It was Estudiantes de la Plata player Ricardo Infante that scored the historic goal and it was an Argentine football magazine that came up with the term ‘rabona’ for it. The first rabona actually dates all the way back to 1948 in a match between Argentinian teams Estudiantes de la Plata and Rosario Central. Many technically gifted players around the world are known to use the trick, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eden Hazard and Ronaldinho. It is used for when a player is not confident at crossing with his weaker foot, to bamboozle a defender or to simply show off. The move is effectively kicking the ball with your legs crossed, with the kick leg wrapping around the standing one.
It has gained a resurgence in recent years by the skilful Portuguese winger Christiano Ronaldo, who really marked his arrival at Manchester United during an impressive display in the 2004 FA Cup Final against Wigan, where he performed the trick in the seventh minute, a statement of what was to follow. It’s a trick that is equally effective as it is aesthetically impressive the ‘rabona’ was first popularised by Italian Giovanni Roccotelli in the 1970s, whom many credit the move’s invention. A short article written for the editorial side of, which can be found here.
