Tricks

10 Of The Greatest Nutmeg Reactions Ever

Nutmegs — alongside cross-field rakers, back heels and an inordinate amount of step-overs — constitute one of the greatest forms of artistry in our beautiful game. The act of the nutmeg is equal parts illusion and imagination; it transcends the simple reality of moving the ball from Point A to Point B and replaces it with something sublime. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, a nutmeg tells us of beautiful, untrue things. (After all, a nutmeg is rarely ever a decisive moment.)

Messi Produces 90 Minutes Of Pure Magic, Including 50th Free Kick Of Career

Even by Lionel Messi’s ridiculous standards, the Barcelona captain’s 90 minutes against Valladolid at the Camp Nou on Tuesday constitute something outrageous. After the two clubs exchanged heavily deflected efforts in the opening 15 minutes, Messi sprang into action with a beautiful assist, stunning free kick (and two brutal nutmegs) to put Barcelona up 3-1 at halftime. In the second half, he scored another goal and added another assist to lift Barça to the top of the LaLiga table.

Brazil’s Lucão Leaves Russia GK Feeling Depressed After Incredible Half-Volley

We’re a little over a month away from the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Asunción, Paraguay, but the defending champion has just delivered a timely reminder of its mastery of the sand. The World Beach Games wrapped up yesterday in Doha, Qatar, and it was Brazil that captured the men’s beach soccer title following a 9-3 victory over Russia in the gold medal match.

The Man They Call Harry Potter Turns 36 Today; Never Was A Nickname More Deserved

Today marks the 36th birthday of Trivela King Ricardo Quaresma. Am I using the date as an excuse to watch Quaresma highlights before subsequently sharing them with you? Absolutely.

I believe that no player represents the gulf between professional footballers and amateurs better than the Portuguese wizard.

Liverpool’s Use Of The Backheel Proves Too Much For Pulisic-Less Chelsea

Maybe Jürgen Klopp saw something on film, but I doubt it. I think Liverpool simply exploited the almighty power of the backheel on a whimsy, as is befitting of the European champions. Klopp’s prematch team talk probably went something like this (sung to the tune of Men at Work):   

We can backheel if we want to, we can leave England behind

Cause Man United don’t backheel and Chelsea don’t backheel

And they’re no friends of mine

Two Guys Rage Quit In Brazil After Getting Diced On An Incredible Goal

Last night in Porto Alegre, Athletico Paranaense captured the 2019 Copa do Brasil with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Paolo Guerrero’s Internacional. After winning the first leg 1-0 in Curitiba, Athletico-PR captured its first-ever Copa by seeing things through at Inter’s home stadium.

If You’ve Never Seen A Game-Winning Rabona Before, Now’s Your Chance

If I asked you to name the current leading scorer in Euro 2020 qualifying, who would you go with? Harry Kane? Cristiano Ronaldo? Kane is joint-second with six goals and Ronaldo has five to his name, so those aren’t bad guesses, but it's actually Israel’s Eran Zahavi. 

The 32-year-old Zahavi isn’t exactly a household name — at least outside of Israel and China. The only time he's spent playing outside those two countries was a brief spell with Palermo, where he scored only two goals in 23 Serie A appearances. 

Portugal Wins Euro Beach Soccer League To Unify Every Major European Title

With a 4-2 victory over Russia on Sunday, Portugal captured a record sixth Euro Beach Soccer League championship. Incredibly, Europe’s 16th most-populated country has now unified all four male UEFA titles after winning Euro 2016, the 2018-19 Nations League, UEFA Futsal Euro 2018 and now the beach soccer crown. 

This Dude Is Crazy. He Wears A Cristiano Ronaldo Half-And-Half Jersey

What you’re about to witness is the rise of Wipeout’s chosen one. God made one mistake when creating this man, and that was forgetting to put two Big Red Balls at the end of his legs.  

Look at the balance, the little scooty motions and the flips! It’s easy to see why it’s a viral sensation. 

18-Yard Overhead Kick Is Unlike Any You’ve Ever Seen Before

We roughly know what to expect when encountering an overhead kick. We've become desensitized thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

What makes this banger from Flamengo’s Giorgian De Arrascaeta so wonderful is that it largely disrupts those notions on its way to a higher, more transcendent form of bicycle. 

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