The FIFA World Cup has witnessed some of the most breathtaking goals in the history of the game and some of them just defy the traditional laws of the game. In every edition of the World Cup, there is an intense battle between the most sensational strikes of the tournament to determine which one was the best. There have been countless such strikes but the most extraordinary one would be Diego Maradona’s iconic “Hand of God”. Other than that as well, there have been some powerful strikes that leave the goalkeepers or defenders absolutely no chance. Here are the top 7 most incredible strikes in the FIFA World Cup history:  

1)Diego Maradona vs England, 1986

In the 1986 FIFA World Cup, one of the most celebrated moments in football history took place when Maradona scored, “The goal of the century”. The Argentinian icon had brilliant technical ability with the ball and he just carried it seamlessly for 60-yards by taking on almost 6 English players before slotting the ball into the back of the net. This goal was quite simple in terms of the complexity but Diego Maradona’s run is still considered as one of the best ever.

2)Carlos Alberto vs Italy, 1970

It is indeed quite surprising to see a defender up in this list but this strike was one of the most satisfying goals to watch with the build-up play. The attacking move was started deep in Brazil’s own half and it involved almost nine passes along with some brilliant defence from Clodoaldo. Pele perfectly put the ball through for Carlos Alberto to have a wild attempt at it and he finished it first-time from outside the box, straight into the far corner. Brazil has always had a reputation of such beautiful football and this definitely lived up to it.

3)Dennis Bergkamp vs Argentina, 1998

The Netherlands forward scored a mindblowing goal in the game against Argentina and the technique to pull off that goal is still highly rated among the experts. Frank de Boer delivered a wonderful 60-yard diagonal long ball towards Denis Bergkamp and with three magical touches he scored a brilliant goal. The finish was as clinical as it could get as he struck the ball with his outer foot straight into the top corner.

4) Robin van Persie vs. Spain, 2014

Once again, it is the Dutch who have appeared on the list and this time it was a goal from the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Daley Blind lofted a long cross for the Netherlands attackers to chase and Robin Van Persie noticed that Iker Casillas had come off his goal line. Then van Persie attempted the most unbelievable shot at goal as he tried to volley a header from miles out and it ended up going into the vacant goalpost of Spain. That was undoubtedly one of the best goals ever in the history of World Cup football.

5)Pelé vs. Sweden, 1958

In the 1958 edition of the FIFA World Cup, Pele showed the world that he was here to stay and the 17-year-old had the perfect flair to light up the big stage. Against Sweden, Pele controlled a lofted ball with his chest and he flicked the ball over a defender’s head to beat him, before tucking the ball perfectly into the back of the net. The Samba flair was beginning to dominate world football by that time and it was the beginning of something even bigger.

6)James Rodríguez vs Uruguay, 2014

The performance of the Colombian side in the 2014 FIFA World Cup was strongly powered by the brilliance of James Rodrigues. He exhibited some brilliant skills on the field and some exemplary finishes as well. James Rodrigues pulled off a volley from the top drawer when he unleashed a sensational strike against Uruguay in the Round of 16. It even won the Puskas Award in 2014.

7)Saeed Al-Owairan vs. Belgium, 1994

In the game between Saudi Arabia and Belgium in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Saeed scored a solo goal that was considered as one that was similar to Diego Maradona’s. Saeed dribbled past four Belgian dribbles with exhilarating pace and agility to score the perfect goal for his side. He proved to be too good to be contained and the Belgian defenders couldn’t just handle the pace. This goal would be etched in the history of Saudi Arabia as one of their greatest goals ever.