: 1983 - Hoddle has a sting in the tail for Hornets

The ball is out on the right and Gary Brook, receiving it but surrounded by Watford defenders, simply shovels it forward to Glenn Hoddle, who is standing inside deep inside Watford's area, with a defender marking him tightly. He receives the ball to feet and with a swift shuffle, back-heels the ball inside, dummying the defender and creating a yard of space. The angle is too tight to shoot as the keeper has the near post covered, but Glenn, with a wedge shot that might have looked at home on a golf course, lifts the ball up and over not only the keeper but two Watford defenders racing back, who can only watch as the ball seems to hover in the air before falling into the far corner of the net. All this has been achieved with almost magical ball control as Hoddle has hardly moved more than a couple of feet since receiving the pass.

No.93: 1991 - Strike a light - 'Sparky' wins the Cup Winners' Cup for United

The 1991 Cup Winners' Cup final against Hughes' old club Barcelona was arguably the most memorable game of his career. He scored both United's goals in the 2-1 win, one from close range, helping in an already goalbound header from Steve Bruce and a superb second from what seemed an impossible angle. Bryan Robson, standing 15 yards inside the Barcelona half, caught their players trying to play offside and lobbed the ball over their back line. Mark ran onto the pass but keeper Busquets had raced from his goal. 'Sparky's' first touch took him past the goalkeeper but very wide of the goal. A lesser or less confident player might not have shot, but from an incredibly tight angle and with two defenders and a goalkeeper rushing to get back to the goal, Hughes unleashed a thunderbolt pile-driver that flew into the corner of the net. It was an incredible goal from the ex-Barcelona man and at 2-0, United and their fans knew another European trophy was going to the cabinet.

No.94: 1996 - A moment of pure magic from Eric Le Roi

Fed the ball from the right of defense, Cantona appeared surrounded by Sunderland players. Two quickly closed on him but he immediately faked a left turn inside, wrong-footing the first defender behind him. Facing the second defender, he then dragged the ball back, spinning to the right, turning to face the first defender again before accelerating between the two of them as they converged on him. Now free of the midfield line, and with Kanchelskis making a decoy run on the right, Cantona veered inside and played a wall-pass with Brian McClair. This took out the centre back, and McClairs return pass left Eric with another defender and the keeper to beat. On the edge of the area, with the centre back closing in, he seemed to pause momentarily before sending the most elegant of chip shots over the keeper's head, bouncing off the angle of right-hand post and cross bar and into the net. In typical Cantona style, he simply remained standing, turning slowly to survey the ground as he lifted his arms in regal salute!

No.95: 1997 - Trevor Sinclair's acrobatic volley batters Barnsley

The ball is hoisted long and deep into the Barnsley area to where Sinclair is waiting, closely marked, his back to ther goal. There have been many overhead bicycle kicks scored in League football down the years, but the way in which Sinclair launched himself at a ball dropping from such a great height made this particular strike so stunning. What's more, the distance his volley had to travel, from outside the area, at great pace over the keeper who had only just moved towards his eight yard line, and who could only watch as the ball crashed into the net, marked Sinclair's feat as unique, and a worthy BBC Goal of the Season.

No.96: 1998 - Owen leaves the Argies trailing in his wake

Having scrambled through the first phase group at France 98, England's next opponents were arch-rivals Argentina, in a match that millions of fans back home eagerly awaited. The build-up was intense with the match played in the Toulouse Stadium of Saint-Etienne, nicknamed the 'pressure-cooker' for the closeness of the stands to the pitch. Argentina led by a goal from Gabriel Batistuta but England fought back minutes later. Michael Owen forced a foul, and Shearer notched the penalty kick equaliser. With the game now finely balanced at 1-1, Michael scored a goal that had the world leaping to its feet! Latching onto a clever pass from David Beckham, he accelerated past two hapless Argentine midfielders, dribbled around defender Roberto Ayala, then beat keeper Carlos Roa, unleashing an unstoppable shot across his body and into the far corner of the goal! The greatest goal ever scored by an Englishman on the world stage? Though it wasn't enough to see England through, it established 18-year-old Owen as a world superstar.

No.97: 2001 - Captain Fantastic Becks delivers at the death

In the 1998 World Cup, David Beckham received a red card for violent conduct in England's match against Argentina. Vilified in press and on terraces, it took three years before he transformed himself from villain to hero - and it happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the next World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his teammates. When Teddy Sheringham went down under a challenge from Costas Konstantinidis 30 yards from goal, England were awarded a free kick. On five previous occasions, Beckham's usually effective free kicks had failed to truly trouble the Greek goalkeeper. He placed the ball on his favourite piece of turf for one last try - and fashioned what will go down as one of his and England's greatest-ever goals by stepping up and curling an imperious shot wide of Antonis Nikopolidis in the Greek goal! Captain Fantastic had delivered again!

No.98: 2002 - Zola the magician pulls another rabbit from the hat

Gianfranco Zola played 627 games and scored 193 goals but possibly the best goal the little ex-Chelsea striker ever scored was this one, executing a Johan Cruyff-like turn, in mid-air, whilst unleashing an audacious pin-point flick-cum-shot on goal. Graeme Le Saux whipped in a corner from the right, delivered short and low towards the near post. It was met by Zola, who'd made a run across the face of the six yard box, getting a couple of inches in front of his marker. He leapt forward, his left foot outstretched in front of him, looking like he was going to turn the ball across the face of the six-yard box. Seeing this, Norwich keeper Robert Green moved slightly to his right, fatally leaving his near post unguarded. Zola then allowed the ball to pass under his left leg and flicked it with his trailing right foot. The ball flew into the space recently covered by the keeper, squeezing between his outstretched hand and the post!

No.99: 2004 - Hamman packs a punch against Pompey

Michael Owen retrieved the ball on the Portsmouth by-line after a Liverpool attack faltered, and wheeled away from goal, glancing over his shoulder momentarily to see if a Liverpool player was making a run into the box. Spotting Hamman charging towards the Portsmouth area, Owen, now facing away from the Portsmouth goal, shovelled a long, deep cross that reached Dietmar as he arrived on the edge of the D. He is moving at top speed but, as the ball falls, he meets it perfectly on the volley with his right foot, the ball arrowing into the top corner of the Portsmouth net before the keeper can move. Perfect execution, a stunning strike, and a worthy Goal of the Season.

No.100: 2004 - Henry shows his class to deceive Deano

Patrick Vieira moved the ball forward to Thierry Henry who took two touches and passed it wide right to Dennis Bargkamp. Bergkamp threaded a ball forward through the Charlton defence to Reyes on the right hand of the Charlton box. His back was to the Charlton Athletic goal, but he took one touch before turning and slipping the ball inside to Henry who had continued a run deep into the Charlton box. Henry received the ball with his back to the goal, on the corner of the six-yard box, with defender Jonathan Fortune blocking him off. The ball bounced up slightly and Henry, unable to turn, simply back-heeled it forcefully through Fortune's legs and into the far corner of the Charlton net, utterly deceiving Dean Keily, the Charlton keeper!