The step over (also known as the ''pedalada'', the ''denílson'', or the ''scissors'', or the ''roeder shuffle'') is a

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...

move, or

feint Feint is a French term that entered English via the discipline of swordsmanship and fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or e ...

, in

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, used to fool a defensive player into thinking the offensive player, in possession of the ball, is going to move in a direction they do not intend to move in. According to one source, the move was invented by Argentine striker

Pedro Calomino Bleo Pedro Fournol, mostly known as Pedro Calomino (also nicknamed ''Calumín'') (13 March 1892 – 12 January 1950) was an Argentine footballer who played as right winger. Calomino spent nearly all of his career in Boca Juniors, having also pla ...

in the early 1900s, and was first used in Europe by Dutch player

Law Adam Lawrence "Law" Adam (11 June 1908 – 15 May 1941) was a Dutch-Swiss association football, football player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He was born in Probolinggo, Dutch East Indies and died in Surabaya, Dutch East ...

, who was famous for it in the late 1920s/early 1930s, which earned him the nickname "Adam the Scissorsman". It was later also used in Italy by

Amedeo Biavati Amedeo Biavati (; 4 April 1915 – 22 April 1979) was an Italian footballer, who was born in Bologna. He was usually deployed as forward or as a midfielder on the wing. A very fast and creative player, with an eye for goal, precise crossing, an ...

in the 1930s and was used by former Newcastle United player

Glenn Roeder Glenn Victor Roeder (13 December 1955 – 28 February 2021) was an English professional football player and manager. As a player, Roeder played as a defender for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Newcastle United, Watfo ...

in the 1980s. The step over was popularised in the mid-1990s by Brazilian footballer and global superstar Ronaldo. Nowadays, the technique is in widespread use by attacking players all over the world, such as

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

and

Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and renowned ...

References

Source

;Books *

External links

BBC Sport , Football , Skills , The Step over
{{Association football terminology Association football skills Association football terminology