The Funniest Own Goals in History: When Defenders Became Strikers

Own goals happen when a player scores for the other team on their own accord, and these goals shift matches in ways one wouldn’t expect. They also demonstrate the unpredictable aspects of football, which is a game where misjudgments and incorrect assessments can easily be made. Own goals have likely existed since the sport’s inception; own goals have existed in professional leagues for as long as their records show. FIFA records state that on average, one own goal is scored in every ten major tournaments played.

Notable Own Goals in English Football

English football has produced numerous memorable own goals, particularly in the Premier League and lower divisions, where high-stakes environments amplify errors. Players like Jamie Pollock and Chris Brass exemplify how routine defensive actions can lead to spectacular failures. In analyzing these soccer blunders, statisticians note the low football odds against such precise mishaps, yet they persist across seasons. Pollock’s 1998 effort for Manchester City against Queens Park Rangers involved heading the ball over his own goalkeeper, contributing to City’s relegation.

For unique incidents, in 2006, there was the case of Chris Brass and the rest of the world when he got his nose broken in the middle of the match, paired up with Bury against Darlington, because he miscalculated an overhead clearance and managed to kick a ball, having it touch his nose and score a goal. It is a perfect example of how not to do physical comedy, and not realizing that it would go to a higher level of the sport. Djimi Traore, also in the 2005 Burnley match, while playing with Liverpool, had an own goal where he lost the ball and pirouetted, losing all control.

In March 1991, Arsenal was up in Midland, playing against Coventry, when Lee Dixon embarrassingly performed an own goal, which was a chip shot netted from his own half. It left everyone in utter disbelief, along with the rest of his team. 

International Own Goals

Moving on to the more international level, world tournaments like the 2006 World Cup have had their share. Goals that become an own goal carry much more weight when an audience from all over the world is watching. One perfect example is Cristian Zaccardo, who for Italy was playing the match versus America when he couldn’t clear the ball from his own half and ended up scoring an own goal. It was a group stage game that ended in a tie, which, unfortunately for Italia, complicated their if/then progression goals.

Santiago Vergini has made an impact in the European club level, straying away from his role to accidentally volley an own goal from the box in the game against Southampton, while playing for Sunderland in 2014, and since then it has been described as one of the worst own goals in history, and since then Vergini has been described as mentally unfit to play the position. Along the same lines, Laurent Koscielny in 2011 in the League Cup final as an Arsenal player cameos in his own trophy cabinet as a result of pitched rumors where Arsenal lost to Birmingham while Koscielny scored an own goal right at the end as a result of a lack of communication.

Top Own Goals by Players and Matches

Bizarre Own Goals from Global Leagues

Outside Europe, the difference in culture and environment impacts the style of play in different leagues. In Jordan, Mohammad Shatnawi of Al-Wehdat had a terrible goalkeeping sequence when he tried saving a shot from Al-Faisaly, and then proceeded to hook the ball over his head and into his own net. This incident demonstrated a major weakness in goalkeeping during the critically fast-paced, in-counterattacking Middle East football during 2015.

In Tahiti, Mickael Roche made a shocking defensive error where, in an attempt to pass a ball, he got a head of steam and sanctioned a pass, which then proceeded to roll into the net. All along, his teammates watched in helpless agony as he bundled the ball with confusion into his own goal. It is a common understanding that leagues near the northern border of the ocean, alongside the humid weather, tend to witness ample defensive mistakes as a result of very slick and washed-out pitches. Besides, Assaf Mendes, who plays for Maccabi Haifa, had his own goal because of his bad clearance against Dynamo Kyiv, in which the weather played an additional unfriendly factor to the game, which was surely an easterly wind to that of the opposing team. Mendes’s goal was achieved during practice, proof that defense is determined with the highest concentration and positioning on the field.

Common Causes of Own Goals

The common reasoning behind own goals is that defenders and goalkeepers fail miserably in coordination to keep the ball. The following factors contribute to one’s goals:

• Keepers often being beaten is not uncommon, as goals taken from crosses or shots may take deflections and achieve unintended but perfectly placed trajectories.
• Severe blunders in the performance of a poorly timed volley or a poorly timed header often result in the shooter being volleyed or headed.
• Certain aspects of the environment, such as wind or a drizzly soccer field, worsen ill positioning or waning focus.
• More common decisions made while defending from the goal keeper or during scrimmage under pressure increase the chances of a goal being scored in power on the goal.

The Evolution of Own Goals in Modern Football

Enhancements in the methods of training and technology have affected the frequency and manner of own goals. Coaches utilize video analysis of incidents to attach metrics, but Opta data suggests own goals in the Premier League have risen at a rate of 15% from 2010 to 2020 due to the increased pace of the game. The 2024 record of Emiliano Martinez being the first goalkeeper to have scored three own goals in the Premier League deflection owns goals to Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester, which he scored trying to deflect the balls.