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Stoke City midfielder Charlie Adam hit an astonishing goal at the weekend against Chelsea to level the score. His shot from 60+ yards beat Thibaut Courtois, who probably thought he was Manuel Neuer as he stood quite a long distance away from the goal.However, this is not the first time that a goalkeeper has been humbled by a player from behind the half-way line and probably won’t be the last time either.On the back of this astonishing strike by the Englishman, we take a look at the top 5 goals by players from their own half:Honourable mentions: Asmir Begovic and Tim Howard
#5 Paul Robinson - Tottenham (vs Watford)
This was probably (surely) not intentional, but the English goalkeeper would not be rushing door-to-door telling everyone that. Spurs received a free-kick in their own half and Robinson sent his big men forward in the hope of looping the ball in and finding a team-mate in the box.
However, he underestimated the power in his leg as the ball sailed over the opposition defence and his attackers before bouncing in front of Ben Foster, who had misjudged the flight of the ball horribly, and sailing into the net.
Robinson’s goal made the scoreline 2-0 and helped Spurs win the game 3-1.
Date: 17th March, 2007
Victim: Ben Foster
Distance: 96 yards
Watch Robinson’s ‘intentional’ goal here:
#4 Xabi Alonso - Liverpool (vs Newcastle)
Liverpool’s Spanish midfielder is known for his passing and on September 20, 2006, Xabi Alonso passed the ball into the back of the net from way out. In Xabi’s case, it was all him as he won the ball for his team and had to beat the referee, who was standing in his way, but there was no stopping his shot which sent the Kopites into ecstasy.
The Liverpudlians had witnessed a similar goal by the same man at the start of the year in the FA Cup when he let one fly from 70 yards against Luton. This time, he struck one in the Premier League with Newcastle being the victims. The Reds went on to win the match 2-0.
Date: 20th September, 2006
Victim: Steve Harper
Distance: 63 yards
Watch Xabi’s brilliant strike below:
#3 Maynor Figueroa - Wigan Athletic (vs Stoke City)
The Honduran international was not known for scoring goals before he hit this spectacular shot which flew into the top corner. When Wigan received a free-kick in their own half, everyone left the ball to move into their positions, but a vigilant Figueroa saw the goalkeeper off his line and struck the ball towards goal.
Before any Stoke player could fathom what had transpired, Wigan were celebrating one of the goals of the season. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Date: 12th December, 2009
Victim: Thomas Sorensen
Distance: 61 yards
Watch the stunning free-kick here:
#2 David Beckham - Manchester United (vs Wimbledon)
At a young age of 21 years, David Beckham showed the world a glimpse of his vision and execution. Spotting the Wimbledon goalkeeper, Neil Sullivan, off his line, the young Manchester United midfielder swung his right foot to send the ball towards goal.
The precision was such that despite Sullivan’s best efforts and a late jump, the ball went in the goal. United won the match 3-0 with Beckham getting his name in the history books.
Date: 17th August, 1996
Victim: Neil Sullivan
Distance: 59 yards
Watch the goal here:
#1 Charlie Adam - Stoke City (vs Chelsea)
Adam’s goal comes on the top of the list due to the sheer precision of the shot. A despairing Courtois could do extremely little after the Englishman let one fly off his left foot. The Belgian sprinted back and got a hand to it, but such was the precision of the strike that despite his best efforts, the ball sailed into the back of the net.
Also, worth noting is the time he began celebrating. A few moments after putting his laces through the ball, when it was still in mid-air, Adam wheeled off celebrating. Unfortunately, for Stoke, Chelsea won the match 2-1, but despite the result, Adam will be talking about this goal for a long time to come.
Date: 4th April, 2015
Victim: Thibaut Courtois
Distance: 65 yards
Here is the goal:
