The bicycle kick that could

I was asking mrbrown yesterday why a bicycle kick in football is called a bicycle kick. It doesn’t resemble a bicycle, and when the kicker executes it, even if correctly, it doesn’t look like he/she is riding a bicycle, unless you count riding a bicycle upside down and about to fall off and hurt yourself.

That aside, we watched a video of what’s possibly the most famous kick of that kind, executed to perfection way, way back in 1993, at the National Stadium, in the Malaysia Cup, by Singapore football legend, V. Sundramoorthy.

It rates as one of the best goals ever scored anywhere. And for Sundram to find the back of the net still beggars belief: The striker has his back to the goal (obviously coached to do so) and a looping cross from the right floats at above head height, beating three short defenders as a result, and asks for a ridiculously spectacular and accurate kick to be attempted because, what the heck, when nothing is ventured, nothing is usually gained, and Singapore was 7-nil up against the hapless Bruneians anyway.

And so it came to be, a goal that was scored with what they call a bicycle kick that has become the stuff of legend, in a stadium that an entire generation already doesn’t remember.

Watch it (there are about three slo-mo replays too) at the Singapore Memory website. And if you’ve got memories of your own to contribute to the site’s collection, simply sign up and write!

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3 responses to “The bicycle kick that could”

  1. Ivan Chew Avatar
    Ivan Chew

    Hmm, good question. Why is it called a Bicycle Kick? Perhaps it sounds better than “upside down yoga-pose reverse bicycle leg movement” kick. LOL

    1. Mr Miyagi Avatar

      The correct term is “synchronized swimming kick”

  2. kg. kriket. Avatar
    kg. kriket.

    i only remember v. sundramoorthy’s glow in the dark, alleycats afro. As for “bicycle kick”, that’s probably in the same category as “chinaman bowler”.

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