Great Uncle Fred? My brother thinks that Zidane`s goal in the Champions League Final was better than Maradona`s goal against England but he is wrong, isn`t he? What is the best goal ever scored? (Fergus, Winter 2008/9)

I do not know which is the very best of all but I think I can name some goals which are equal best. For example, Greenlaw v Innerleithen, Border League, Under-12s, December 2007, a cold evening but no frost, a stramash in the goal-mouth, the keeper got his hand to the ball, but it bounced against the full-back`s legs and out to the winger who booted it, it hit the post! and out to Wee Eck who kneed it into the air, the full-back recovered and got a head to it but only as far as Wee Eck who wellied it past the despairing lunge of the keeper! Goal! Goal! Goal! Interviewed after the match, Wee Eck was asked how it felt to score the goal: he said, "It was better than having all the money in the whole world!" "And what was the final score?" "8-1." "Greenlaw won 8-1?" "No, 8-1 to Innerleithen...but it was me that got the one!" I do not see how any goal could be better than one which made its scorer feel that it was better than having all the money in the world. But as for other equal-best goals, I love the two you mention; and Archie Gemmell`s goal against Holland in 1978: Archie probably felt almost as good as Wee Eck, scoring that one, don`t you think?

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