I went off in the last post about beautiful fastbreaks, but didn't even mention "El Tacon de Dios" or "The Heel of God" that happened on Saturday in Real Madrid's game against Deportivo de la Coruna. I didn't quite realize it was a fastbreak because of the assist that overshadows everything else that transpires, including the goal. Not sure if you will find a more selfless move than what Guti did. Few players in the game would ever turn down the goal scoring opportunity that Guti had. An even smaller percentage of those players would actually have the huevos to make that pass in that moment. It's just brilliant. Phil Ball provides a great commentary and analysis of the goal and Guti (he also coins the term 'taconazo' - the heel pass version of 'golazo'). Here is just an excerpt:
"If you were at all conscious this weekend and vaguely interested in football you will have seen the back-heeled pass that Real Madrid's Guti conjured up on Saturday night for Karim Benzema to score against Deportivo de La Coruña, up in windy Galicia. If not, take a look now. This is because, to return to the point that Ken Loach was presumably trying to make in his film, it's the unexpected that causes the greatest impact in your life - perhaps a moment where you dared to take a risk and it came off, and then you remember it for ever as a life-changing decision because you know you could have taken the safer option. But if you had, your life would have been the poorer somehow.As always, Phil Ball is spot on. If Guti had just scored the goal, it would have made the highlight reel for the games this weekend. Instead he took the other option, the one that isn't nearly as safe, but etches the goal in soccer highlight history. Who knows what will happen with Guti this season. He's always been all over the map. But if he continues to play like he has in the past couple of games, he could be the piece that relaxes the team and also brings them together and makes Madrid a dominant force again.
The wonder of Guti's 'Tacón de Dios' (Heel of God, dixit Marca) is that it has changed in an instant the player's image, from burned-out waster outliving his time in La Liga and entertaining us only with his weird declarations to the press - the latest that he intended to retire to Bangkok - to reconfirmed genius."
Check out the goal. It's at the 1:20 mark.
