7 Greatest Bicycle Kick Goals in History After Yoane Wissa's Strike vs Chelsea, Ronaldo Included

Football has, over time, proven to be a game of great skill and composure and as far as aesthetic goals go, scoring with a bicycle kick is perhaps the greatest way one can net a goal.

Also known as the overhead or the scissors kick, it usually sees a player strike the ball mid-air with his back turned towards the goal.

Suspending oneself in air and connecting with the ball at an opportune time to strike it sweetly to the back of the net is an art, not many players can reproduce.

There have been a couple of beautiful such goals over the course of time, with some embedded in the minds of football diehards due to the nature of how they were scored.

Sports Brief takes a trip down memory lane to remember the best bicycle kick goals after Alejandro Garnacho's masterclass against Everton on November 26. Brentford's Yoane Wissa scored another beauty on March 2, 2024, to put his side ahead against Chelsea.

7 greatest bicycle kick goals in football history

1. Wayne Rooney vs Manchester City (2011)

Name a more iconic goal in the history of the English Premier League - we will wait.

That Wayne Rooney was one of the most talented and raw players ever to grace the EPL goes without saying and how better to prove this by scoring an overhead kick during a Manchester derby?

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2. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Juventus (2018)

Love him or hate him, Cristiano Ronaldo is among the greatest players ever to kick a ball. His achievements precede him, from the goals to the trophies to individual awards.

Speaking of goals, of the many he has scored, only a few rival the overhead kick he scored against one of the most decorated goalkeepers ever - Gianluigi Buffon - during a UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash in 2018.

3. Gareth Bale vs Liverpool (2018)

It is one thing to score an overhead kick in a 'normal' game, but to do so in a UCL final is simply crazy.

Luckily for neutrals and Real Madrid fans, Gareth Bale was often 'mad' enough to attempt the most ludicrous goal during their third consecutive Champions League final.

The result - a soothing effort to put the game beyond the reach of Jurgen Klopp's men.

4. Oscarine Masuluke vs Orlando Pirates (2016)

Leave alone Bale's moment of wonder; how often do you hear of a goalkeeper scoring, or better yet, a goalkeeper scoring with a bicycle kick?

Oscarine Masuluke, a goalkeeper for South African club, Baroka, etched his name in the annals of history when he showed his great agility to thump in a goal in stoppage time using the athletic technique.

So good was his goal that it made the final shortlist for the Puskas Award that year.

5. Philip Mexes vs Anderlecht (2012)

Mexes' effort against Anderlecht in 2012 was almost as beautiful as Masuluke's, given that not many defenders score using this insane tactic.

What's more, the AC Milan defender powered in his effort from outside the box after chesting the ball beautifully before sending it towards goal.

6. Andy Caroll vs Crystal Palace (2017)

A player of Andy Caroll's size and physique to suspend himself in the air and connect with the ball perfectly to score an amazing bicycle kick will always have a pleasing effect.

Then at West Ham United, the English striker watched the ball all the way before deciding, 'You know what? Today might be a good day to try the impossible'. Wayne Hennessey stood no chance.

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs England (2012)

A list of technical goals is never complete without the lanky Ibrahimovic featuring in it. His came from 30 yards out after Joe Hart came way off his line to make a clearance.

The poor attempt at clearing the ball fell to the Swedish former striker, who unleashed a bicycle kick from downtown to send the stadium into a frenzy - with his fourth goal of the night.

Greatest scorpion goals in history

The ability of a player to defy gravity to strike the ball with their heel sounds crazy on paper, yet the result is always pleasing to watch. Sports Brief reported on some of the greatest scorpion kick goals in history.

West Ham United's Pablo Fornals scored an improvised scorpion kick for his side's fourth goal against Bournemouth on April 23 in what was a satisfying afternoon for the Hammers, allaying their relegation fears.