March 26 – Paulo and the Wonder Goal
WHEN he wasn’t pushing over referees, picking up fair play awards or making fascist salutes Paulo di Canio was actually a pretty nifty little player capable of getting the fans up on their feet with one piece of skill.
It was on this day in 2000 when he showed he really did have the skills to pay the bills when he scored a beaut of a volley for West Ham – a strike that would be voted Goal of the Season by BBC Match of the Day viewers. It was also nominated as one of the goals of the decade in 2002 when ten years of the Premier League was celebrated.
The Italian signed for the Irons in 1999 after he felt his former club Sheffield Wednesday failed to back him when he was punished for pushing over referee Paul Alcock.
The fans immediately took to him and he was voted Hammer of the Year in his first season at the Boleyn Ground for some scintilating forward play under Harry Redknapp’s management.
Wimbledon were West Ham’s opponents at Upton Park on this day that year and it took just nine minutes for di Canio to score his spectacular goal.
Trevor Sinclair sent in a pinpoint cross to the far left of the area to find Di Canio who struck his volley with the outside of his right foot from 12 yards out, leaving Dons keeper Neil Sullivan the job of picking the ball out of the net.
We can’t really do it justice by describing it so watch the goal below from every conceivable angle and at every conceivable speed. Which ever way you look at it the goal is a bit special and helped the Hammers to a 2-1 win over the Dons that day.
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December 16 - Fair Play Paulo | On This Football Day on December 16th, 2008
[...] a crowd favourite and more than capable of being a right pain in the arse. Whether he was being lauded for his brilliance or chided for assaulting officials, di Canio was rarely far from the [...]