After 'ridiculous' Van de Ven strike, vote for best ever centre-back goal

9h ago | Source: BBC

Van de Ven's goal came when Tottenham were 2-0 ahead against Copenhagen, but down to 10 men

You know you have scored a special goal when you are being compared to Lionel Messi.

Even more so if you are a centre-half.

With Tottenham leading 2-0 but down to 10 men and coming under pressure from opponents Copenhagen, Micky van de Ven could have been forgiven for launching the ball to safety when he got it on the edge of his own penalty area.

But the Netherlands defender had other ideas.

Off he went, sprinting past one, two, three players, squeezing past another two near the halfway line and outpacing a Copenhagen defender to get through on goal with the Spurs fans rising as one in anticipation.

And the finish did not disappoint, with Van de Ven slotting the ball past goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski, before being mobbed by jubilant team-mates having scored one of the great Champions League goals.

"It seems like Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven, running from his own goal down the other end to score," said Spurs boss Thomas Frank after his side thrashed Danish side Copenhagen 4-0 to maintain their unbeaten start to their Champions League campaign with two wins and two draws from their four games.

Van de Ven, 24, joined Tottenham in a £34m move from Wolfsburg in August 2023 and has recently added goals to his repertoire.

He scored in the Uefa Super Cup against Paris St-Germain in August, with further goals coming in the 3-0 win at West Ham, the 2-2 Champions League draw at Bodo Glimt and then two in the 3-0 victory at Everton last month.

But none of those can compare to the one he got on Tuesday.

"I started dribbling and thought I would see if they would catch up and they didn't," Van de Ven told TNT Sports.

"I was feeling good, and I felt amazing in the sprint, I felt like I could keep going."

'One of the best goals you will ever see, ever'

While Van de Ven tried to stay calm about the quality of his goal, others were far more enthusiastic.

"It's one of the best goals you will ever see, ever," said former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves on TNT Sports.

"He runs past players like they're not even there. To stay strong and then to finish, that's ridiculous. Goal of the season, game over."

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha, speaking on Match of the Day: Champions League added: "It's top. Really, really good.

"It's like when he assisted at Old Trafford last season [when he ran more than half the length of the pitch before setting up Brennan Johnson in a 3-0 victory against Manchester United].

"When defenders go on those runs, it's hard to understand who should stop them. With the size and the speed he has, we actually saw a player on the other side of the pitch who wanted nothing to do with him."

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Premier League defender Curtis Davies added: "He kind of stepped out looking for a pass and nothing was on. Once he saw the space ahead of him he knew nobody was catching him. He was at full tilt, full pace."

The goal has also drawn comparisons to Son Heung-min's effort against Burnley in 2019, a winding run which earned the ex-Tottenham forward the 2020 Puskas award.

Where does Van de Ven's effort rank?

Van de Ven's stunning solo effort will almost certainly go down as one of the best goals ever scored by a central defender.

But while defenders are usually noted for their prowess in front of goal, there is a decent catalogue of goals to go at from down the years from those usually employed to stop them.

BBC Sport looks at some of best goals ever from centre-backs and asks you to rank them.

Vincent Kompany (Manchester City v Leicester): Needing a win to go above Liverpool at the top of the table, Kompany smashed a 25-yard effort into the top right corner to help City to a 1-0 win.

Pep Guardiola's side pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title by one point.

Anton Ferdinand (West Ham v Fulham): Ferdinand only registered seven league goals in over 400 appearances as a professional but his incredible volley helped the Hammers to a 2-1 win over Fulham in 2005-06.

Nedum Onuoha (Sunderland v Chelsea): Onuoha's one and only goal on a season-long loan at Sunderland came against then league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as he drifted past three players and placed a low effort into the corner past Petr Cech.

David Luiz (Brazil v Colombia): When it comes to wonder goals, Luiz has his own personal showreel. This particular effort for the hosts, at the 2014 World Cup, was a long-range free-kick that arrowed in the top corner of the Colombia net and was followed by an iconic corner flag celebration.

Ronald Koeman (Barcelona v Sampdoria): Long before he was directing affairs in technical areas as a head coach, Koeman was renowned for scoring absolute belters from distance. And Barca's first European Cup triumph in 1992 came courtesy of the Dutch defender's right boot from 25 yards.

Philippe Mexes (AC Milan v Anderlecht): Former France defender Mexes scored his first goal for Milan with a spectacular bicycle kick from 18 yards out in a Champions League group match at Anderlecht during the 2012-13 season.

Philippe Albert (Newcastle v Manchester United): On a day to remember for Newcastle supporters during the 1996-97 campaign, Albert put the icing on the cake with a sublime chip in the hosts' 5-0 win over the reigning English champions.

Daniel Agger (Liverpool v West Ham): Agger's first Liverpool goal was a thing of beauty. With his side trailing1-0, the Dane collected a pass near the centre circle, took two touches and then dispatched his third into the top left corner, prompting a turnaround.

Virgil van Dijk (Celtic v St Johnstone): Celtic were coasting to their 45th Scottish title in 2013-14 when Van Dijk underlined his class at St Johnstone. Collecting the ball inside his own half, the Dutch defender drifted past five players before finding the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot.

Much-needed win for Tottenham and Frank

For Tottenham and Frank it was a much-needed victory after his side had been booed off the pitch at the end of their 1-0 home loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

That extended a run of only one point from three successive home Premier League matches, even though they had picked up five points from their opening three games in the Champions League.

Frank urged the fans to back the team and the supporters responded as they, along with a passionate following from the visitors, helped create a superb atmosphere.

The home mood was helped when Tottenham took a 19th-minute lead through Brennan Johnson, before Wilson Odobert added a second soon after the restart to put Spurs in control.

That threatened to change when Johnson was sent off, after Belgian official Erik Lambrechts had been sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee to review the Welshman's sliding challenge on to the ankle of Marcos Lopez.

But Van de Ven's moment of magic quickly ended any hope of a fightback as Copenhagen, despite having a man advantage, crumbled with Joao Palhinha adding a fourth. There was almost a fifth but Richarlison hit the crossbar with a penalty in added time.

"We're progressing forwards, but we are not where we want to be," admitted Frank afterwards. "I saw a good performance, which I'm happy with. We talked about bounce-back mentality and there will be setbacks in football, it's how you react after a bad spell. We controlled the game from minute one."

For Van de Ven, it has been a mixed few days.

After the game against Chelsea, television footage showed him and team-mate Djed Spence appearing to snub Frank, when the Dane had gestured for them to go and acknowledge the home supporters.

Both players apologised after the incident, with Frank drawing a line under the matter in Monday's news conference.

Following Van de Ven's goal, which will be talked about for years to come, Frank joked about the Dutchman: "He can keep walking past me if he is angry if he delivers like that."