{"id":1321,"date":"2026-06-06T10:07:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T10:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/%e3%80%90%e4%b8%96%e7%95%8c%e7%9b%83%e5%b0%88%e5%8d%80%e3%80%91%e4%b8%96%e7%95%8c%e7%9b%83%e6%ad%b7%e5%8f%b2%e5%8d%81%e5%a4%a7%e9%80%b2%e7%90%83%ef%bd%9c%e9%a6%ac%e6%8b%89%e5%a4%9a%e7%b4%8d%ef%bd%9c\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T14:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T14:13:14","slug":"world-cup-zone-top-10-goals-in-world-cup-history-maradona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/world-cup-zone-top-10-goals-in-world-cup-history-maradona\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten memorable World Cup goals: skill, controversy and match context"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Updated and checked: 16 September 2026 | Historical goals review<\/p>\n

These ten goals show different sides of the men\u2019s World Cup: passing moves, individual runs, finishing and disputed decisions. This is an editorial selection in chronological order, not FIFA\u2019s all-time top ten. Carlos Alberto\u2019s finish to Brazil\u2019s 1970 team move counts once; Maradona\u2019s handball and solo run in 1986 are two different goals in the same match. This is a historical review, not ticket-buying advice for 2026.<\/p>\n

\"Original
Original Let\u2019s Canada timeline, created 16 September 2026. Ten goals in chronological order, not a FIFA ranking or match photograph. Each goal is explained in the text.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the 1970 final to the 2018 knockout stage<\/h4>\n

In the 1970 Brazil\u2013Italy final, Carlos Alberto finished a team move in the 86th minute to make the final score 4\u20131. FIFA\u2019s final retrospective<\/a> describes Clodoaldo beating defenders and a passing sequence involving several players. The reason for including it is the build-up before the finish. Listing the \u201cCarlos Alberto goal\u201d and the \u201cBrazil team goal\u201d separately would count the same event twice; several players participating does not mean all eleven touched the ball. FIFA\u2019s final-goals feature<\/a> also identifies Pel\u00e9\u2019s final pass.<\/p>\n

In Argentina\u2019s 1986 quarter-final against England, Diego Maradona used his hand to score in the 51st minute. The referee allowed the goal, remembered as the \u201cHand of God\u201d. FIFA\u2019s match retrospective<\/a> explicitly describes the handball. It is included for its historical controversy, not as an example of legal technique: a goal being awarded at the time does not mean no handball occurred.<\/p>\n

In the 55th minute of that quarter-final, Maradona carried the ball from his own half, beat goalkeeper Peter Shilton and scored. FIFA calls this the \u201cGoal of the Century\u201d<\/a>. It is separate from the handball four minutes earlier; Argentina won 2\u20131. His control, changes of direction and finish offer specific things to watch without claiming that everyone ranks it first.<\/p>\n

In Cameroon\u2019s 1990 round-of-16 game against Colombia, Roger Milla dispossessed Ren\u00e9 Higuita outside the penalty area in extra time and scored. The video label in FIFA\u2019s feature says 108 minutes<\/a>; that is the label cited here, without conflating it with Milla\u2019s other goal in the match. FIFA\u2019s tournament retrospective<\/a> confirms his brace and Cameroon\u2019s 2\u20131 win. This illustrates the opportunity created by pressing a goalkeeper in possession, not a rule that every venture out of goal is a mistake.<\/p>\n

In Saudi Arabia\u2019s 1994 Group F match against Belgium, Saeed Al-Owairan ran from his own half to score after five minutes; Saudi Arabia won 1\u20130. FIFA\u2019s feature<\/a> documents the run and result. It was a group-stage goal, not a late knockout winner. Comparing his solo run with Maradona\u2019s still requires attention to the different opponents, defensive positions and tournament stages.<\/p>\n

In England\u2019s 1998 round-of-16 match against Argentina, 18-year-old Michael Owen took David Beckham\u2019s pass and broke through to put England 2\u20131 ahead. The video in FIFA\u2019s 2026 feature<\/a> says 16 minutes; its 2020 match retrospective<\/a> lists 17. Both labels are disclosed here. The match ended 2\u20132 and Argentina won the shoot-out 4\u20133, so this spectacular goal was not an England winner.<\/p>\n

Late in the Netherlands\u2019 1998 quarter-final against Argentina, Dennis Bergkamp controlled Frank de Boer\u2019s long pass, cut past Roberto Ayala and finished with the outside of his right foot for a 2\u20131 victory. The same FIFA feature<\/a> says 89 minutes in its prose and 90 in its video label. Neither is presented here as an undisputed exact minute. The three-touch sequence is the point of interest, beyond the length of the pass.<\/p>\n

James Rodr\u00edguez opened the scoring after 28 minutes in Colombia\u2019s 2014 round-of-16 match against Uruguay, which Colombia won 2\u20130. The goal won both that World Cup\u2019s Goal of the Tournament<\/a> and the 2014 FIFA Pusk\u00e1s Award<\/a>. The Pusk\u00e1s Award began in 2009 and is distinct from a World Cup\u2019s goal-of-the-tournament vote. Winning it does not make this the only World Cup goal ever recognised by FIFA.<\/p>\n

In the 2014 Germany\u2013Argentina final, substitute Mario G\u00f6tze controlled Andr\u00e9 Sch\u00fcrrle\u2019s cross on his chest and scored in extra time to secure a 1\u20130 win. The video in FIFA\u2019s 2026 feature<\/a> says 112 minutes; its 2018 retrospective<\/a> says 113. Both official labels are shown: the supported context is a late extra-time winner. Its effect on the match differs from Owen\u2019s temporary lead in a game England ultimately lost.<\/p>\n

In France\u2019s 2018 round-of-16 game against Argentina, Benjamin Pavard scored after 57 minutes from Lucas Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s pass to make it 2\u20132; France won 4\u20133. FIFA\u2019s award record<\/a> confirms that fans voted it Goal of the Tournament. It was an equaliser, not France\u2019s final goal in the match. This distinct event completes the ten and helps separate visual appeal, award recognition and a goal\u2019s actual effect on a game.<\/p>\n

When revisiting memorable goals, consider the match situation alongside the move and result. Our reasons for selection are editorial observations; years, opponents, stages, scores and awards are grounded in the documents linked beside them. See our 1930\u20132022 champions retrospective<\/a> and World Cup 2026 review<\/a> for more context. Official video availability may vary by location and platform; we do not reproduce unlicensed footage.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ten distinct men\u2019s World Cup goals in chronological order, with match context, conflicting minute labels and a clear distinction between our selection and official awards.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lc_last_content_reviewed_at":"2026-07-20T10:00:00Z","_lc_last_fact_checked_at":"2026-07-20T10:00:00Z","_lc_fact_check_status":"verified","_lc_source_grade":"A","_lc_source_titles":"","_lc_source_publish_dates":"","_lc_source_accessed_at":"2026-09-16T14:02:24.176Z","_lc_claims_checked":"date_time: 2026-06-17 | sports_result: 2026-06 \/ \u9032\u7403 \/ Goal | superlative_record: \u552f\u4e00","_lc_claims_corrected":"Unsupported material claims removed from public display; original content retained in protected post meta; URL retained as noindex historical archive.","_lc_unresolved_claims":"","_lc_correction_note_required":"1","_lc_reviewer_notes":"","_lc_fact_check_source_urls":["https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/fr\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/articles\/bresil-italie-mexico-1970-finale","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/canadamexicousa2026\/articles\/watch-stunning-final-goals","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/articles\/argentina-england-1986-diego-maradona","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/articles\/rene-higuita-roger-milla-colombia-cameroon-italy-1990","https:\/\/inside.fifa.com\/es\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/qatar2022\/news\/cenicientas-en-la-copa-mundial-momentos-memorables","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/canadamexicousa2026\/articles\/saeed-al-owairan-saudi-arabia-belgium-goal-1994","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/es\/articles\/michael-owen-inglaterra-argentina-1998","https:\/\/inside.fifa.com\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/1998france\/news\/world-cup-at-home-argentina-england-1998-3070883","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/canadamexicousa2026\/articles\/dennis-bergkamp-goals-netherlands-argentina-1998","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/articles\/watch-goal-tournament-winners","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/the-best-fifa-football-awards\/articles\/fifa-puskas-award-winners-ronaldo-zlatan-son-neymar-salah-giroud-the-best","https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/canadamexicousa2026\/articles\/mario-gotze-goal-germany-argentina-2014","https:\/\/inside.fifa.com\/es\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/2018russia\/news\/a88diasderusia-2932434"],"_lc_affiliate_widget_allowed":"","_lc_affiliate_widget_type":"","_lc_affiliate_widget_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[45,717],"tags":[589],"lc_primary_section":[777],"lc_location":[808],"lc_topic":[817],"lc_freshness":[833],"class_list":["post-1321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-cup","category-world-cup-results","tag-fifa","lc_primary_section-historical-features","lc_location-canada","lc_topic-sports","lc_freshness-historical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1321"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11794,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1321\/revisions\/11794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1321"},{"taxonomy":"lc_primary_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lc_primary_section?post=1321"},{"taxonomy":"lc_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lc_location?post=1321"},{"taxonomy":"lc_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lc_topic?post=1321"},{"taxonomy":"lc_freshness","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lets-canada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lc_freshness?post=1321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}