Erik Lamela’s first-half Rabona finish for Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal will undoubtedly be a serious contender for goal of the season.
The Argentinian provided a moment of magic that will surely be replayed over and over again for a long while to come.
The goal gave Spurs the lead in the North London Derby and whilst they would go on to lose the game 2-1, Lamela provided a reminder of the sheer amount of talent he possesses. He did follow up his genius by getting himself sent off, but we’ll let that slide for the sake of this.
Inspired by his finish, we’ve decided to delve into the archives and find five of the best rabona-style goals ever scored in football. Which one is the best?
Erik Lamela (Tottenham vs. Asteras, 2014)
Who better to start off with than Lamela himself?
The Argentinian has history for scoring Rabona goals, having done so against Greek side Asteras Tripolis in the Europa League in 2014.
It was a blinding piece of skill that saw Lamela cross his left foot around his standing leg and find the corner perfectly. Superb.
Jonathan Calleri (Boca Juniors vs. Quilmes, 2015)
Jonathan Calleri is likely best known to fans in England for an unsuccessful loan spell with West Ham during the 2016/17 season.
He appeared 19 times for the Hammers, scoring once.
The Argentinian was far more potent in front of goal at Boca Juniors, however. On one particular occasion, Calleri found himself bearing in on goal before his cutback to a team-mate was blocked by the defender.
When the ball deflected back into his path, the forward had to make a quick decision. He took on the Rabona, chipping the ball over the ‘keeper in style. A great finish.
Sean Geddes (Worcester City vs. Barrow, 2014)
Worcester City’s Sean Geddes was already riding on the crest of a football wave when his side hosted Barrow in the FA Trophy in 2014.
The forward had scored twice as his side knocked out League One Coventry at the Ricoh Arena earlier that season.
Here, he wrote himself into further folklore by chopping inside and producing a stunning Rabona strike over the goalkeeper’s head. Look out for the reaction of his team-mates.
Eran Zahavi (Guangzhou R&F vs. Tianjin Quanjian, 2019)
If you are ranking this list based on the importance of each goal, this one from Eran Zahavi in the Chinese Super League probably comes out on top.
His 89th-minute strike gave Guangzhou R&F a 2-1 victory over Tianjin Quanjian.
The mercurial forward received the ball with his back to goal, before swiftly turning and finding the top corner with a Rabona in just two touches. Unbelievable technique.
Mario Jardel (FC Porto vs. Juventude Evora, 1998)
Deep in the annuls of footballing Rabonas is this goal from FC Porto striker Mario Jardel.
One of the best strikers in the world at the turn of the century, Jardel was in fact the top scorer in Europe’s top leagues in the 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2001/02 seasons.
The season before, the Brazilian made history in Portugal’s Taca de Portugal competition. Jardel scored seven goals in one half against Juventude Evora, including a stunning Rabona which saw him flick the ball up and beat three men before steering the ball beyond the goalkeeper.
Check out the goal from 1:50 in the clip above.
Porto won the game 9-1, and went on to lift the trophy at the end of the season.
Featured Image Credit: Getty