In Manchester City‘s 6-1 thrashing of United, the best part was the 6th goal scored by Edin Dzeko off what was one of the most beautiful passes I have seen in recent history. City may not have a lot of fans, but on seeing that incredible pass by David Silva to set up Dzeko, people can hate them less.
I, for one, fell in love with Silva the moment the ball reached Dzeko’s legs, even before he put it in the back of the net. That pass started an intense discussion on one of the football forums about the best passes in recent history which have led to goals.
So to appreciate the beauty of the game, I have complied this list of 5 incredible passes that I remember from recent history. This is most definitely not a comprehensive list, just those which I have been fortunate to watch.
5. Frank de Boer to Dennis Bergkamp, Holland vs Argentina, World Cup ’98
One of my earliest footballing memories which will remain in my mind for a long time. It was the quarter – final of the World Cup, the game tied 1-1 in the 90th minute. De Boer could have, being a defender, just wasted time till extra time by keeping possession, but he decides to make this cross to Bergkamp, who with three magnificent touches and the sublimest of finishes makes this cross look more lovely than it actually is, thus sending Holland into the semis.
Memories like these remind me why I love the game so much, and why I feel Bergkamp was one of the best ever .
4. Eric Cantona to Dennis Irwin, Manchester United vs Tottenham, 1992
Unfortunately, I never saw this match live, but came across it when I saw the movie ‘Looking for Eric’. Despite not being a United fan, I fell in love with movie and this particular scene in it where Cantona describes this particular pass to Dennis Irwin as his most favourite football memory ever. He says, “It was a pass” and follows it up with “a gift to the great God of football”.
The best part was how he finished off the description with the line, “You always have to trust your team mates, ALWAYS!”. The pass may not be one of the best ever produced per se, but this 3 minute clip makes it worth watching.
3. David Beckham to Ronaldo, Real Madrid vs Zaragoza, 2006
Despite being one of many who believe David Beckham is incredibly over-rated, I can’t think of many other people who can deliver this cross. Just pin-point perfection, too simple for Ronaldo and arguably one of the best passes ever. Sometimes, Beckham can indeed be truly magical.
2. David Silva to Edin Dzeko, Manchester City vs Manchester United, 2011
As having described earlier, the awareness and skill Silva possesses to flick the ball out of the air, allowing hardly a glance towards the target or the markers, is just pure sublime. The following video contains the full highlights of the match and I suggest you watch it from 8:15 to watch football at its best.
1 . Xavi Hernandez, to his teammates, over the past ten years
Xavi is without a shadow of doubt the pass master of modern football, the master at providing the through ball. Being the incredible player that he is, it is hard to single out one pass from Xavi as the best of the lot, hence I have posted a video containing several of his magnificent passes.
Looking at it, one can understand the logic behind the argument that Xavi is the reason why Messi scores so many goals. Be it Spain or Barcelona, Xavi’s incredible football brain makes that team look so good.
