12 Soccer Tricks and the Players Who Invented Them

COLOURUP UNIFORMS PVT LTD

6 min readFeb 15, 2020

Soccer moves help you beat defenders. A good move will put defenders off balance allowing you to dribble past them into open space.
Too many players use soccer moves and tricks to show off, rather than be effective on the field. Doing moves should help you beat defenders quickly — not waste time unnecessarily.
You don’t need to learn tons of moves and tricks to beat defenders. Most great players use a few great moves that they’ve mastered.
Tricks are often used to a player’s advantage, helping him get past an opponent in order to further his team’s progression up the pitch. They’re also used to humiliate the opposition or for sheer entertainment purposes.

The Cruyff Turn: Johan Cruyff

The Cruyff turn is one of the most famous and one of the most evasive tricks in football.
Though the Dutch hero undoubtedly performed it countless times beforehand, it was first witnessed by the masses during the 1974 World Cup in Germany.
Cruyff, one of the most talented players the game has ever seen, faked to pass the ball before dragging the ball in the opposite direction and heading into the penalty area-leaving the Swedish defender utterly baffled.

The Okocha Turn: Jay-Jay Okocha

Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha — the man so good, they named him twice — was one of the best tricksters the Premier League has ever seen.
The Nigerian had a number of evasive moves in his arsenal to out-manoeuvre the opposition, but his most famed trick was dubbed “the Okocha turn.”
Rolling the ball one way with the studs of one boot, Okocha would then fake with his other foot to take the ball in the opposite direction but would instead step over the ball and carry on in the same way — often leaving the defender wrong-footed.

The Ronaldo Chop: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is full of skills and tricks and is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever grace the game — his recent exploits in Portugal’s astonishing 3–2 win over Sweden, in which he scored a hat-trick, are proof of that.
One of Ronaldo’s favourite and most successful tricks is “the Ronaldo chop.”
When facing a player from the opposition, the Real Madrid man often attacks him at pace, using the inside of either foot to move the ball inside the standing leg and at such an angle that it takes him in a different direction.

The Marseille Roulette: Diego Maradona

Also known as “the 360” and “the Gringo,” this move was made famous by Diego Maradona.
Whilst running at the opposition, “the Marseille roulette” is executed by using one foot to stand on the ball, spinning over it in order to shield it away from the opponent and then using the other foot to drag it away from him.

The Panenka: Antonin Panenka

One of the most cocky or most skillful ways of beating a goalkeeper from the penalty spot, “the Panenka” sees a player nonchalantly chip the ball down the centre of the goal whilst the goalkeeper dives either one way or the other.
As reported on FIFA’s official website, “the Panenka” first came about in the final of the 1976 European Championships.
Antonin Panenka stepped up with a chance to score the winning penalty for Czechoslovakia against Germany. Facing German custodian Sepp Maier, Panenka simply lofted the ball down the centre of the goal and past the keeper.

The Aurelio: Rodrigo Taddei

Performed on a regular basis by Rodrigo Taddei, “the Aurelio” is one of the more difficult tricks to master.
Stepping over the ball with the non-kicking foot, Taddei then uses his favoured right foot to drag the ball around the outside of his left — fooling the opposition to thinking he is going one way — before whipping it on in front of him and back on to his right side.

The Step-Over: Law Adam

One of the most simple yet effective tricks in football, “the step-over” can create a player space to pass, cross or shoot if done correctly.
Many, many players have used it throughout the history of football — Chris Waddle, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo to name a few — but it is believed that Dutch footballer Law Adam was the first to perfect the trick.

The Trivela: Ricardo Quaresma

“The Trivela” is a very effective way to play a pass or a shot when a player has been forced on to his weaker foot.
Portugal’s Ricardo Quaresma is an expert at “the Trivela.” Having been turned onto his weaker left side, rather than using his unfavoured foot, Quaresma often uses the outside of his right foot — and to great effect.

The Back-Heel: Juan Carlos Lorenzo

“The back-heel” is one of the more simple tricks in football, but if used correctly, it can be one of the best.
Simply put, when wanting to play a pass or a shot in the opposite direction from where a player is facing, “the back-heel” is the most effect method of doing just that.
It is believed that Real Madrid forward Alfredo di Stefano was one of the first to execute it, after notching one of his four goals in a match against Atletico Madrid back in 1955.

The Flip-Flap: Rivelino

Also known as “the akka” or “the elastico,” Brazilian Rivelino first executed the trick during the 1970 World Cup.
Often done using the player’s stronger foot, the ball is moved one way — as if meaning to go past the opposition in that direction — before being whipped back, using the inside of the foot.
Ronaldinho perfected it after bursting onto the scene, and it has since been used by countless other players.

The Mule Kick: Gianfranco Zola

Fortunately, England Under-21 striker Ravel Morrison scored a goal using this trick in training recently, and it has since been dubbed “the mule kick.”
Though it is sheer improvisation that forces a player to kick the ball in such a way, many players have used in throughout the history of the game, but the most famous is surely Gianfranco Zola’s effort against Norwich.

The Dive: Jurgen Klinsmann

The most hated trick of them all, “the dive” has been around for years and is now adopted by many, many footballers in order to con the referee into awarding a free-kick.
Though many players will have performed this trick beforehand, it first reared its ugly head properly when German international Jurgen Klinsmann took a dive during the 1990 World Cup.
So much was said about Klinsmann’s dive that he adopted it as his celebration whilst playing for Tottenham in the Premier League.
Love it or hate it, “the dive” is one of the most popular tricks around and, when executed properly, can be one of the more effective methods of defeating an opponent.
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Reference:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1856678-20-football-tricks-and-the-players-who-invented-them#slide20

12 Soccer Tricks and the Players Who Invented Them

Written by COLOURUP UNIFORMS PVT LTD