The rainbow kick (also called the Reverse heel flick-over, the Rainbow flick, the Carretilha or the Lambreta in Brazil, the Lambretta in Italy, the Brazilian in Romania, the
Ardiles flick in the UK, the Arco iris in Spain, the
Okocha-Trick in Germany and the ''Coup du sombrero'' in France)
[Rainbow Kick (Lambretta) tutorial](_blank)
, fro
fifa2008.wordpress.com
accessed 12 July 2008 is a
trick used in
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
, in which a player steps to the side of the ball and flicks it up. The trajectory of the ball gives the trick its name. The trick is usually performed while running forward with the ball, and is done by rolling the ball up the back of one leg with the other foot, before flicking the standing foot upwards to propel the ball forward and over the head.
There are some variations of the rainbow flicks, such as the Advanced rainbow flick, and one popularized by
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...
, the Neymar Rocket.
The advanced rainbow flick involves flicking up the ball to your waist, (sometimes using the
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...
flick-up.) and hitting the ball with the outside of your boot, while also leaning forward. The Neymar Rocket is similar to the normal Rainbow flick, however, instead of rolling the ball up your leg, you lock the ball tightly between your legs, specifically the ankles. Simultaneously, lean forward, and jump while keeping a tight grip in the air, with the legs coming up at a side. When the ball reaches ''knee height'', release your top foot and lob the ball over with your bottom foot.
History
This trick is an impressive show of skill, sometimes seen in
street soccer or
futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
. It is rarely used in modern professional football, as it has a relatively low success rate, but players with high confidence and skill may attempt it from time to time as a
feint, to beat opposing players when
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.
As ...
. It has been used by players such as
Jay-Jay Okocha or
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...
.
It was first executed in 1968, by
Alexandre de Carvalho "Kaneco". It's said that it was invented by
Vito Chimenti, a forward player who also played in
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
, and it's said that the rainbow kick performed in the famous film
Escape to Victory was inspired by him. It was performed at the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
when
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
's
İlhan Mansız, in what was described as a "sombrero" move of "outrageous skill", flicked the ball over both his head and the head of
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
's left-back
Roberto Carlos, forcing Carlos into a foul. Sometimes the use of tricks, such as the rainbow kick, is seen as
showboating and disrespectful to the opposing team. In March 2008, the
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
player
Franck Songo'o attempted the trick, with one match report commenting that the referee "quickly called a halt to proceedings as
pposingplayers piled in threatening to lynch
im.
The rainbow kick appears in a famous sequence in the 1981 film ''
Escape to Victory'', when the trick is used by the character played by
Osvaldo Ardiles, which led to the name of "Ardiles flick". One review described it thus: "the all time special effects highlight being when Osvaldo Ardiles flicks the ball over his head".
The trick has also been featured in football computer games, including ''
FIFA 08
''FIFA 08'' (titled ''FIFA Soccer 08'' in North America) is a Association football, football Simulation video game, simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released on all po ...
'', where it is described as "One of the most famous soccer moves".
Brazilian Superstar
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...
is a notable exponent of the rainbow flick in the modern game.
See also
*
Dummy / feint
References
Bibliography
*Richard Witzig, The Global Art of Soccer (2006), CusiBoy Publishing,
External links
Wikihow.com
{{Association football terminology
Kick (association football)
Association football skills
Association football terminology