v. Man U, 2015. : Gunners

The United game in October 2015 is like a neverending stream of Özil black magic, and this filthy backheel, attempted with less than a minute gone, was the first sign that it would be a special day at the Emirates. Have you ever tried to kick a ball in the same direction it’s moving? To just nick it, and give it a little more power as it moves on its way? It’s actually quite hard, and requires a lot of hand-eye coordination. You have to control the ball while kicking it, in a sense. Well, Özil does that here, except he’s also a.) backheeling the ball, and b.) taking all the bounce out of the long pass as he rolls it on to Sanchez. It’s insane. Look how he sets himself as the ball is in the air; he already knows what he wants to do. This pass is up there with the famous Hull air-backheel in terms of technique for me.

For fun facts about this match, click here.