Roberto Carlos
Location: Ranaghat Posted on: 6/4/2026 9:17:38 AM
On this day in 1997, Roberto Carlos defied physics and score the greatest free-kick ever
On 3 June 1997, in the Tournoi de France in Lyon, Roberto Carlos stepped up to a free-kick from around 35 metres against France and produced what is still the greatest free-kick ever scored.
The ball started several yards wide of the post. So wide that a ball boy standing behind the goal instinctively ducked out of the way. Then somehow it bent back in at the last second, leaving Fabien Barthez completely stranded.
Nearly three decades later, scientists have studied it, physicists have explained it, and football fans still watch it wondering how on earth he did it.
What's remarkable is that modern players rarely even attempt strikes like this anymore. From nearly 40 yards out, most teams would recycle possession, chip it into the box, or play it short.