69 days to go…
We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day.
Fernando Torres
Spain v Ukraine
Germany 2006 | Group H
Zentralstadion, Leipzig
The first part was quintessential Carles Puyol. The second, executed by a shaggy-haired Spaniard, was quintessential Zinedine Zidane.
Puyol bulldozed aside Andriy Vorobey and intercepted the adidas Teamgeist+. Then, with Anatoliy Tymoshchuk flying in and firm favourite to win it, ‘The Shark’ pulled off something no-one knew he had in his locker: a 360° turn that saw him escape with the ball and left the incredulous Ukrainian on his backside.
“Was it Zidane?,” joked Xavi. “No, no,” responded Puyol, laughing. “I wish I had his skills. It was useful and came naturally, but I must say that I didn’t do it as elegantly as Zidane. Not even close.”
Puyol wasn’t done. The centre-back clipped the ball to Fernando Torres, who laid it off to Cesc Fabregas. The 19-year-old played an aerial first-time pass to Puyol, whose downward header fell into perfectly path of La Roja’s No9. The rest was quintessential Torres, who lusciously lashed the bouncing ball into the bottom corner to seal a 4-0 success.
