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Where do iconic football moves originate from?

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We have heard and seen iconic goals that have been scored in football over the years, but where do they get their name from?

Some are straightforward, named after the football player who first scored the goal or performed the move.

Others are named after the shape of the technique or the context in which the move was performed.

It can be difficult to pinpoint who in history coined these phrases as reporting was inconsistent in the early 1900s and there is a lack of digitalisation of the history.

Panenka

Achraf Hakimi scoring a panenka penalty against Spain for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup
The Panenka penalty kick was named after Antonin Panenka [Getty Images]

A Panenka is a bold penalty‑kick style in which the player softly lofts the ball down the middle of the goal, banking on the goalkeeper diving early to either side.

It was named after Antonin Panenka, the player who famously chipped his penalty down the middle to win the 1976 European Championship for Czechoslovakia.

His technique, watched by many during the Euros final, brought in a wider audience and a new way to take a penalty kick was born.

The penalty kick type has been used countless times over the years by the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi.

Panenka said his technique "was the easiest and simplest way of scoring a goal".

Scorpion kick

Dominic Solanke scoring a goal with a scorpion kick for Tottenham against Manchester City
The scorpion kick was popularised by goalkeeper Rene Higuita [Getty Images]

A scorpion kick is a technique where a player leans or dives forward and flicks their heels up behind them to hit a ball coming from above or behind, making their body look like a scorpion's tail.

The goal is scored by a player who flicks their leg up to reach the ball behind them, kicking the ball into the goal.

It was popularised by former goalkeeper Rene Higuita, who famously saved a shot with a scorpion kick during a friendly match between Colombia and England at Wembley in 1995.

Cambridge Daily News journalist, Charlie Wyett, used the term in his match report of the game.

Bicycle kick

Scotland's Scott McTominay scores a bicycle kick goal against Denmark
A bicycle kick is also known as an overhead or scissor kick [Getty Images]

Also known as an overhead or scissor kick, the bicycle kick is a technique that relies on both acrobatic skill and precision.

The technique involves a player launching their body backwards, like a backflip, facing away from the goal.

They will lift their non-kicking foot first followed by the other, in a cycling motion.

Their foot will connect with the ball while they are still in the air and their hands are used to absorb the impact of when their body hits the grass.

It gets its name from the motion that mimics someone cycling a bicycle.

It is believed that players in Chile and Peru were the first to perform bicycle kicks in the early 1910s. It is called "chilena", meaning Chilean, in some nations.

It is also thought that English journalists and reporters coined the term bicycle kick in the 1930s.

Rabona

Tottenham's Erik Lamela scoring a rabona goal against Arsenal
The Spanish translation for Rabona means to play truant or skip school [Getty Images]

The rabona is performed by a player moving their dominant leg behind their standing leg to kick the ball.

It can be a difficult trick to perform but when successfully done, it can show off a player's ability.

The move was popularised by Italian footballer Giovanni Roccotelli in the 1970s.

However, it is believed that the move originated in 1948 from Argentine Ricardo Infante, who scored using the technique from 35 yards out for Estudiantes.

The Oxford English dictionary coined the term as "an unorthodox way of kicking a ball" and it translates from Spanish as 'playing truant' or 'skipping school'.

It stems from Argentine magazine, El Grafico, publishing an image of Infante in his school uniform, with the caption: "the child who played truant".

Olimpico

Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United
Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes scored an Olimpico goal in the Premier League this season [Getty Images]

Olmpico is a rare goal where a player scores directly from a corner without any other player getting a touch on the ball.

The term comes from the first recorded goal of its kind, scored by Cesareo Onzari in 1924 for Argentina against Uruguay.

Because Uruguay were the current reigning Olympic champions, the goal was described as 'Gol Olimpico' by watching journalists.

Prior to Onzari's strike, goals scored in this manner had come under question under the game's laws, but they have been permitted since.

A total of 21 Olimpicos have been scored in the Premier League to date.

Cruyff turn

Dutch midfielder Johann Cruyff dribbles past Argentinian goalkeeper Daniel Carnevali
The Cruyff turn was named after Dutch player Johan Cruyff [Getty Images]

This one is not necessarily a goal, but the Cruyff turn is a dribble move.

Journalists named the move after Dutch icon Johan Cruyff, who famously was recorded performing the dribble against Sweden at the 1974 World Cup.

Although it was named after Cruyff, it is difficult to pinpoint when in football history the dribble was first created.

It is a dummy move set to deceive your opponent.

It involves a player drawing back their foot as if to shoot or pass the ball, but instead they move the ball back with the inside of their foot.

As this is done, they will also turn and dribble in the opposite direction, opening up space on the pitch.

Maradona turn

Zinedine Zidane of France skips the tackle of Andriy Vorobyey of Ukraine during the International Friendly match between France v Ukraine
Zinedine Zindane made the move his own in the 1990s and 2000s [Getty Images]

The Maradona turn is another dribble move, that is also known as the Marseille turn or Zidane turn.

A player pirouettes over the ball, spinning around while shielding and moving away from their opponent.

It was popularised and named after Argentina's football icon Diego Maradona by the media, but it is believed that France striker Yves Mariot was the first to perform the trick in the 1970s – hence where Marseille turn comes from.

Compatriot Zinedine Zidane was also renowned for his use and so the move is also named after him by the football media.

Zidane himself called the move "la roulette", for its 360 spin.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

More questions answered…

  • What is an ‘Olimpico’ goal in football?
  • What happens during a football medical?
  • Why do teams have a ‘bomb squad’?

Original Article

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