The most outrageous skills in 60 years of the Bundesliga
The Bundesliga has seen its fair share of incredible players who have sent fans gasping and embarrassed opponents with their sheer mastery of a football. We round up some of the most memorable moments of unadulterated skill here...
The Bundesliga has seen some of the very greatest talents in the game over its 60-year existence, and it is only natural they have conjured up some jaw-dropping moments of skill that show the extent of their near superhuman ability.
There has been no era in which footballers are as technically advanced as the modern day, and those watching the Bundesliga in recent years have been able to enjoy delights like Kingsley Coman pulling off a scorpion-style flick over an opponent's head.
It would be wrong to write off the first few decades as a time before tricks and skills though, as shown by Jupp Heynckes completing a silky goal by pulling off a delightful flick to put himself through.
The arrival of elite players from around the world in increasing numbers from the 1990s on certainly helped to create magical moments of skill - witness Franck Ribery, who Heynckes coached for a number of years at Bayern Munich, ball juggling - or Diego, an artful Brazilian who played for Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg, pulling off a twisting backheel turn.
Eye-catching moments of skill are not only the preserve of nifty midfielders or attackers, as shown by Ramy Bensebaini sliding to drag the ball back before feinting his way past Xaver Schlager - or Manuel Neuer showing his reputation for being the most technically accomplished goalkeeper with the ball at his feet by nonchalantly completing a backheeled volley to pass to a defender.
Some of the players to have produced standout moments of skill do indeed share the trait of sheer technical excellence - such as Zlatko Junuzovic of Bremen pulling off a staggering triple nutmeg, or Jude Bellingham in his boy wonder days at Borussia Dortmund completing a shimmy and flick past an opponent.
The legendary Robert Lewandowski also has his place in the pantheon of great Bundesliga moments of skill, by twisting his legs for an outrageous rabona cross that assisted a goal for Thomas Müller.
