Barcelona or Real Madrid? The English Premier League or the AFL? Cristiano Ronaldo, Brodie Grundy, Neymar or Lionel Messi? No matter if you are solely dedicated to the Australian AFL and its talented players or you like to watch, root for and wager on global football events, one thing is for sure: your love for football is continuously reinforced like one of the most memorable moments of your existence. Whenever your favourite team dramatically scores a decisive goal in the very last seconds of a match and turns the tables or when the underdog takes the world by storm by winning against a stellar team, your only regret might be that you weren't personally there, to witness it all with your own eyes.
If you are a real money casino or sports betting fan and you are curious to learn about a few of the greatest moments in football history (so far), you've reached the right page. We are going to reveal to you a few of the most mesmerising, mind-blowing, unlikely and unexpected moments in international football and a few memorable mentions from the AFL for passionate fans Down Under.
Remember Greece's Miraculous Victory Over Portugal During The Euro Final In 2004?
Greece is known for its blue flag, white-sand beaches, gorgeous turquoise waters and tasty souflaki, but to say the country is also good at football would be an overstatement and we mean that in the most respectful way possible. In fact, the country has had very few truly remarkable or notable moments worth mentioning here over the last few decades. However, their surprising and completely unexpected victory during the Euro 2004 definitely deserves a spot on our list of the greatest moments in football history. The game is labelled as a genuine miracle of modern-day football for the Greeks. Angelos Charisteas managed to net not one, not two, but three goals against Portugal and their draw against the powerful Spanish team and their wins against the Czech Republic and France propelled them to the top of the pedestal. It also made them one of the most famous underdog teams in the history of worldwide football. Think of it as Greece's 15 minutes of fame.
Diego Maradona's Extraterrestrial Moment At The World Cup In '86
Free kick expert Diego Maradona was known for his incredible eye for goals, his revolutionary game vision and out-of-this-world passes. His mind-blowing control of the ball was only surpassed by his flawless dribbling technique. The fact that he was only 1.65m in height provided him with a lower gravity centre that would explain his superiority when manoeuvring the ball compared to the great majority of players all over the world. Maradona was a phenomenon on his own and his remarkable team leadership skills also helped his team perform better, even though he was oftentimes considered the star of most of the games he played in. One particular event that we could hand-pick and include on our list of the greatest football moments in history is the so-called “hand of God” scene. It took place at the World Cup in '86, where Maradona had already managed to score an incredible number of unmatched goals. The memorable moment we are referring to here took place during the Argentina VS England game and the phrase “the hand of God” was something that Diego himself used to explain the association football goal that was considered illegal that he managed to score during the match in the quarter-final. According to the official rules for association football, Diego should have been given a yellow card for what appeared to be an obvious "handball" issue and his goal should have been disallowed. Nonetheless, given that the referees did not get a chance to witness the play from the right angle and also since there were no video assistance referees at that time, the goal was validated and this helped Argentina lead the game by 1-0. Maradona scored a second goal during the same match and helped his team win a 2–1 win for the Argentinian team.
Memorable Jason McCartney Return After the Bali Bomb Attack
Former Aussie rules football player Jason McCarney survived the Bali bombing attack in 2002 and he returned to playing football, after suffering from burning over 50% of the surface of his body and almost losing his life during surgery. At the moment of the attack and injury, Jason thought others needed more help than he did, so he let others take a chartered flight to Melbourne and postponed his leaving. Unfortunately, he was more severely injured than he originally thought and his act of bravery was generously rewarded with the Medal of the Order of Australia. After a long and strenuous rehabilitation process with the goal of returning to AFL, he managed to make his incredible comeback just a few months later. He played for the Kangaroos against the team of Richmond and his body was bandaged and he had to wear a long-sleeve and protective gloves during the match. He had the numbers 202 (total number of victims of the Bali bomb attack) and 88 (total number of Aussies who died during the attack) written on his guernsey. The spectators held up the same numbers on their signs and made his return one of the most memorable Australian football moments.
Tom Boyd's dynamic aerial acrobatic acts on the field or Sergio Aguero's performance that helped Man City score its very first Premier League title are also historical moments all football fans remember in awe.
