There are goals, and then there are GOALS. Yes, the latter is written in capitals and iconic strikes can last a lifetime - just ask Abdón Prats.
As time ebbed away in our clash at promotion rivals Almería with the scoreboard level, the striker met Lago Junior’s cross with a spectacular overhead kick to secure what could prove to be a decisive victory come the end of the season in the 91st minute. The wondergoal has been replayed over and over again throughout the island, but few can truly relate like Palma-resident and scorer of a similar goal against FC Barcelona on the opening day of 2019-20 season like former RCD Mallorca forward Aritz Aduriz.
"It was spectacular” he shared with Abdón Prats in a catch-up at the Visit Mallorca Estadi. “I can certainly identify with the joy in that moment. When it happened, people started sending me messages because of how incredible it was and that it was similar to the I scored. It was a fantastic, spectacular and great goal. It came at a moment in a match which looked like it had already ended and the pity was that there were no people to celebrate it with."
"In that internal battle that you have in your head, I thought that I was going to have a chance like that and I had to put it in, although I never imagined it would happen like that,” Abdón continued. “It's true, with age you get respect for goals like that because many times you can hurt yourself when falling, but on Thursday I didn't think about it when I saw the ball up there. It stayed high and with my head I couldn’t get to it. Besides, Dani Rodriguez was telling me to hit it. In the end I scored and Dani himself told me that it was the best goal he had ever seen".
Aduriz was a goal of the season contender for his effort at Camp Nou in his final campaign as a professional footballer, but believes bicycle kicks are not something you can prepare for on the training ground.
"I experienced it [his goal] in a very similar way,” he said. “My feeling was that I wanted to have that opportunity and it was waiting for me. Overhead-kick goals can’t be trained, they are created themselves. I never tried it during a training session when I was a professional, but I did try it when I was a child on the beach where we had a small grass pitch very close by and we did it a million times, but there we were like rubber.
“People are left with the image of that goal and that moment. Abdón has time to score many more goals, although I don't know if he'll score any as beautifully as that. I've played many exciting games but as a fan it was the best game I've ever seen - the most exciting. It was wonderful, spectacular.”
Abdón’s bicycle kick was his second consecutive goal in as many games having previously ended a difficult year-long wait to find the back of the net again - last scoring in the play-off final victory over Deportivo de La Coruña - although Aduriz had some advice for our current No.9.
“You have to put everything into perspective, the striker is always measured by his goals but beyond that you always have to do a great job and be satisfied – that’s what most coaches ask for,” he said. “Judging a striker by his goals is unfair. Now, having retired, I think I must have enjoyed many moments when I was locked up at home. Besides, everything comes in runs, football is like that.”
