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What’s the one thing (well, OK, one of the things) that separates James Ward-Prowse and Lionel Messi? Unlike Messi, Ward-Prowse scored an ‘olimpico’.
An olimpico is a goal scored directly from a corner. They are undeniably memorable and pulling one off requires a combination of skill, opportunism and luck. Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry scored an Olympic goal for the New York Red Bulls against Columbus Crew in 2012. Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham today co-owner of Inter Miami, scored twice directly from a corner for the LA Galaxy in 2012.
United States women’s national team icon Megan Rapinoe is the only women’s or men’s soccer player to score in two Olympic games. Last season, Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz scored directly from a corner in a friendly against Walsall, a Carabao Cup match against Bolton Wanderers and then against Arsenal in the Premier League.
The player who is said to have scored the first olimpico, Argentinian Cesareo Onzari, did so in a friendly match against reigning Olympic champions Uruguay in 1924, hence the name.
A century later, Messi, despite more than 800 career goals, has yet to score one. There is even YouTube Compilation Videos chronicling the 36-year-old’s many attempts over the years.
GO FURTHER
The Olímpico: the only footballing feat that escapes Lionel Messi
Ward-Prowse, the West Ham United midfielder who joined Southampton last summer for £30 million ($38 million), is a set-piece specialist. In 410 senior appearances for Southampton, he scored 55 goals. Of those 55, 33 came from a penalty or direct free kick. Although he is yet to score a free kick for West Ham, he has provided the most assists (11) by any West Ham player this season.
His mastery of dead balls has seen the 29-year-old hailed as the world’s best free-kick taker by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in 2022. Ward-Prowse has scored 17 free-kicks in the Premier League, which is one less than Beckham’s record.
“To hear this from someone like him (Guardiola) is incredible, given that he coached arguably the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi, who is not so bad on free kicks,” Ward-Prowse told TNT Sports in December. .
So how did the midfielder pull off an olimpico?
Ward-Prowse bends one from the corner 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Sn4UBzHfSp
– West Ham United (@WestHam) April 6, 2024
It happened in the 84th minute of West Ham’s 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. It was a windy afternoon at Molineux Stadium, which worked to Ward-Prowse’s advantage. The midfielder celebrated with his typical swing of an imaginary golf club. It’s become part of Ward-Prowse’s routine because her son, Oscar, loves golf.
Mexico international Edson Alvarez was the first player to adopt Ward-Prowse, followed by defenders Konstantinos Mavropanos and Aaron Cresswell. Forward Michail Antonio tweeted: “No words, Prowsey,” shocked by what his teammate just did. The Wolves defense was emotionless.
No words Prowsey 😲 pic.twitter.com/iCQpXJ0fUc
-Michael Antonio (@MichaelAntonio) April 6, 2024
After an Olympic match has been scored, there is always debate over whether the strike was intentional or not. As for Ward-Prowse, he says his goal against Wolves is not the first time he has scored directly from a corner.
“Part of the plan was to get a shot on target and you hope someone can get a little touch to trouble the goalkeeper, and luckily it went all the way,” he said. “The wind was helpful today and it was a good assist. The last time I scored from a corner was probably when I was a kid. I’m going to get weird shouts for shooting in every corner now! »
Ward-Prowse, who has won 11 England caps, has six goals and 11 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions for West Ham this season.
“He brings so much quality,” Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said in August. “He brings a world-class performance, he is brilliant in pressing.
“£30m – when you look at that price it’s going to add a lot of quality. It’s a brilliant signature. I think we talk very often about his set pieces but I find that it almost becomes disrespectful because of what he does apart from that: he presses people well, he is very comfortable with the ball , he can make interesting passes.
“I’m just a huge fan of his. He has improved so much over the years.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski also praised Ward-Prowse’s olimpico, but believes the weather was a factor in his teammate’s spectacular effort.
“I think the conditions played a bit into what happened with that goal,” the West Ham goalkeeper said. “Even in the warm-up, I felt that the ball was coming a lot faster, while on the other side it was dying a little. I don’t want to take anything away from Prowsey! Obviously there was a lot of quality in there, but I think the windy conditions helped a little.
David Moyes, the West Ham manager, also admitted the wind had played a part, but he was pleased with Ward-Prowse’s contributions this season and his reliability from set-pieces.
“I’m going to congratulate James for that because of his technical ability, but I also think there was a bit of strong wind as well, which may have helped,” Moyes said.
“But don’t take that away from him, because he actually put in a brilliant performance just before that from a corner, and we didn’t have the players properly positioned to deal with it. His impact has been huge for us this season.
To you, Lionel.