We are less than halfway through the English Premier League season, but we may have just witnessed the goal of the year. Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho gave us a remarkable bicycle kick past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, reminiscent of Wayne Rooney’s 2011 overhead kick against Man City.
Put it in the Smithsonian! The Louvre! Put it everywhere! WOW! What a goal!
Even crazier, this set the tone for the rest of Man U’s match. It came in the third minute of the match to give United a 1-0 lead. They wound up winning 3-0.
Who is Alejandro Garnacho?
Garnacho is a 19-year-old forward who spent most of his youth in Atletico Madrid’s youth system. He signed his first professional contract with United in July 2021 after Garnacho moved to the United system in October 2020.
Garnacho has made 32 appearances in the Premier League throughout the last three seasons. He has four goals and two assists in that time. This was Garnacho’s first goal of the 2023-24 season. Manchester United’s leaders, Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay each have three thus far.
Garnacho is by no means a goal-scorer, but he is clearly a showman. After his goal against Everton, Garnacho offered the crowd one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous pirouettes. He obviously knew that his goal was going to go viral.
Is this the best goal of the season?
After their match against Everton, Machester United manager Erik ten Hag told reporters that it was ‘probably goal of the season.’ He’s obviously biased though.
Here are some other competitors for ‘Goal of the Year.’
Florian Sotoca – Lens v. Man United (friendly)
This one might be cheating since Lens not only isn’t a part of the EPL, but it was also during a friendly. That said, it was against Manchester United and that’s enough of a link to make this list.
Hwang Hee Chan – Wolves v. Newcastle
This goal may not have been from as far, but it required a filthy move from Hee Chan in order to avoid the tackle in the box.
With just those two goals, I’ve already started stretching out the qualifications in order to find games to contend against Garnacho’s bicycle kick. That should be evidence enough of how incredible Garnacho’s goal is.
Where does Man United sit in the EPL standings?
Manchester United currently sits at sixth in the Premier League standings. That said, United has won their last three Premier League games. Although they did lose 4-3 to FC Copenhagen in a UEFA Champions League game on Nov. 8, they have been as good as anyone in EPL matches during the month of November.
United’s next Premier League game is set for Dec. 2 against Newcastle at Old Trafford. The game will start at 3 p.m. ET.