It was the 26th of March 2000 that I witnessed something that can only be described as incredible. I was in my third season of being a season ticket holder with my mates at Upton Park and we had been blessed with some wonderful moments in the Harry Redknapp era…
It was Wimbledon that we were playing that day, and the game itself was okay but nothing to really shout about apart from one moment. Before I talk about that goal, I will say that our ex-player Michael Hughes scored a cracking goal himself in this game. This turned out to be a consolation because West Ham were 2-0 up at this point. On this day, it was also a debut for Frederic Kanoute. Initially signed on loan, he did form a good partnership with Paolo Di Canio, and scored a well-deserved goal in the game.
The Move, the Skill, the Stunned Silence
However, this day was about the Paolo Di Canio goal. It was down the other end to where I was standing. My season ticket was in the Bobby Moore Lower directly behind the goal…
This goal was simply beautiful, Marc-Vivien Foe started the move by spraying a decent pass out wide to Trevor Sinclair. Sinclair was a fine deliverer of the ball and credit has to go for the outstanding long-range pass that he played diagonally across the pitch…
What I witnessed next is a thing of beauty and even that just does not give this goal justice. It is the greatest goal that I have ever witnessed live. It is also, in my opinion, the greatest goal scored in Premier League history. The fact that both of his legs were off the ground at the time is a skill in itself but to volley and dispatch it so beautifully in the far corner of the goal is amazing. The control he had to execute this is incredible.
The Perfect Moment and Lasting Memory
Paolo Di Canio was a genius and this goal was simply outstanding. The fact that he waved his finger in celebration and gestured that he could not do any more as this was the perfect moment says it all. He knew how special that goal was.
As I mentioned earlier, the perspective of the game can be deceptive down the other end of the pitch. I vividly remember that when this goal went in, there was a silence down my end. Now it seemed like an age but it was only a split second or two. Almost like everyone could not believe that it had just happened. Then an eruption of sheer joy.
I remember looking at my mates, mouth open and thinking wow… I, however, know that I was lucky to have witnessed such a thing of beauty on the hallowed Upton Park turf. Interestingly, there were only 22,438 people in attendance that day and I was one of the lucky ones.
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