Is This The Greatest Goalkeeper Assist Of All Time?

Goalkeeper assists are an extremely rare commodity. In fact, in the history of the Premier League, goalkeepers have registered less than 60 assists in total. While keepers can play wonderful roles in the buildup to goals (see Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen), it’s uncommon to see a goal scored directly after the goalie relinquishes possession.   

When they do occur, they’re usually the result of a simple lump towards the opposition’s box. There’s nothing fancy or technical about it, it’s route one football. 

But how about this from Yokohama F. Marinos keeper Hiroki Iikura? Iikura purposefully slices this drop kick right into the path of Portuguese forward Hugo Vieira. Vieira then makes the assist possible by curling in his effort from an impossible angle. What’s even better is that this goal transpired in the 120th minute of Yokohama’s Emperor’s Cup match against Sanfrecce, thus avoiding a dreaded penalty shootout and sending Yokohama into the quarterfinals.

This is a legendary goalkeeper assist.