Explained - bicycle kick in football: When precision meets timing, it’s a beauty!
Cristiano Ronaldo’s strike in the 2018 UEFA Champions League against Juventus is the most famous goal scored using the bicycle kick.
The bicycle kick, also known as the overhead kick or scissor kick, is one of the most acrobatic moves in football and makes for a picturesque strike when performed successfully.
It’s also one of the most demanding skills to pull off, requiring extraordinary athleticism, precision, balance, and great confidence even to attempt it in a match.
Only some of the finest players in the world are able to execute the bicycle kick perfectly.
At the FIFA World 2022, Richarlison scored one of his two goals in Brazil’s opening match against Serbia with a stunning acrobatic bicycle kick. Considered as an early entry for the goal of the tournament, Richarlison was hailed as a ‘genius’ by France captain Lloris.
"It looks very simple but it's not,” said former England striker Alan Shearer. “You've got to get in there then finish it.”
Let’s break down the move and understand what makes it so difficult to achieve.
Bicycle kick in football: How it is executed
A bicycle kick is a way to shoot the football by jumping backwards, like a backflip, and kicking the ball in midair.
The player launches his body backwards in the air by lifting the non-kicking foot first, followed by swinging the other foot upwards - like a cycling motion - and connecting with the ball while still airborne.
The hands are then used to balance the body and absorb the impact when the body falls back on the ground.
The bicycle kick can be used to score goals and even save goals.
When scoring, the player’s back faces the goal as he attempts the overhead kick and while defending, the player turns around to face their own goal and uses the move to strike the ball away from the goal.
Some footballers even use bicycle kicks to make goalline clearances, which is one of the most difficult situations to use the strike.
However, the most famous version of the bicycle kick came from the foot of Cristiano Ronaldo in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final in 2018.
Playing for Real Madrid, Cristiano received a cross from Dani Carvajal from the edge of the box on the right side. The Portuguese striker makes a huge leap and blasts the ball past a hapless Gianluigi Buffon to complete the stunning strike.