Top 10 Best Football Goals of the Decade 2010-2020

There is no doubt that football is an art with simple rules that allow players to create a variety of tricks, skills, passes, and shots.

To catch sight of the players’ skills and cooperation in every corner of the field evokes an unbelievable aesthetic experience. However, what epitomizes the genuine art of football is scoring goals.

The delight of watching the ball as it crosses the line is inexplicable as if one is witnessing the unfolding of a sublime masterpiece.

In a blink of an eye, millions of people jump out of their seats, their entire body shivering from excitement. The moment may pass us by, but the memory lasts.

The potential for novelty has seen the popularity of the beautiful game grow with unabated vigor.

Millions of unique goals have been scored so far, the best of which scored over a decade have been reviewed in the following list:

The goals have been scored in different ways, through a skillful dribble past several defenders before scoring, an overhead kick, a powerful one-touch volley, a special trick, flick, or back-heel, a beautiful team-goal involving many passes, a perfectly executed free kick, a powerful long-range shot, etc.

10. Mario Balotelli (A.C. Milan vs Bologna, February 2014)

, born 12 August 1990, is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for

club

and the Italy national team.

One of the best goals of the decade was for Balotelli who picked the ball up from over 35 yards out and hit a rocket into the top corner.

The late goal which came with five minutes remaining was an astonishing strike to seal Clarence Seedorf’s men the three points of the match in a narrow win.

The shot was too powerful for

goalkeeper

to stop as he watched the ball go past him.

You might also like: 

9. Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur F.C. vs Arsenal, April 2010)

In a game that

had to win to keep the hope of qualifying for the Champions League, the brilliant volley from the left-back

against north London rivals

changed everything. The goal came on Rose's debut for Spurs in 2010.

It took the 19-year-old left-back 10 minutes to rifle a thunderous volley and score the goal of the season in his league debut. As a result of

the best goal of the decade

, Tottenham won the North London Derby 2-1 that day.

Nine minutes in and Tottenham won a corner. The ball was swept in and punched clear by Manuel Almunia, only into the path of Rose. The left-back connectd sweetly with the dropping ball and launched a thunderous volley from 30-yards out that beat Almunia all-ends-up.

There was disbelief even from Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. Rose was now in the history of this famous fixture.

Tottenham won 2-1 for their first league success against Arsenal since November 1999 and they finished in the Premier League’s top four.

8. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal vs Norwich City, October 2013)

Arsenal went to the top of the

with a comfortable 4-1 win over

at Emirates Stadium.

BBC Goal of the Season was scored through 5 alacritous one-touch passes and a final touch by

.

Wilshere scored a stunning goal to give Arsenal the lead after 18 minutes. The Englishman started the move with his tenacity. But the culminating one-touch interplay with Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud was a sheer delight.

It was arguably the best goal of the decade to grace Emirates Stadium since it opened in August 2006.

, Arsenal’s midfielder, eloquently described the strike as a “playing PlayStation” goal.

You might also like:

7. Papiss Cissé (Newcastle United VS Chelsea, April 2012)

Papiss Cisse strikes stunned

and on 9 minutes, he gave his side the lead. If his first goal was good, his second one was among

the best goals of the decade

.

The game was into the 10 minutes of stoppage time for an injury to Cheick Tiote when a throw-in from the left was touched on to Cisse by Shola Ameobi.

Cisse caught Cech out with an outrageous curling attempt from the corner of the box that dipped and looped into the top corner to seal the points.

“I never knew it would fly like that, though. You hope, but this kind of goal can happen only one time in your career. You need luck on your side, and the belief that you can score just to try from there. Strikers have to have that confidence. They have to improvise in a second. I’m not saying I’m one of the best, but all the big strikers – Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba – know you have to improvise. I’m happy to have this (ability).”

It is worth mentioning that Cisse's goal tally helped the talented

side finish fifth in the Premier League in 2012.

6. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid vs Liverpool, May 2018)

In 2018,

scored an overhead kick for

against

which was called one of the best goals of the decade by many fans.

Entering the 2018

Final as a substitute in the 6th minute, the Welshman scored

one of the most amazing UCL final goals

by a bicycle kick and helped Real Madrid to a fourth Champions League triumph.

Bale delivered an incredible kick to leave Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius without a chance. He put Real Madrid up once more 2-1.

Many compared Bale’s goal to the one scored by his teammate Ronaldo earlier in that year's competition and Zidane's strike in 2002.

During the same match, Bale scored another goal to give Real Madrid their third Champions League triumph.

You might also like:

5. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United vs Manchester City, February 2011)

Described as the best goal of the decade,

’s stunning bicycle kick goal in the 78th minute earned the

a critical 2-1 victory against their rivals

.

The Manchester derby contest was at Old Trafford on February 12, 2011. Rooney’s goal came in the 78th minute of the game, and was a spectacular overhead kick from the player, described as his best and most vital goal for Man United.

Rooney called the goal "the best I have ever scored." The goal was nominated as the best goal in the past 20 years of the Premier League.

4. Robin van Persie (Netherlands vs Spain, June 2014)

No one has ever scored a goal like Robin van Persie’s on a similar stage, the opening group phase match of the World Cup.

A diving header from van Persie fulfilled the archaic yearning of every human to fly, leaving the world champions in awe as they suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat.

Flying Dutchman was played just onside and flung his entire body in one dolphin-like motion at the ball, blasting it into the goal from inside the penalty box to begin the scoring for the Netherlands in the team’s 5-1 romp over Spain.

The decisive scoreline for Holland in a replay of the 2010 final was the worst defeat for a defending champion in the history of the World Cup, but what will be most remembered in this game was Van Persie’s stunning goal.

You might also like:

3. Lionel Messi (Barcelona vs Real Madrid, April 2011)

An unimaginable solo run and finish from

brought Los Blancos to their knees in the 212th El Clasico derby and paved the way for

’s 4th UCL title a month later at Wembley Stadium in London.

Messi has named his favorite ever game as a highlight from that very season: the 2-0 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals.

Despite Barcelona's tiki-taka playing style, Messi suddenly decided that he didn't need any of his teammates and started a stunning mazy run that only last-minute tackles, at best, could bring to an end.

The Argentine genius scored a sensational goal after passing four Madrid players and sending the ball beyond

.

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden vs England, November 2012)

With only 12 minutes remaining of a friendly against Sweden in Stockholm, England were 2-1 up.

Then, ‘The Lion’ launched an absurd scissor-kick volley from 35 yards out to prove he can make “humans” remember even the everyday friendly matches of football.

, who played for

, scored three goals in the last 12 minutes, bringing his tally for the game to four after he opened the scoring.

It's the last of the four goals that will be most remembered, a sensational, absurd, extraordinary scissor-kick volley

<span style="font-family:times new roman,serif">

as Sweden marked the opening of their new stadium with victory over England.

It was a wondrous strike that combined magnificent technique with unerring accuracy, drawing applause from each and every spectator.

Ibrahimovic said, "When he headed it I had it in my mind to try to score. I hit it in mid-air and, when I landed, saw their defender [Ryan Shawcross] running back to try to clear but it bounced over him. It was a good try, that is all. When it comes off it looks fantastic but, for me, I liked the first goal more because it was history: the first in the new arena."

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid vs Juventus, April 2018)

The swift overhead kick of

left

, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, stunned and assisted Los Blancos on their way to win the UEFA Champions League for the 13th time.

In the 64th minute, going away from goal, Ronaldo leaped into the air to meet a cross from

and put enough power on the shot to leave Juventus goalkeeper helpless and to make it 2-0.

For a brief moment, there was stunned silence. It felt as if nobody could comprehend what they had witnessed. Then the applause broke out. It came from all sides of the stadium. The Juventus supporters rose to their feet to applaud the football genius and being a rival did not matter at the moment.

Some people believe that Ronaldo is inferior to Lionel Messi, and unfortunately their careers are always compared by the magic of them existing at the same time.

Rather than people being grateful for the luck of having the two in the same generation, comparisons are usually made in order to denigrate one or the other. Maybe it’s time to stop searching for comparisons between the two greatest footballers on Earth.

Read More:

Follow

 for