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There are players who are not always in the news, though they are as important to the team as the star players, but they require a moment of brilliance, a chance to show their importance, launch themselves and etch their places into people’s memory. It’s hard to admit but when we retrospect, we remember the winning goals and the trophy lifts. This is a list of players who stole the show and scored when the team needed it the most. These players are mostly remembered because of their 15 minutes of fame. Here’s a list of such players.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
When you think about him all you can remember is that night in Barcelona. Manchester United coming back from one goal down to clinch the Champions League in the dying seconds of the match. He scored that winning goal and I know he scored far more goals for the Red Devils, but the thing is that, perhaps, that was the goal that made him the legend he is in the eyes of all his fans. Moreover his career was charred by injuries all along. The magnanimity of the goal is unquestioned; it was as if United had snatched the trophy from Bayern’s hands. The two goals in a matter of minutes totally swept the Germans off their feet. Samuel Kuffour’s anguish at the end of the match totally tells the story. Solskjaer, by coming on in the dying seconds of the game and scoring at a time when his team really needed him, really took United into the promise land, as they won the treble that season. One of the selfless and most loyal servants United has ever had, better known as SUPERSUB, and rightly so.
We all saw this summer how big a player Puyol is. He was ever so sturdy at the back, but what we all remember is that semifinal. Playing against the best team of the tournament, the Germans, Spain seemed to have found their road block. It was Puyol who created history by thudding in the header for Spain, the only goal in the game, and worthy enough to win them the semifinals and reach the finals for first time. The game was Spain’s throughout, but the young Germans were far more resilient than expected and stuck to defending against the Spanish tiki-taka. It was Puyol who led his side to the final and that too in a not too Spanish style – a set play. His first and perhaps the last World Cup goal for Spain.
Marco Matterazzi
The bad man of football fraternity known for his hard and crass tackling and more for his remarks about Zidane’s family, his wonder goal came in the finals too. While the world remembers his provocation of Zidane, only a few remember that it was his goal that tied the game at 1-1, coming from the back and scoring a towering header from a curling Pirlo corner. After going a goal down by one of the most composed penalties ever scored by Zizou, Materazzi brought the Italians back into the game. And later on in extra time, he got Italy into the game again, in the process disgracing himself all over the world for that incident.
Juliano Belletti
The Brazilian utility man was never pretty much sure of his chances in the Barcelona squad as he saw himself left out of the starting 11 against Arsenal in the 2006 Champions’ League final. Barcelona were in total control of the game as they saw Gunners’ keeper Lehmann justifying why he is referred to as MAD JENS by getting sent off. But Arsenal surprisingly took lead and stretched their advantage till 75 minutes, but eventually they were undone by an Eto’o goal. Still the game looked like going into extra time when Belletti stepped in for Oleguer, and the rest is history. It was high time for a winner and Belletti upped his game at the moment when required. Rain pouring from above, he came surging from within his half and played an one-two with Larsen and scored from the tightest angle possible – right through the legs of Almunia. He had won Barcelona a major European silverware after a long time.
Fabio Grosso
It was the semifinals of the World Cup 2006, with the game stretched all the way into extra time. Germany and Italy are not the teams you would expect to throw cautions to the wind and attack with their might. So, it all seemed destined for a penalty shootout till Fabio Grosso came to the scene with two minutes left on the clock. The left back set the ball rolling and hit a peach of a shot that the German keeper Lehmann had no answers to. It was distraught for the hosts who later conceded on the break, del Piero scoring a sucker punch. Italy were on cloud nine after the final whistle but it was redemption for the Italian left back. After being criticized for his last gasp dive earlier against the Socceroos that sent Australia out of the World Cup this was the perfect leveler. Eventually he had the privilege of scoring the World Cup winning penalty, which he did with ease.
NOTABLE MENTION
Vladmir Smicer
This Czech midfielder is perhaps not remembered anymore, but the Anfield faithful will surely remember him. It was that night in Istanbul that every one of them remembers. Liverpool trailing 3-0 and down and out (personally I’d switched off the television set). It was the revival that we all dreamt of, Stevie G with a goal in the second half and it was Smicer who added the second and gave momentum to the Liverpool onslaught and converted his penalty in the shootout .The irony is that he was going to quit the club after the match for not having his chances under Rafa, and had already signed with Bordeaux, plus the fact that he came on the pitch only because of an injury to Harry Kewell. Surely a fairytale end to his stay at Merseyside, a great parting gift, and his only claim to fame in a Liverpool jersey.
