VKpedia

Wikipedia defines the Rabona thus: “In football, the Rabona is a move in which a shot, pass, or cross is performed by moving one leg behind, and around, the ’standing leg’ (the leg meant to hold the player on the ground steadily with) and so kicking the ball with one’s legs crossed.”

We can equate it to the art of bowling a batsman around / through his legs, like Shane Warne’s “Ball of the Century“. However, the rabona isn’t as rare. Quite a few footballers try it, but no one generally does it during a game, for four reasons:

• He might pass the ball to the wrong person
• He might miss the ball completely
• He might twist his legs, and must spend his time recuperating
• Hence or otherwise, he might end up looking like a fool

There are very few occasions when a player succeeds with a rabona, and when he does the result is a sight to behold. One such instance happened last weekend at the San Siro, when Alberto Aquilani, the AS Roma midfielder, set up Totti’s goal against AC Milan with a brilliant move from central midfield. His pass comfortably found Mancini, who was charging down from the left flank, and the latter played a simple pass to help his captain beat Dida with the final header.

Here’s the video. You can safely skip the first 30 seconds, but pay close attention to the remainder of the footage.

Aquilani was called-up to the Italian squad this week, and was handed his debut by Donadoni in the 1-1 draw against Turkey.

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Filed under: Football