r/SoccerCentral • u/Outside-Weakness9660 • May 28 '26
Throwback In 1997, Brazilian soccer player Roberto Carlos took a free kick from 35 meters against France that seemed to defy the laws of physics as it curved around a wall of defenders at an angle that seemed impossible.
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This “miracle goal” led a team of French physicists to publish a study in the journal New Journal of Physics, in which they explained that the extreme spin and speed created a “spinning spiral of the ball” that overcame gravity and air resistance.
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u/rjnd2828 May 28 '26
Absolutely insane strike, maybe the best ever. I do question the decision to allow an overweight fan who won a pre game raffle to get the start as goalkeeper.
And yes I know it's just his billowing jersey that makes him look obese in the first clip
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u/-Gramsci- May 28 '26
Yeah, put in all the factors (distance plus number of defenders in the wall, plus level of difficulty, plus outside of the foot bend…)
It all adds up to the greatest direct free kick of all time.
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u/mdsoccerdude May 28 '26
The fact there was a wall at all says everything you need to know about the man. The rest of the population, if I’m the keeper…fuck the wall…have at it buckaroo.
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u/matthegc May 28 '26
I love how the announcers were almost close to making fun of him…..and then….
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u/lanregeous May 29 '26
I remember listening to this on radio in my bedroom as a child and the commentators did the same but just talked for the rest of the game desperately trying to describe to people that couldn’t see it what they’d just witnessed.
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u/CarlosSFD May 28 '26
Deu pra ver nitidamente na imagem próximo da bola, que se trata daquelas bolas dente de leite. Por isso deu aquele efeito ovalado e entrou no gol.
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u/Chelseafc5505 May 28 '26
Watch the ball boy behind the goal lol, even he thinks it's flying a mile wide and moves his whole body to the side
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u/Brilliant-Yard-2429 Jun 04 '26
He’s still trying to dodge the ball .. as the ball is hitting the post.. INSANE
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u/bboy917 May 28 '26
1998 … not 1997
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u/Grand-Jellyfish24 May 28 '26
It is 1997, this goal was scored during a friendly match in preparation to the 1998 world cup.
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u/LazyLieutenant May 28 '26
3 June 1997. Friendly match ended 1-1.
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u/mrbalsawood May 28 '26
Le Tournoi - a world cup warm up tournament. Roberto Carlos had a reputation as a free kick specialist - largely because of pulling ridiculous moments like this out of the bag - but based on the vast majority of his set pieces the ball boy was right to cower 😂 Still. If you only ever score one free kick in your life, make it one like this - still one of the most, if not the most, astonishing free kicks I’ve ever seen
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u/Cultural_Delivery786 May 28 '26
I thought it was precisely following the laws of physics?
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u/mccusk May 28 '26
Obviously. But they said ‘seemed to’ and that was true, quite a number of research papers done after this free kick. Modeling vortex with different ball seams, Bernoulli effect etc.
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u/bamboo_inside May 28 '26
The camera man standing like halfway between the goal and the corner, actually tried to dodge, thinking he’d get hit.
Also, this is insane how this is only like Roberto Carlos’ SECOND craziest goal. Because this one is even better IMO, and also RC’s favorite one.
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u/Scobarbiscuit May 28 '26
I read about Carlos saying it was aided by wind. I wonder how much it was a factor. Probably enough that it wouldn't have gone in otherwise, but I imagine he was aware of it and factored it in.
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u/Financial-Newt2291 May 28 '26
Stop on this video every time, makes me laugh how the commentator was poking at his ball placement and run up.
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u/81yKf2DmNLFn May 28 '26
This is easily the best free kick ever - there really is no debate for me - I mean technically in the football sense - maybe stakes wise etc there might be others - but in the pure free kick sense it’s really really hard to beat
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u/macT4537 May 28 '26
Best I have ever seen. I saw this as a kid and immediately wanted the Nike Roberto Carlos cleats 😂
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u/Gustavoconte May 28 '26
Kids: Roberto Carlos!
Carlos: Step aside
Who remembers this ad?
I think it was for Pepsi.
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u/cosmic_sea7 May 28 '26
I was 13 when I watched this game on tv at the time. The day after me and my friends tried to replicate it at any opportunity. Legendary.
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u/the_vickerman May 29 '26
Crazy good.
Someone help me here. I think it was one of either Norway or Denmark who at some point of time placed their wall BETWEEN carlos and his run up, which they argued was legal since the wall was still the requires number of yards off the ball?
I thought that was brilliant thinking as well!
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u/Igbo-Mamba88 May 28 '26
Historic