This past weekend, we saw one of the all-time great goals not just in the Premier League but arguably in the history of the beautiful game full-stop, leaving football fans debating where Alejandro Garancho’s worldie ranks among the best overhead kicks of all time.
For anyone who somehow missed the goal of the season — and yes, barring truly extraordinary circumstances, the competition is almost certainly over — the Man United starlet proved exactly why Reds are so excited about him, scoring just his first league goal of the year in mind-blowing fashion.
Erik ten Hag‘s side went on to win the game 3-0 despite Everton staying in the game and creating a lot of chances throughout, but such a scoreline could never have been achieved were it not for the 19-year-old’s truly remarkable strike.
Less than three minutes into the game, a whipped cross from Diogo Dalot saw the young Argentine leap and wrap his foot around the fast-paced ball to place what will probably go down as the greatest finish of his career into the far right corner. Incredible.
It doesn’t matter who you support, you can’t help but get chills witnessing moments like that.
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As Gary Neville and Roy Keane said on the night, the acrobatic leap was like “nothing else” and the best they’ve ever seen, with Chris Sutton insisting it is without a doubt “the greatest overhead kick of all time”, but naturally fans can’t but weigh it up against similar screamers from the past.
While it was undoubtedly a bigger goal, being the winner in a Manchester derby, Keane said in the post-match on Sunday that Garnacho‘s technique was more impressive and “cleaner” than its predecessor — not the first time Rooney’s finish has been dubbed ‘the greatest shin-roller of all time’.
Wayne Rooney, 12th February 2011 Alejandro Garnacho, 26th November 2023
Two acrobatic efforts written into the list of all-time great Premier League goals 💫 pic.twitter.com/dnEDI18oZl
And, obviously, the next great contemporary Garnacho’s wondergoal was compared against is Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead kick for Real Madrid in the 2017/18 Champions League quarter-finals against Juventus.
The fact that the current United man emulated his sporting hero by copying the former club legend’s well-known ‘Siu!’ celebration definitely helped put CR7‘s incredible leap from five years ago in mind, but for many Garnacho’s is now their favourite of the two.
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Once again, undoubtedly a bigger goal than one of three in any old league game at Goodison Park and still unreal technique, but the fact that Garnacho’s was further out and he had to stray back a few yards before jumping also seems to be a factor.
It’s also worth reminding that Ronaldo pulled his off at the age of 33. Who do you reckon did it better?
Throwback to Ronaldo’s overhead kick against Juventus😮💨🔥
— FootballingGods • Football • Fútbol • Soccer (@footballinggod5) November 26, 2023
Speaking of belters scored by former Real Madrid players and Premier League legends, while there are obviously several more strikes of a similar fashion that have been scored down the years, the final spot in the ‘overhead kicks top four’ is Gareth Bale’s stunner in the Champions League final.
Blasted home in the same season as his Madrid teammate, goals don’t come much bigger than an overhead kick in a UCL final and we still think about this one regularly and how weird it is that it was scored by a man who wholeheartedly admits that he prefers golf to football.
This one seems to be the real sticking point on social media as not only is it the bigger and better goal purely based on the nature of the game it came in but because the technique and distance were also similarly impressive from Wales’ greatest-ever player.
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While some are arguing that the build-up sequence that led to Garnacho’s overhead kick was better than Bale’s, we really can’t pick a favourite at this point and this is only from a handful of the most immediate examples that come to mind.
Garnacho’s Overhead kick was unreal right, but imagine doing it in a UCL Final..
What’s your verdict: where does Alejandro Garnacho’s overhead kick rank compared to the best overhead kicks of all time?
One thing we won’t hear any argument on is that it was comfortably one of the greatest goals we’ve ever seen in Premier League history.
Let us know of any other miraculous overhead kicks we missed, especially if you think they trump the ones on this admittedly shortlist.
To be fair, it’s often forgotten but this one from Philippe Mexès — a centre-back, no less — is definitely in the top five, we just can’t quite decide where.
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📅 OTD in 2012…
Philippe Mexès scored one of the most incredible bicycle kicks the Champions League has ever seen 😳👏
The 2026 World Breaking Finals of the UK B-Boy Championships are coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s official: the UK B-Boy Championships are returning to Manchester this year for the 2026 World Breaking Finals, in what is a special anniversary for the annual tournament.
Celebrating three decades since the inaugural event this summer, the UK B-Boy Champs will once again remind fans why they still remain among the gold standard for competitive breakdancing.
With elite breakers and dance battlers from more than 20 different countries in attendance – and plenty of contestants from each, at that – it’s going to be a real global showcase of talent.
Returning to Manchester once again, we can’t wait to see breakdancing take over the Factory International concourse and wider campus.
Anyone in the world will know that the city also hosted another big European equivalent back in 2022 on behalf of the 2022 World DanceSport Federation, but the UK B-Boy Championships have a passionate following of their own.
This also happens to be the 30th anniversary of the event, so it’s a momentous occasion on many levels.
With live music from not only classic artists and legendary MCs, but artists for the future too, there’ll be plenty of tunes and impressive moves from start to finish.
Coming to Aviva Studios this summer, they’ve billed it quite short and sweet: “The sickest breakers on the planet will battle in a once-in-a-generation celebration of Hip-Hop culture.”
They’re promising “High-stakes rivalries. Gravity-defying moves”, and “Unforgettable performances”, adding, “This isn’t just another battle – this is the Champs legacy in motion.”
Credit: Supplied
The World Breaking Finals get underway in Manchester on 16 August at Aviva Studios, and it’s all set up to be arguably the biggest yet.
General admission went on sale this past Friday, 13 March, with adult tickets starting from only £20 and kids from just a tenner.
As we mentioned before, this isn’t the only big sporting date coming to Manchester this year, with the likes of the British basketball’s annual Cup Finals concluding at AO Arena and another big Super League set to for a grandstand finish at our other big indoor entertainment venue…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Get the Affects Communications)
Sport
The Premier League and EFL should follow La Liga’s lead and bring Retro Matchdays to the UK
Danny Jones
Following the news that La Liga is set to debut a new ‘Retro Matchday’ round, we can’t help but ask the question: why didn’t the Premier League and EFL think of this first?
Well, technically, neither did the Spaniards, but you take our point.
Anyone who follows the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or even the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) equivalent here in the UK and mainland Europe, will know that the concept is nothing new – but by and large, it seems to be for the beautiful game.
In case you missed it, in an effort to further capitalise on the increasing trend of vintage and classic football kit fashion/the wider nostalgia culture that only seems to be growing every year, Spain’s top two tiers will soon host their inaugural Retro Matchday gameweek next month, and we want a piece of it.
Set to be hosted from Friday, 10 April, over the usual weekend of football in their premier and second division, and running until the final lot of fixtures on Monday, 13 April (no, thankfully not an April Fool’s), supporters will get to see players step out onto the pitch in some of the country’s most iconic kits.
Depending on who you ask, some would argue that Spain has some of the nicest footy shirts all time, whether that be the national side or clubs themselves.
To be honest, we definitely have a soft spot for a proper European throwback – we’re thinking Borussia Dortmund’s 1995/96 home kit, the Napoli kits of the 80s, that amazing Toyota-sponsored Fila Fiorentina kit at the turn of the millennium – and even some of the best 2000s ones now look so old-school.
In fact, we actually had a taster of these kinds of special matches in the past, including here in 0161 for the likes of the Manchester Derby.
Reminds me of the Manchester derby in 2008 where they played in retro kits due to it coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. Looked absolutely brilliant. pic.twitter.com/TLRjKHThbG
When you also take into account that, besides collectors already creating a whole new craze in filling their cupboards with classic kits, the likes of Nike, Adidas and more now regularly turning to old designs like the ‘Futura’, Total 90′ and various ‘adi Originals’ revivals of late, it’s more the rage than ever.
Birmingham’s recent ‘penguin’ remake, Port Vale’s traditional 150th anniversary one, based on their 1953-54 season jersey, not to mention countless other lifestyle fashion collections inspired by historic releases, you can’t move for the stuff – so why not get them wearing it on the grass?
As mentioned, the likes of local ice hockey outfit Manchester Storm have been taking a leaf out of the NHL’s book for ages now, with the annual ‘Retro Nights’ proving to be some of the most popular dates on the calendar, even selling off original shirts in the stadium itself before, during and after the match.
We genuinely can’t think of a single football lover following a team at any level in the English football pyramid that wouldn’t LOVE this. In fact, plenty of them already go to the ground wearing their dad’s second-hand away strip, which has turned out to be a modern cult favourite among the next generation.
These are the kinds of ideas we can see fans actually getting behind; you can find out more HERE. Would you like to see a retro Premier League and/or EFL match day featuring your favourite kits from down the years?
Danny Jones -
27th November 2023 
