Top 10: Best Soccer Goals of the Decade (00s)

Soccer is a game of anticipation. When a goal is scored it is like a lightening of adrenaline coursing up and down our spines. There have been some spectacular goals in during the decade of 2000, and with that in mind we present you with The Best Soccer Goals of the Decade!

#10. Paul Scholes, MANCHESTER UNITED vs. Bradford, 25 March 2000

Cleanly connecting with a football as it comes across the body is immensely difficult, yet Scholes manages it with ease after a David Beckham’s corner kick finds him lurking on the edge of the penalty area. The result is an incredible, textbook goal that left Badford wondering how you can defend artistry like this?

#9. Lionel Messi, BARCELONA vs. Getafe, 18 April 2007

Lionel Messi has shown incredible ball control and imaginative promise since his debut in 2004. Messi did nothing to dispel this evaluation with this goal against Getafe in 2007. Messi was still a teenager and this has left many to wonder just how much better he is going to get.

#8. Edinaldo Batista Grafite, WOLFSBURG vs. Bayern Munich, 5 April 2009

It seems like every man in the Bayern defense get’s a shot at stopping Grafite from scoring but no one manages to. To add injury to insult he scores on a nonchalant little heal kick that more or less flicked the nose of the opponents.

#7. Ronaldinho, BARCELONA vs. Chelsea, 8 March 2005

With virtually no leverage and a turn around one-timer Ronaldinho’s goal speaks volumes in that it was 99% placement that got him this goal. Though the fact he was 20 yards out does speak to the leg power of this phenomenal player.

#6. Rivaldo, BARCELONA vs. Valencia, 17 June 2001

In a tie game that suited Valencia just fine, the clock was ticking down. But with less than a minute to play Frank de Boer find Rivaldo to be a nice target for a chip pass. Rivaldo stops the ball with his chest and bicycle kicks it for a goal from 18 feet out. The goal was less than 6 inches inside of the left upright, leaving many to shake their heads in amazement.

#5. Dennis Bergkamp, ARSENAL vs. Newcastle United, 3 March 2002

Bergkamp remains one of the most skilled players in the game. There could be a Top 10 list specifically for his goals alone! However his goal against Newcastle United in 2002 says it all. The unbelievable flick that helps Bergkamp evade a bewildered Nikos Dabizas is strikingly inventive. Bergkamp’s artistry defies visual intelligence and if we could figure out how he does what he does, then we could live vicariously through him. As it is all we, and the defense can do, is just watch.

#4. Andrés Vasquez, GOTHENBURG vs. Orebro, 7 May 2007

Whether intentional or not (the debate raged) this behind the legs flick was not something the defense was looking for. The fact is, unless you watch this goal a few times for yourself, you might not even notice how Vasquez made the goal for yourself. To prove it was no mere fluke though, Vasquez did it twice more in the next game. No one loves a show off, unless it’s in soccer.

#3. Esteban Cambiasso, ARGENTINA vs. Serbia, 16 June 2006

Amatuer league coaches preach “pass, pass, pass.” Apparently Cambiasso’s team mates listened well when they were younger. It was the pass(es) that set up this slightly wobbly goal. But a goal in World Cup competition is still a goal, and always something special. Especially if it’s a team goal like this one.

#2. Cristiano Ronaldo, MANCHESTER UNITED vs. Porto, 15 April 2009

Receiving the ball deep in the Porto half, there seems to be little threat to the home side. Unless Ronaldo is on the other side. Ronaldo, put the ball on a frozen rope right past the goal keeper. The speed of the ball was timed at 64mph, and Ronaldo later called it the “greatest goal I have ever scored.” Considering his credentials, that’s saying something.

#1. Zinedine Zidane, REAL MADRID vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 15 May 2002

Technically, the game its self was astounding with both clubs playing on par for the importance of the match. The high crossing pass from Roberto Carlos was one of those breathtakers that is so high cricks form in the spectator’s necks. Zidane was anything but cramped as he winds up in the oddest position and fires the call into the net like a cannon.