Nothing is more immortalising for a player than a great goal in a major international tournament.
Diego Maradona is revered internationally for the ‘goal of the century’ scored against England in 1986. The same can be said about Pele and his strike against Sweden in 1958. Or Marco van Basten’s volley in 1988. Or James Rodriguez’s stunner in 2014. Even Antonin Panenka’s penalty at Euro ’76.
This summer, every player at Copa America will be looking for a similar moment when they can write their names in the history books forever. With that in mind, The Athletic has assessed what we feel are the 10 greatest goals scored in South America’s premier continental tournament, giving them a rating out of 20, divided equally into four criteria — individual element, team element, originality, and magnitude.
Have a look and then vote for which goal you think is best, and do comment below.
Now, over to Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Ronaldinho…
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Individual brilliance: 5
An overhead kick is football’s most glamorous display of ingenuity. What unites Wayne Rooney’s goal in the Manchester derby, Gareth Bale’s stunner for Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, and Luis Diaz’s effort against Brazil is that they’re making the best out of an imperfect cross.
Juan Cuadrado’s delivery from the right wing was slightly behind Diaz’s run, who was attacking the box from the left. Realising the ball would drop behind his path, the Colombia attacker positioned himself slightly further ahead for an acrobatic effort with his right foot. It was brilliant and almost entirely individual.
Team element: 2
While Cuadrado’s cross was slightly behind his path, it’s what an overhead kick needs. Had it been placed on the money, Diaz might have headed it and never been on this list.
Originality: 4
We’ve seen plenty of overhead kicks before. What we rarely see, however, is the Shaolin Soccer-esque backflip that Diaz delivered. It came complete with a one-move roll to get back on his feet, too, which would not have looked out of place in a WWE ring.
Magnitude: 2
This goal was the game’s opener, which is worth a point. It was also against Brazil, the tournament’s defending champions, which is worth another. Unfortunately, they lost 2-1.
Total: 13
Individual brilliance: 3
It feels wrong to give Messi anything less than five in this category, but this is not the genius we know today. This is a younger and less refined version, so we can be forgiven for asking, ‘Was this actually a tad fortunate?’
Team element: 3
The lead-up to this goal was effective but not beautiful. After receiving a pass from Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti whips a 30-yard pass into Carlos Tevez, who does well to bring it under his control. He then sets the ball up for Messi, who does the rest.
Originality: 2
The most unique feature of this goal is the position from which he shot, catching the goalkeeper off guard with a looping effort from an acute angle near the corner of the 18-yard box.
Magnitude: 4
A goal in the semi-final is a big deal regardless of the result, but this helped Argentina to a 3-0 win, setting up a tie against old foes Brazil in the final. On this occasion, though, Messi loses out on full marks as it was not the winning goal, nor did Argentina win the tournament. Still, for his first senior international tournament as a consistent starter, it is rather impressive.
Total: 12
Humberto Suazo, Chile vs Brazil, 2007
Individual brilliance: 5
When Suazo receives the ball 20 yards from goal with Brazil’s Maicon breathing down his neck and two other defenders surrounding him, your average striker would put their body between the defender and the ball and look to lay it off. Suazo is not your average striker.
In one fell swoop, the Chile No 9 turned, tapped the ball through the legs of a touch-tight Maicon and composed himself before delicately lifting the ball over Julio Cesar from the edge of the box.
For this moment of elegance, despite three defenders snapping at his heels, Suazo earns top marks.
Team element: 4
This was also an excellent team move. Former Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez starts it off from the right wing, where he passes to Manuel Iturra in central midfield. Iturra receives on the half-turn and plays a quick give-and-go before breezing past Mineiro in Brazil’s midfield and passing to Suazo. From there, Suazo adds the icing on the cake.
Originality: 5
There’s nothing particularly otherworldly about a turn, a nutmeg and a chip but merged into one move, it’s like poetry in motion. Suazo, who has scored more than 250 league goals across a career spanning more than two decades, will never have put the ball in the back of the net quite as elegantly as this. Perhaps nobody ever has.
Magnitude: 1
When placed into context, it is easier to understand how Suazo stayed so composed. At the time of his goal, Chile were down 6-0 to Brazil in the quarter-final. The magnitude of the goal will not take away from its genius, but it doesn’t add to its greatness.
Total: 15
Ronaldinho, Brazil vs Venezuela, 1999
Individual brilliance: 4
Today, Ronaldinho is one of the most celebrated and adored ex-football players in the world. In 1999, however, he was a 19-year-old prospect barely known outside of Brazil. This was the first time his genius was demonstrated on the international stage.
For this goal, Ronaldinho received an awkward, bouncing pass from Cafu on the 18-yard box, with a defender closing in. In one move, he controls the pass on his thigh and directs it towards his right foot before lifting the ball over the oncoming defender. He runs past his man and knocks the ball past a defender closing in from his right, before firing a shot past the Venezuela goalkeeper.
The defending is not great, and the shot is helped by some poor goalkeeping. For that reason, it just misses out on full marks.
Team element: 2
Ronaldinho does the heavy lifting on this one, but Cafu was awarded the assist.
Originality: 4
Essentially, he hits the ball over a defender who is closing the space and then knocks it past another who is attempting a tackle before smashing a shot beyond the goalkeeper. Yet, the positioning of Ronaldinho when he receives the ball — closer to the corner of the box than the goal itself — is particularly unique.
Magnitude: 2
When Ronaldinho produced this moment of magic, Brazil were already 4-0 up. Ronaldo was on target twice, as was Marcio Amoroso, and Rivaldo scored the final goal as they beat Venezuela 7-0. Purely due to his later accomplishments marking this finish as the start of a long and legendary career, this goal escapes the bottom score.
Total: 12
Lorgio Alvarez, Bolivia vs Peru, 2004
Individual brilliance: 4
This has everything you want from a wonder goal. Initially, the desire to chase a ball that looked destined to go out of play is admirable, but what he does when he gets it warrants a place on this list. With Peru goalkeeper Oscar Ibanez closing in, Alvarez, playing left-back, notices the ‘keeper in hot pursuit and nutmegs him on the turn.
From an acute angle, there is one place Alvarez can put the ball if he is to beat the Peru defender on the line. He whips a shot in the gap between the defender and the near post on his right foot, evading the diving attempt on the line to keep it out. It was the only goal he ever scored for Bolivia in 45 appearances.
Team element: 3
To begin the attack, Alvarez intercepted an aerial ball from the left-back position and passed it to forward Joaquin Botero with his first touch. Alvarez then charges down the line while Botero passed it inside to Limberg Gutierrez, who overhit a pass down the line. Through sheer pace and power, Alvarez gets to the ball ahead of the ‘keeper, and the rest is history.
Originality: 3
Five years earlier, Arsenal’s Nwankwo Kanu did something similar against Chelsea for his hat-trick goal. The finish, also curled into the near post with his right foot, is similar to this by Alvarez.
Magnitude: 2
Having put Bolivia 2-0 up against Peru in their capital city, Lima, this goal appeared to set his side away on a historic victory in the opening game of the 2004 Copa America. Unfortunately, Bolivia collapsed in the second half, and Peru came back to draw 2-2, setting them on the path toward qualification. Bolivia exited the tournament at the group stage, failing to collect a point from their next two matches.
Total: 12
Jesus Corona, Mexico vs Venezuela, 2016
Individual brilliance: 5
The biggest compliment you can give this goal is that it makes you think of Messi.
‘Tecatito’, as he is known in Mexico, picks up the ball on the left wing and dribbles inside and past his marker. As he advances towards the box, he weaves in and out between three Venezuela defenders to reach the penalty spot before taking a crucial touch out of his feet (and out of tackling distance from the defenders) followed by a powerful, low shot beyond Dani Hernandez in goal.
After falling to the ground, he pops up and screams out in relief with his team-mates in front of the Mexican crowd. To steal Corona beer’s tagline, this goal was ‘Miles Away From The Ordinary’.
Team element: 2
The goal was pure Tecatito magic, but the celebration was a team effort. For that reason, it escapes the bottom score.
Originality: 2
The problem with being Messi-like is that Messi has done it before. Whether it’s against Valencia in 2010, Eibar in 2017, or Athletic Bilbao in 2013 or 2015, Messi could make a compilation of these kinds of goals. That someone other than Messi produced this moment of magic is worth noting, but it is a goal you have seen before and will see again.
Magnitude: 3
At 1-0 down in front of 67,319 fans at Houston’s NRG Stadium, Mexico needed a moment of magic with 10 minutes remaining. Corona’s goal put his side back on level terms, with the match finishing 1-1 — enough for Mexico to finish top of Group C. In the quarter-final, Chile hammered Mexico 7-0, and Corona was substituted in the 60th minute. It felt big, but led to one of the most embarrassing defeats in the nation’s history.
Total: 12
Sergio Aguero, Argentina vs Bolivia, 2011
Individual brilliance: 4
Having stepped back to create space from Gonzalo Higuain, Aguero was setting himself up for magic. With the ball coming down from his strike partner’s touch, Aguero bounced from the tip of his toes into a swivel, using the power generated in the slight jump to volley the ball as his body was on the way up. The finish, flying into the top corner of Carlos Erwin Arias’ goal, was outstanding.
Team element: 4
Aside from the excellent finish, it’s Higuain’s intelligence and understanding of Aguero’s tendencies that sets this goal apart. With space to his right, Higuain could have been selfish and knocked the floated ball down for himself to shoot. Instead, he assisted Aguero with a cushioned pass that opened up a goalscoring opportunity.
Originality: 3
A volley across the body is not the most unique or spectacular technique on the list, but Higuain’s chested assist takes it to another level. As does the goalkeeper, stationed a few yards from his line, who is helpless to prevent the shot from soaring into the top corner despite his attempt at a flying save.
Magnitude: 3
In the first game of a home tournament in Argentina, the pressure on the hosts is always going to be high, but after going 1-0 down to underdogs Bolivia, the pressure cooker was knocked up a few notches.
For Aguero to deliver a world-class finish after Bolivia had effectively shut Messi and Argentina out of the game is an example of his big-game credentials. Argentina would go on to draw 1-1 and progress through the group stage before going out at the quarter-finals to Uruguay.
Total: 14
Jhasmani Campos, Bolivia vs Chile, 2016
Individual brilliance: 5
Based on technique and aesthetics, this has a case for being the greatest free kick ever. With Bolivia chasing an equaliser against Chile, Campos was brought on from the bench to deliver a moment of magic from a set piece.
Thirty yards from the goal and at an awkward angle, Campos approached the free kick side-on before wrapping his left foot around the ball. With pace and spin, it curled around the wall and the far post before sharply swerving towards the top corner, leaving former Barcelona and Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo helpless.
Team element: 1
There’s nothing anyone else can do but stand and watch.
Originality: 4
There have been free kicks that have dipped like this and ones that have curled in a similar way, but the combination, as well as the distance, is what makes this goal special.
Magnitude: 2
While this drew his side back on level terms, Bolivia lost the match 2-1 in the 10th minute of stoppage time due to an Arturo Vidal penalty. It was one of two goals they scored all tournament as they finished bottom of their group with zero points.
Total: 12
Alex, Brazil vs Mexico, 1999
Individual brilliance: 4
Having received the ball 30 yards from goal, it was clear there was only one thing on Alex’s mind. The midfielder took a touch out of his feet to set it onto his left foot and delivered a thunderbolt towards the Mexico goal, which Jorge Campos got nowhere near. It is the purest, most unstoppable strike on the list.
Team element: 2
Like Ronaldinho’s goal from the same tournament, an assist was recorded but it was almost entirely individual.
Originality: 2
Throughout his eight-year period at Fenerbahce, Alex made a name for himself for scoring these type of goals. Such a name, in fact, that he now has a statue at Yogurtcu Park in Istanbul.
Magnitude: 3
This turned out to be the winning goal in a Group B clash, with Mexico later pulling one back to finish 2-1. Brazil ran out comfortable group winners, collecting nine points from three games and later won the tournament, with Mexico finishing third.
Total: 12
Individual brilliance: 5
Having received the ball facing away from goal, Cueva’s options on the edge of the box were limited. Paolo Guerrero was following the pass he played from the left wing, but the five Ecuador defenders in between prevented that passing option. Alejandro Hohberg was closer, but Cueva had other ideas.
The attacker received the ball on the half-turn, knocked it from his left foot to his right and nutmegged the defender in close pursuit, whose collapse to the floor is reminiscent of Jerome Boateng’s after Messi tangled him up in the 2015 Champions League semi-final. Cueva remained composed and slid his shot past Alexander Dominguez in the Ecuador net to put Peru up 1-0 inside five minutes.
Team element: 2
Guerrero gets the assist for this one, but it’s all Cueva’s magic.
Originality: 5
We have seen wingers attempt moves like this near a touchline, but rarely, if ever, is an attacker daring enough to do it on the edge of the box. It is vaguely similar to Yoann Gourcuff’s effort for Bordeaux against Paris Saint-Germain in 2009, but the way Cueva’s marker collapses to the ground with his legs tangled is what makes it.
Magnitude: 3
After putting Peru ahead in the fifth minute, Edison Flores extended their lead eight minutes later. Ecuador pulled it back in the second half, with the game finishing 2-2 — but Peru would have the last laugh, finishing top of Group B.
Ecuador finished second ahead of Brazil, who crashed out of the tournament at the group stage for the first time since 1993. Peru and Ecuador lost at the quarter-final stage, losing to Colombia and the United States.
Total: 15
My winners?
Cueva and Suazo.
Agree? Disagree? Vote on the poll and comment below…
(Top photos: Richard Rad and Pedro Vilela via Getty Images; design: John Bradford)
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