With the 2022 World Cup in full swing we’ve already seen some fantastic goals, but what are the most viewed World Cup goals online of all time? Online casino comparison experts CasinoBonusCA.com have used YouTube studio analytics to see which goals are most associated with the search term “World Cup goal” and then tally the view count of all clips of the goals uploaded to YouTube.
In first place as the most viewed goal online is Maradona’s ‘goal of the century’ with a total of 54,808,000 million views across YouTube. The famous goal against England in the 1986 World Cup ranks number one in this list and lives up to its description as the ‘goal of the century’ in which Diego Maradona, one the greatest footballers of all time, began his run from the halfway line and dribbled past several England players to put the ball in the back of the net and put Argentina through, therefore eliminating England from the competition.
Placing second on this list is one of the most controversial World Cup goals of all time, Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in 1986 has totalled 36,665,800 million goals. In today’s game, VAR would rule it out however such technology was not accessible in 1986. The reason the goal is named the ‘Hand of God’ is the fact that Maradona while in the box handballed the goal, using his hand to place the ball in goal. The referee awarded despite England players’ protests.
Ranking third on the list is Spain’s Andreas Iniesta’s goal in the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands with a total of 21,292,000 views online. The final is infamous for the dirty play tactics which the Netherlands applied in the game, however this was not enough as Iniesta would get a goal in the 25th minute of extra time, crowning Spain world champions.
In fourth place is Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick against Spain with a total of 20,112,000 million views online. The stunning freekick in the 86th minute equalized the score and capped off a hat trick for the Portuguese great.
In fifth position with 16,632,000 views online is Mario Gotze’s goal in the World Cup final against Argentina. The German had come on as a substitute in extra time and slotted home a left footed finish to break Argentinian hearts. The goal was the only one scored in the game and crown Germany champions of the world.
Placing sixth on the list is Dutch legend Dennis Bergkhamp’s goal in the 1998 World Cup against Argentina with a total of 13,609,000 views. The Dutchman coolly finished after a long range pass from Frank De Boer. The videos are not only viewed for the beauty of the goal, but the famous Dutch commentary in which the commentator rejoiced in joy screaming the name “Dennis Bergkhamp”
Seventh on the list is another Dutchman, Robin Van Persie’s solo flying goal vs Spain in the 2014 World Cup. The goal has a total of 13,428,000 views online. After losing the last World Cup to Spain, the Netherlands were out for revenge, and one of the five goals they scored against Spain was the striker’s header against Spain, he headed Daley Blind’s long range pass and caught the keeper off his line in one the all time great World Cup goals.
Eighth on the list is James Rodrizgues’s goal against Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup, totalling 11,737,000 views online. The Colombian was the breakout star of the tournament, helping Colombia progress through the tournament he controlled the ball with his chest and volleyed past the keeper from outside the box. The goal was voted fifa PUSKAS goal of the year.
It wouldn’t be a World Cup list without a Brazilian featuring with Ronaldinho’s free kick against England in the 2002 World Cup placing ninth on the list with 11,208,000 views. The stunning freekick caught the English keeper off his line, and was one of the great Brazilian goals as they went on to win their fifth World Cup.
Rounding off the list and placing tenth is Benjamin Pavard’s goal against Argentina in the 2018 World Cup. The Frenchman’s goal has a total of 9,626,000 views and was voted the goal of the tournament. France would go on to win the tournament and be crowned world champions.
A spokesperson for CasinoBonusCA.com commented on the findings “With the World Cup tournament in full swing, it is fascinating to see goals from 1986 and 1998 placing high on the list despite YouTube being created in 2005, indicating how new generations are being introduced to some of these historic goals whilst fans who remember the games being played can relive them. It will be interesting to see if any historic or controversial goals are made this year in Qatar that could rival entries on this list.”
| Most viewed World Cup goals | Combined Views |
| Maradona goal of the century | 54,808,000 |
| Maradona hand of God | 36,665,800 |
| Iniesta World Cup final goal | 21,292,000 |
| Ronaldo free kick vs spain | 20,112,000 |
| Mario Gotze World Cup final goal | 16,632,000 |
| Dennis Bergkhamp goal vs Argentina | 13,609,000 |
| Robin Van Persie goal vs spain | 13,428,000 |
| James Rodriguez Goal vs Uruguay | 11,737,000 |
| Ronaldinho free kick vs England | 11,208,000 |
| Pavard Goal vs Argentina | 9,626,000 |
