Random Great Goals: Nwankwo Kanu Softly Destroys Middlesbrough With Cute-As-A-Button Backheel, 1999 (Video)

Chris Wright

12th, May 2015

By Chris Wright

kanu-boro-backheel

For a man who was clearly pushing senior citizenship, shared the same bodily proportions as Olive Oyl and had a hole in his heart, Nwankwo Kanu was one hell of a footballer.

Lithe, lanky, lumbering, fairly unathletic and incredibly slow, nothing about Kanu should have worked – but that touch, oh that glorious touch. The Nigerian striker could waft through thickets of defenders like a ghost, but only for a maximum of 25 minutes at a time!

To be honest, choosing a great Kanu goal is no mean feat as he only tended to score aesthetically pleasing little cutie-pies, but his inspired and (relatively) long-range backheel flick during Arsenal’s 6-1 demolition of Middlesbrough in 1998/99 takes some beating…

As the Arsenal website so succinctly put it: “Few in the squad would have attempted it, even fewer would have pulled it off.”

Of course, Kanu did miss the odd sitter now and again, but even when he did he’d still manage to fluff it with outrageous panache…

This way for plenty more Random Great Goals on Pies.

If you’ve got a bygone wonder goal you’d like to see featured in Random Great Goals, give us a nudge at waatpies@gmail.com and we’ll give it a shufty.

Posted in Arsenal, Featured, Retro, Skills, Videos

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