Andrea Pirlo has never really struck us as the kind of guy that gets over-excited about anything.
Considering this – and the fact that he’s played professional football for long enough to have seen a fair few decent goals – you can’t blame us for sitting up and taking note when he described David Villa’s goal against the Philadelphia Union on Friday night as “one of the best goals” he’d ever seen.
Sure enough, it’s an absolute peach.
His side were already one up as the game neared stoppage time. As NYCFC cleared a ball from their own penalty area, Villa appeared second favourite as he tried to close down Union defender Jack Elliot. Catching his opponent up, the World Cup winner managed to ease his opponent off the ball as he attempted to nudge it across to a teammate.
With no other NYCFC player anywhere near the halfway line, Villa let fly, beating to goalkeeper from all of 50-yards.
“It is one of the best goals that I have ever seen in my career,” Pirlo later told the club’s official website. “When David scored one goal like that, it’s incredible, because now it is the best in the history of the club.”
‘Best in the history of the club’ doesn’t sound quite so impressive when you realise that their history only goes back a couple of years or so but still, if it’s good enough for Mr Pirlo, it’s good enough for us…
50 yards out. FIFTY.
Just a ridiculous goal from @Guaje7Villa 🙊 https://t.co/YZY6UFo1Lv
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 15, 2017
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