I remember seeing the Brazilian soccer icon Ronaldinho play for the first time. I wondered if there was another type of soccer different from the one I grew up playing and watching.
Here’s the thing: there are no two types of soccer. As far as the sport follows the Laws of the Game, it’s soccer. But over here, soccer is a little more mechanical. Optimized for efficiency. We’re competitive people, after all.
But out there, soccer is also entertainment. People watch the game to see the players do things with the ball that will make them scream and get them off their seats. And that is what Ronaldinho exemplified.
My first experience of the magician was when he was in Barcelona between 2003 and 2008. Every move he made, every touch of the ball was beautiful. But as much as he entertained, he did everything to beat his mark.
11 of the Best Soccer Moves and Tricks to Get Past Defenders
Ronaldinho was flashy but efficient. Elegant but deadly. You could catch him juggling the ball at a spot and think, “I’ll get the ball off him,” and nothing would prepare you for how bamboozled you’ll be. Next thing you know, he’s blitzing past you towards your goal.
He had many moves in his arsenal to beat defenders and markers. These moves were different from other regular soccer moves to beat your marker.
Think of them like different ball-handling techniques in basketball, which players use to get defenders off their backs for a clear line at the bucket.
They were more difficult to perform too, because of the mode of playing soccer. With basketball, your hands give you a huge advantage. With soccer, it’s difficult to perform skill moves with your feet.
Yet, Ronaldinho mastered these skills and pulled them out every match like a magician pulls rabbits out of a hat.
His favorite move was the “Elastico”. In the coming sections, you’ll learn all about the move and other beautiful soccer skill moves that players use to beat their marks.
Nutmeg
This is a devastatingly effective move that any player can add to their arsenal. I can’t tell you where the name came from, but what I can tell you is that it is the most embarrassing soccer move that exists.
Every defending player works to make sure that they dispossess their opponents off the ball – stealing, in basketball terms.
However, some players are so aware that they evade marks by sliding the ball through the defending player’s legs.
This action is called NUTMEGGING and the skill is called a NUTMEG. It requires high awareness to be able to pull off.
The Elastico
This is Ronaldinho’s move. This is the one I saw him do first, which turned me into a fan.
It has many other names: “flip-flap”, “akka”, and my favorite name for the move, the “snakebite”. The “snakebite” is a more accurate name for it because it mimics the quick zig-zag, slimy movement a snake makes before it strikes.
Ronaldinho would stare down the defending player, use the outside of his dominant foot to move the ball in one direction and almost immediately, bring it back to his intended direction in a move that resembles a snake striking.
Rarely has any defending player been able to stop a perfectly executed Elastico.
Inside Touch – Scissor
This is a type of step-over (more on this) that players can execute to get out of sticky situations when they have only one route to their opponent’s goal.
To execute this, the player has to touch the ball softly with their dominant foot. Once the ball moves a little further, the player has to attempt a step-over with the dominant foot.
Once this is done, the next step will be to sharply touch the ball with the standing foot to keep it moving on the same patch they’re on.
Cruyff Turn
This soccer move is named after the late great Johan Cryuff, the Netherlands soccer legend who introduced the world to a whole new style of playing the sport called “Total Football”.
It is an effective move and one which I’ll advocate for every player to add to their arsenal because there will be many occasions that it can be used in-game.
To execute this skill, the attacking player must face the opposite direction from the opponent’s goal, and the defender must block their path.
The attacking player should move the ball forward with his dominant foot, then swiftly drag it behind him to change directions quickly.
Fake Back Heel
This is another one of Ronaldinho’s signature moves. It even confused his teammates. With one perfectly executed fake back heel, the Brazilian could clear acres of space for him to run into.
To execute this move, a player has to pull the ball back as if they intend to play a backheel pass. Then the player has to attempt to side-foot the ball to a teammate in order to misdirect the opponents.
As the ball leaves their leg, the player will stop it and pull it back to the original direction, which would have opened up.
Devastating move, that one.
Step over
This move requires time and space to pull off, which means any player can pull it off. When executed properly, the attacking player succeeds in confusing the defending player before they change directions quickly.
To perform a stepover, the player must have some space between himself and the defending player. Then the attacking player begins to move his legs around the moving ball in a bid to deceive the defender’s eyes.
Once the attacking player has stepped over the ball enough to decide on their preferred direction, they move, which leaves the defender confused and trying to catch up.
Spin Turn
This is a move that was pioneered by the late great Diego Armando Maradona. It is a move for players with incredible balance because they can be hooked from behind and brought down. This almost always results in a foul, but that means a potential attack has been killed off.
To execute this move, the attacking player pulls the ball back as he approaches the defending player, shields the ball by backing the defending player, and then performs a 360-degree spin while pulling the ball back toward his original direction.
Rabona Kick
This is not really a move to beat defenders. It is done mostly for entertainment value, but excellent players have used it to beat their marks.
Normal kicks require a player to swing his kicking foot from the front. Rabona kicks require a player to swing his kicking foot from the back.
A player who wants to kick a Rabona shot or a pass needs some space to line up the kick. Then, they set the ball up on the opposite side of their kicking foot before swinging their kicking foot behind their standing foot to hit the soccer ball.
Rainbow Flick
When you think about the most disrespectful soccer moves ever, the rainbow flick will top your list.
There are many stories of fights breaking out in soccer games because a player pulled this move. It is mostly associated with showboating because of the steps involved in executing it.
To execute the move, the attacking player should be staring down the defending player. The next step is to get the ball between both feet, grasp it as tightly as they can, and then flick the ball with both legs from behind them. The aim is to get the ball to go over the defending player in an arch – hence the name.
For more on how to perform this skill, read our article on the subject here.
The Chop
Many players have done and will do this move but not many can do it as effectively and as devastatingly as Cristiano Ronaldo.
It resembles the cut in style but it is done with the inside of the standing or non-dominant foot. While sprinting towards your opponent’s goal with a defender in tow, strike the moving ball with the inside of your non-dominant foot and cut it behind your dominant leg to sharply change directions.
V-Pull
The V-Pull is a simple move that can also be embarrassing for a defending player, depending on the skill and technical level of the attacking player.
The move is almost impossible to do while sprinting, but many players, including Ronaldinho, have pulled it off.
The move involves pulling the moving ball back and changing its direction all in one motion to create a V-shape.
First, the player has to stop the ball by placing their foot on top of it. Next, the player rolls the ball back towards them, and third, the player kicks the ball in a different direction.
Final thoughts
You need to understand that these skill moves are medium to high level difficult and quite unrealistic in certain situations.
If you’re a rookie player reading this, don’t work to add these to your arsenal just because. You may never get the chance to use them in-game.
Instead, work to hone your basic skills because those are the ones that will take you the farthest in your career.
Not everybody can be Ronaldinho.
