Brazilians have always had an indifferent ability to blemish their moves like nobody else can. Their love for “Joga Bonito” has been qualified by some known and some rather unknown players across the globe.
Football wouldn’t have been the way it is without Brazilian ball artistry and their passion to make this beautiful game, even more beautiful.
One such cherished player is Antônio Augusto Ribeiro Reis Jr commonly known as Juninho Pernambucano.
Born on 30 January, 1975, he is often regarded as one of the greatest free kick takers of all times. It is not a rookie’s job to impel the ball, curve it towards the target, and get past the goalkeeper and to get it converted. And Juninho had the ability to do it all! Not for an imperceptible number of times, but 76 times in his entire football career.
He started his career with Vasco Da Gama and then moving on to France for having a remarkable stint with Olympique Lyonnais. He returned back to his childhood club in 2009 and hung his boots in 2013.
The true testament to his ability was the saying that a free kick for Lyon anywhere near the 18 yards box is almost as good as a penalty kick, if Juninho is on field.
His style has been adapted by players such as Andrea Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba. Manchester United and Madrid fans would be fully acquainted with the flying free kicks of Ronaldo that contains traces of Juninho’s unmatched abilities.
Presenting here are five of the gems picked up from the treasure of Juninho’s free kicks arranged chronologically-
1. Juninho gets spotted as a free kick specialist against River Plate
The supporters of River Plate woke up happier that Wednesday. After 19 years, the Argentinean team was a finalist of the Liberators of America.
In 1998, Vasco and River made to the finals anticipating to become the kings of the Liberators. Representatives of two bigger strength of the South American football, the team who was going to win in the confrontation would arrive with spacious favoritism in the continent.
Juninho Pernambucano, who had entered at the place of the gunner Luisão, had the opportunity for taking a free kick of the intermediary. In the first 23 years of his life, the player had showed his talent in the motionless ball.
After rivers took a lead at the start of the first half, he had a complete opportunity to lag that lead. And he put on that beautiful curve above the head of the goalkeeper and made it memorable. The goal for the hall of fame of the Vasco,the goal of Juninho, the monumental.
The spectacular throw has a special place in the memory and in heart of each supporter. Even that what were born after the Liberators of 1998 chant in the terraces of Saint Januário (the stadium of Vasco Da Gama for Reizinho de Sao Januário (the little king of Sao Januário).
2. His favorite one, against Bayern Munich
Rémy Vercoutre once said in an interview on French TV, the former Lyon reserve goalkeeper explaining that he and Juninho used to practice every day after training during the Brazilian’s triumphant eight years at the club.
At that time, Lyon were crowned champions seven years in a row, became a serious European force and never lost a match in which Juninho scored a free-kick. “We’d do 30 or 40 free-kicks per session and 90% of them would be on target.
And most of the time if it was on target, it was a goal … After he scored in matches, the first person he’d run to on the touchline was me. It was brilliant, I felt like it was my reward for all the work we did.”
The next goal that comes up in the list is the one Juninho himself said was his favorite – the masterpiece that he conjured up against Bayern Munich in the group stages of the 2003-04 Champions League.
He said so because of two factors as it was against such formidable hosts and helped seal a 2-1 victory.
And the other being the presence of Oliver Kahn who was regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world at that time and ended up crashing into the upright as he set off in fruitless pursuit off Juninho’s lofted curler from 35 meters, which sidled through the goal post and crossbar on its way into the net.
Because after the ball left his foot and sailed over the wall, a young ballboy behind the goal scampered several yards to his left in anticipation of having to retrieve the wayward shot, only to be struck motionless when it landed in the net.
“That was funny,” said Juninho, an artist who brought dead balls to life like no other.
3. For the Selecao, against Greece in 2006 World Cup
Coming up to the national side, the Brazilian featured in 2001 Copa America and after playing in FIFA world cup 2006, hosted by Germany, he bid a goodbye to the national duty in order to make a way for fresh talents in the team.
This goal came off against Greece in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in which Brazil won 3-0. Juninho starred in the last goal as he put a cross from 27 meters and it made the right curl to get past the Greek goalkeeper and hit the net.
Juninho possessed a unique skill of “knuckle balling” where the ball has almost no spinning motion during the flight. It almost went dead and later it would wobble in the air unpredictably making some artistic curves leaving the goalkeeper baffled about which side to slide on.
Andrea Pirlo is his biography has commented about his obsession for Juninho’s free kicks. He watched numerous DVDs and various photos to decipher his methodology.
It seems like he cracked it, as he has stated that ” It was all about how he struck the ball, not where: only three of Juninho’s toes came into contact with the leather, not his whole foot as you might expect … You have to keep your foot as straight as possible and then relax in one fell swoop. That way, the ball doesn’t spin in the air but does drop rapidly towards goal. That’s when it starts to rotate … When it comes off exactly as I want, there’s no way of keeping it out”.
4. Hero against Barcelona
On one fine evening of 27 November 2007, and a champion’s league draw, Lyon had a new opponent – The Catalonian giants- Barcelona.
The match was named after Juninho Pernambucano as he scored a free kick and a penalty to level the score 2-2.
The match was going mundane after there was a nail biting scene when Juninho made a cross from 45 meters.
Fred failed to make a contact with the ball as it dipped near the goal post and Victor Valdes wasn’t prepared for that one either as this cross turned out to be a free kick or later as a goal to give Lyon a comeback in the monotonous match.
Juninho was on fire that evening as he scored yet another dipping kick to strain out Barca and take the lead before Barcelona leveled it off in the 58th minute.
Definitely, one of the best shots from the man.
5. The longest cross from juninho
Juninho scored 4 shots beyond 40 meters in his entire football career. One was from 41 meters against AC Ajaccio in 2006, second being against barca which just preceded the count, 40 meters against Marseille in 2009 and the farthest one was from 48 meters in 2008 against ONG Nice.
In the domestic match against Nice, nobody would have predicted it to turn out to be a goal if Juninho wasn’t on field. A shot from 48 meters!
And the Brazilian again showed class and was able to convert it.
He had a high amount of recurrence as he scored goals from free kicks tolling to about 50% to his conversion rate. Kicks that he scored were momentous ones and contributed a lot towards the campaign of the entire team. He has always had a positive impact on the forthcoming players and he definitely left a legacy behind that cannot be out classed any sooner!
He’s the best in history – by miles,” Thierry Henry once declared, adding: “I’ve never even tried to do what Juni does because I wouldn’t be able to figure it out.”
