Bellingham, Valverde, Fullkrug: Our writers pick their favourite Champions League goal – what’s yours?

MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 29: Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and SSC Napoli at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on November 29, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
By The Athletic Staff
Jun 4, 2024

Real Madrid won a 15th Champions League title by beating Borussia Dortmund on Saturday at Wembley and they’ve also claimed another title.

On Monday, UEFA named Federico Valverde’s incredible volley for Real against Manchester City its goal of the season.

It also went on to list the top 10 strikes from the competition, so some of our writers chose their favourite and explained the reasoning.

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Do you agree with their picks? Or UEFA’s? Or are any goals missing that should be on the list?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

go-deeper

Federico Valverde (No 1 for UEFA)

Match: Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City (quarter-final first leg), April 9

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Why was this your favourite goal?

On a brilliant night of Champions League football, this thunderous strike from Federico Valverde stood out.

Bernardo Silva had caught out Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin for Manchester City’s early opener at the Santiago Bernabeu before Eduardo Camavinga’s deflected shot from distance drew the sides level. Rodrygo then put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute, but the momentum shifted with two fine outside-of-the-box finishes from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol on 66 and 71 minutes — both goal-of-the-season contenders in their own right.

Both sides played at an intense tempo befitting European royalty and the main pretenders for their crown. And this goal was in that vein — a crashing drive from Valverde into the ground after he ran onto a lofted ball from Vinicius Junior. Valverde has been one of the unsung heroes of the team who lifted a La Liga-Champions League double this season, so it only felt fair for the Uruguayan to enjoy his moment at Madrid’s ground.

It was also a pivotal goal en route to Los Blancos winning that record-extending 15th European title. If Valverde hadn’t connected with that volley, would Madrid have backed themselves to go to the Etihad and progress in the second leg? Like so many other times in Madrid’s victorious Champions League campaigns, we’ll never know.

Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero

Raphinha (No 2 for UEFA)

Match: Paris Saint-Germain 2-3 Barcelona (quarter-final first leg), April 10

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Why was this your favourite goal?

You may have missed Raphinha pulling off one of the most aesthetically pleasing skills of this year’s Champions League.

Against PSG in the quarter-final, he latched onto a booming goal kick, nipped in ahead of onrushing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and only on the slow-motion replay can you see the deftest poke of his right leg, the cutest nutmeg that so nearly led to an open goal. That was just five minutes in. So he was clearly in the mood that day.

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His first goal was good, if not amazing. But his second…

A goal as immaculate in its conception as it was in its completion. A misdirected goal kick, two passes to the gifted Pedri, 35 yards out.

Four markers close, but not quite close enough. Just two touches, one to set, a simple, crucial shuffle of the feet once he had seen Raphinha’s out-to-in run, and a gorgeous, otherworldly through ball to the Brazilian.

He had options: take a touch, right-foot volley, maybe a diving header. But Raphinha’s a lefty, a confident lefty. He cut across the ball, controlling his slice with consummate incision.

Donnarumma could only watch it into the bottom corner.

Max Mathews

Niclas Fullkrug (No 3 for UEFA)

Match: Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atletico Madrid – quarter-final second leg, April 16

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Why was this your favourite goal?

A goal with all sorts of attractive elements. It also perfectly encapsulated what Dortmund did well throughout the Champions League last season. They were a “moments” team and were successful in stitching little pieces of football together and profiting from them. None were better than this.

The finish was obviously tremendous. Watching a centre forward thunder a header across goal like this is a sight from a different age. Niklas Fullkrug is an old-fashioned, throwback player and that was him at his best. It was muscular and dominant; everything Edin Terzic could have asked for from his bullish No 9.

What some angles did not capture was the craft shown in the seconds before. Fullkrug’s zig-zagging movement off the ball completely fooled the Atletico Madrid defence, creating the space for one of the great Champions League headers. It was well-executed, yes, and the kiss off the far post glosses the aesthetic, but it was extremely well-timed, too.

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The move that created the chance would also have been a sight for sore eyes at the time. One of Dortmund’s problems before Christmas was their stale attacking play which, at times, could border on being unwatchable.

This was just a surge of electric power, though: Julian Brandt’s tickled pass into the space in the channel and then the driven, first-time cross from Marcel Sabitzer. First time, across his body? A ludicrous level of difficulty with almost no margin for error.

This deserves to be on any list, from any year.

Seb Stafford-Bloor

Jude Bellingham (No 8 for UEFA)

Match: Napoli 2-3 Real Madrid, group stage, October 3

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There were huge expectations of Jude Bellingham after he joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund last summer and, somehow, he exceeded them all within the first few months.

The midfielder scored eight goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances in his final season with Dortmund and topped that by finding the back of the net six times in his first seven games in Spain.

Madrid’s squad contained Vinicius Junior, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Federico Valverde among other world-class players, but a moment in October showed it was only a matter of time before Bellingham became the star of the show.

They were losing 1-0 to Napoli in the Champions League group stages and Bellingham set up Vinicius Jr for the equaliser. Less than 10 minutes later, Bellingham produced a piece of jaw-dropping skill to give them the lead.

He received the ball just inside Napoli’s half and charged forward like a rhinoceros. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa tried to hunt him down but failed and Stanislav Lobotka simply gave up.

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In one quick movement that left Napoli’s central defenders with twisted legs and bruised egos, Bellingham shifted the ball onto his right foot and fired a shot past Alex Meret.

It was the perfect example of the 20-year-old’s unique blend of power and skill and underlined why he is a generational talent.

Jay Harris

Or does your favourite come from one of the other six goals in UEFA’s top 10?

Phil Foden (No 4 for UEFA)

Match: Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City, quarter-final first leg, April 9

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Bruma (No 5 for UEFA)

Match: Union Berlin 2-3 Braga, group stage, October 3

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Kylian Mbappe (No 6 for UEFA)

Match: Real Sociedad 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain, last-16 second leg, March 5

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Rodrygo (No 7 for UEFA)

Match: Real Madrid 4-2 Napoli, group stage, November 29

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Tete (No 9 for UEFA)

Match: Galatasaray 2-2 Copenhagen, group stage, September 20

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Alphonso Davies (No 10 for UEFA)

Match: Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern, semi-final second leg, May 8

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(Top photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

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