Seven trends from the first round of Best Goal Ever
Of the 64 goals that began the Best Goal Ever competition, only half remain. Now there are 32 strikes in the second round of the initiative that looks to find the greatest goal ever scored by FC Barcelona.
Here are some of the findings from the first round:
1- Messi is the dominant force
Of the initial 64 goals 10 belonged to Lionel Messi. Some 9 of those qualified for the next round. In fact, the only goal capable of ousting the Argentine's 2009 Champions League final strike was another one of his own: That scored in the 2015 Champions League semi final.
2- Ronaldinho also looking strong
Another player whose goals are proving popular is Ronaldinho. Five of his 6 goals have been chosen for the second round, with only his overhead kick against Villarreal ousted -by a Rivaldo overhead kick. Of the 32 goals still in contention, 14 belong to either Messi or Ronaldinho.
3- Battles between current first team players
Sergi Roberto vs. Luis Suárez and Ousmane Dembélé vs. Philippe Coutinho were two duels between current first team players in the first round. There was plenty of debate, as you can see in this video, but eventually Sergi Roberto and Dembélé went through.
4- The big surprise
The biggest shock so far has been the elimination of Andrés Iniesta's goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Alexis Sánchez' overhead kick against Real Madrid was picked ahead of Iniesta's memorable 2009 winner.
5- More than 325,000 votes
In total, more than 325,000 people have cast their vote since the competition began on December 19th of last year. And there's still the second round to come!
6- Great goalscorers get left behind
Many big names are now out of the running for Best Goal Ever. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar Jr, David Villa, Thierry Henry, Patrick Kluivert, Samuel Eto'o and Luis Suárez have had their goals eliminated from the competition.
7- 18 candidates remain
A total of 18 candidates remain. Messi and Ronaldinho have 9 and 5 goals in contention, respectively, whilst Ronald Koeman and Rivaldo have two apiece. A further 14 players are represented by single goals.