Marco van Basten was a one of a kind player who made the impossible look routine and was capable of scoring goals of pure artistry.
The former Ajax and AC Milan star scored such a goal for the Netherlands against the Soviet Union in the final of Euro ’88. Twenty-four years have passed, but the memories of van Basten’s stunning volley linger, and with Euro 2012 set to kick off, a new generation of fans will no doubt view footage of the goal for the first time and appreciate the Dutchman’s genius.
If you haven’t seen it before, watch van Basten’s marvellous goal below:
After dispatching the Germans on their own turf in the semifinals, the Netherlands were up against a tough Soviet squad in the final. The Dutch took a 1-0 lead at the 32nd minute thanks to a Ruud Gullit header, but the game was far from over as the Soviets hung tough, trying to contain the creative Dutchmen.
And then it happened.
Defender Adri van Tiggelen intercepted an errant Soviet pass and ran down the middle before feeding Arnold Muhren wide on the left. Muhren delivered a high cross deep into the Soviet penalty area that found a wide-open van Basten. The Dutch striker, however, was almost on the edge of the 18-yard box and in no position to score.
Or so it seemed.
It appeared as though van Basten had no other option except to knock the ball across the middle to Gullit. Instead, from an impossibly tight angle, van Basten hit an audacious volley over the head of Soviet goalkeeper Rinat Dasaev that slammed into the back of the net just inside the far post.
Game over.
Legendary Dutch manager Rinus Michels jumped off the bench, a shocked look etched on his face as though he couldn’t believe van Basten had just scored. But he did. The Dutch went on to win 2-0, the result sealed by one of the greatest goal of all time.
Almost a quarter of a century has passed, but van Basten’s volley still holds up as one of the most amazing pieces of individual brilliance ever witnessed on a soccer field. Lots of goals have been scored at Euro in the ensuing years, but none have come close to matching the beauty or audaciousness of van Basten’s strike.
Will anyone at this year’s tournament take their inspiration from the Dutch master and conjure another goal of similar quality? Time will only tell, but it’s safe to say van Basten’s volley will forever live in the pantheon of the game’s greatest goals.