50 best soccer skills
He’s been so omnipresent this year, mind, that it’s almost a surprise Jorginho wasn’t present for all three (we’d love to see him bake a showstopper). They won gold in the men’s 100 metres in Tokyo, scooped the Eurovision gong and even the winner of the Great British Bake-Off was Italian.
2021’s PFA Player's Player Of The Year is as good as ever – and one of the best midfielders in Premier League history, for good effect, too. This season has been stop-start again but a recent man of the match display in a 7-0 win against Leeds proves that you can’t keep him down for long. He began 2021 with a goal and assist performance against Chelsea, scored vital goals in each knockout round of the Champions League up to the final and would have starred for Belgium in the Euros, were it not for injury – as a sublime goal and assist against Denmark in the group showed. We thought we’d seen it all from De Bruyne when Guardiola moulded this cross-happy, attacking midfielder into a central midfielder – but this year, De Bruyne’s moved up front and torn everyone in Europe apart all over again. He’s officially in his prime – and 2021 has showcased why he’s now in the bracket of Lampards, Gerrards, Vieiras and Beckhams as one of the Premier League’s all-timers. Kevin De Bruyne is 30 now, despite his youthful demeanour and apt likeness with a Home Alone namesake. He turns 37 in February – and who says he won’t do all of this all over again? 9. The only possible gripe you could have with Ronaldo on the pitch? He made this kind of year the norm years ago. 2021 was the return of the king for Manchester United fans, as Ronaldo coronated himself with two home goals against Newcastle and noise that Old Trafford has barely heard before, while last-minute winners throughout United’s Champions League group stage prove he’s still got that clutch gene. Notching 800 top-level career goals by December.Īnd for those who say that CR7 is all about the pure numbers and nothing else, the stats merely scrape the surface of the adrenaline he’s pumped this year. Overtaking Iker Casillas as the player with the most appearances in the Champions League. Becoming the all-time top-scorer at the Euros – and all-time international goalscorer in men’s football. Winning the Capocannoniere award in Serie A, becoming the first footballer to finish as top scorer in the English, Spanish and Italian leagues.
Some say that Cristiano Ronaldo has had a bad year – so here’s what a bad year looks like when you’re Cristiano Ronaldo. They’ve just as deserving of the trophy as one another, too. As henchmen on either side of Ciro Immobile, Insigne and Chiesa were both responsible for match-winning moments at the Euros and helped bring the title back to Italy. Yet both were as captivating as one another at Euro 2020. Insigne coaxes his way through defences, while Chiesa bursts through. He looks absolutely furious at any given moment. Such is the expected artistry of a Napoli winger, after all – while Chiesa is all bustle, brutishness and bottled anger. Pint-sized Insigne is now 30 and the experience is showing he’s composed, toys with defenders like prey and when he cuts inside, it’s measured and meticulous. They’re both sharp, quick and seemingly able to finish from any angle.īut there’s plenty to separate the Azzurri zippers, too. The pair flanked Roberto Mancini’s Italy side at Euro 2020 and took turns to swoop into the box, cut in and devastate. On paper, Fede Chiesa and Lorenzo Insigne are two sides of the same coin.