Biggest margin of victory in club football

The world record for biggest margin of victory in club football belongs to a team from the football hotbed known as Madagascar.

On October 31, 2002, AS Adema beat Stade Olymique L’Emyrne (SOE) 149-0 in a top national league game. The even more amazing part is that AS Adema did it without ever once gaining possession between the first goal and the 149th strike.

SOE took complete control of the game as they deliberately plonked the ball in the back of their own net 149 times. The goals were scored at a rate of nearly two a minute.

The Antananarivo-based side began banging the ball into their own net after their coach Ratsimandresy Ratsarazaka lost his temper with the referee.

Adema players simply stood around looking bemused, doing nothing to stop the opposition from self-destructing.

They might think that after about 100 goals they might have stopped, but in fact, they continued professionally kicked the ball in to their own net until the final whistle.

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• Quickest goal ever
• Headed goal from 57 yards out
• Dangerous goal celebrations

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Most goals scored by a single player in a game

Olympos Xylofagou striker Panagiotis Pontikos banged in 16 goals against SEK Ayios Athanasios FC to help his side win 24-3 in Cypriot third division game on May 7, 2007.

His feat is worthy of a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the number of goals scored by a single player in a game.

Pontikos was not even in the top five of top scorers in the division but he doubled his tally in the single game against SEK to take himself to the top of the scoring charts.

His goals were timed at 3, 20, 33, 35, 47, 50, 55, 56, 58, 61, 68, 75, 76, 83, 86 and 87 minutes.

Unfortunately he has not broken the record but merely equaled it.

He has to share the glory because Stephan Staniso also scored 16 times for his side Racing Club in a French Cup match against Aubry Asturies in December 1942.

In international football, the record for the most goals scored by a single player in a game is held by Australian Archie Thompson, who scored a whopping 13 goals in a 2002 World Cup qualifier against American Samoa on April 11, 2001. The Socceroos won 31-0 (the score was originally reported as 32-0 as the scorekeepers lost count).

Thompson's feat was helped by playing in a team of well-drilled professionals, even though they were not Australia's first choice team, and playing against one of the world's weakest national football teams.

In England, Joe Payne scored 10 goals in a single game for Luton Town in the 12-0 victory over Bristol Rovers on Easter Monday in 1936, the highest individual tally in a league game.

Payne’s record has never been equalled, no other player having ever scored ten in a league game. Not surprisingly the former Derbyshire miner was quickly dubbed Ten Goal Payne.

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Quickest goal ever

An amateur English footballer who scored after two-and-a-half seconds had his strike recognised as the world's fastest goal by the England Football Association.

Marc Burrows scored the goal for Cowes Sports reserves against Eastleigh reserves on the Isle of Wight on April 3, 2004.

The English Football Association has recognised his achievement after receiving a match report from referee John Sorrell.

A statement from the FA said: "We can now say that Marc's goal is the fastest we are aware of.

"Two-and-a-half seconds may not seem long enough to complete the manoeuvre described by the referee, but we appreciate there was an exceptionally strong wind."

Burrows, who went on to score a hat-trick in a 5-3 win, said: "My fellow striker Michael Ponter rolled the ball forward a couple of inches and I took a mighty swing at it. The wind was so strong I thought it was worth a go.

"The ball just sailed over their poor keeper. I was so stunned I didn't really celebrate. I just put my hands in the air and burst out laughing.

"I have tried something similar once or twice but it normally goes out for a throw in and I feel like a right prat.

"The goal took everyone by surprise - not just the goalkeeper. People in the crowd wondered what was going on and the managers had not even made it to the bench."

Marc said he did not think it was possible to score a quicker goal.

Referee Sorrell admitted he was astounded by the freak goal and had never seen anything like it before.

He said: "Just before kick off I heard the Cowes centre forward tell his team mate he would have a go which I thought was a bit cheeky.

"He had spotted the goalkeeper was standing on his penalty spot and obviously fancied trying his luck.

"His mate touched the ball to him and he just hit it."

Burrows, a sales consultant, hopes his achievement will appear in the Guinness Book of Records' next edition.

The world's fastest goal listed by the book is 2.8 seconds which was scored by the Argentinian Ricardo Olivera for Rio Negro against Soriano on December 26 1998.

The previous fastest goal in Britain was scored by Colin Cowperthwaite, who scored in 3.5 seconds for Barrow against Kettering in the Conference in 1979.

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Headed goal from 57 yards out

Graham Chapstick scorer of miraculous 57 yards headed goal Photo credit: The Sun

A headed goal scored by an amateur player in England, Graham Capstick, in April 2007 against Chadderton, is claimed to be the longest distance ever recorded in football for a headed goal.

Capstick, a 19-year-old defender playing for Holker Old Boys from Barrow-in-Furness, scored with his head from his own half of the field, a goal measured at 57 yards (52.1 metres).

The 6ft 3ins defender was inside his own half when he headed a clearance from Chadderton goalkeeper, and was then surprised to see the ball fly straight back in the opposite direction, bounced over the keeper and into the net.

The goal secured a 2-2 draw against Chadderton.

Sports student Capstick, a Manchester United fan, told The Sun: "Everyone remembers David Beckham’s goal from over the halfway line but mine was probably even more amazing because it was headed.

"I hit it perfectly. It just flew over all the other players and then bounced about 16 yards out from the goal-line as their keeper came out.

"Then it just bounced over his head. I don’t think he could believe it - and neither could anyone else.

"Even I was shocked. I certainly wasn’t aiming for goal - I hadn’t scored all season."

A crowd of just 37 saw the miracle goal at the Barrow ground, but too bad no one recorded it on film.

Beckham scored his legendary goal from 57 yards playing for Manchester United against Wimbledon in 1996.

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Dangerous goal celebrations

Obafemi Martins with his sommersault celebration trademark Photo credit: BBC

Sometimes over celebrating a goal can lead to injury.

A study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2005 looked at the causes of injuries in the Turkish league and found that nearly 6% were caused by goal celebrations.

"Over the duration of two playing seasons, 9 of the 152 players had injured themselves while performing a post-goal celebration. The injuries ranged from ligament and muscle strains as a result of 'Sliding' across the field to rib and clavicle fractures as a result of the players 'Piling Up' on each other. The most severe injury was an ankle fracture that required surgery. These injuries took place in 9 separate games where the field was natural turf and was dry in all but the incident requiring surgery. Although each patient was enrolled in an early rehabilitation program, the average playing time lost was 5 weeks."

And here are some famous cases in world football caused by over exuberant celebrations:

Lomana Lua Lua

In 2006, the DR Congo international was playing for Portsmouth against Arsenal. Having scored, he launched into his usual celebration, which consisted of multiple back-flips. This time, though, he sustained an ankle injury that put him out for three weeks.

Steve Morrow

In 2003, Tony Adams lifted Morrow, who had scored Arsenal's winner in the League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday, with slightly too much enthusiasm and broke his arm. Morrow missed the rest of the season, including the FA Cup final victory over Wednesday.

Celestine Babayaro

In 1997, the Nigerian international joined Chelsea, but during a pre-season game against Stevenage he broke his leg while doing his trademark somersault goal celebration. Thus he couldn't make his league debut until months later.

Patrick Viera

In 1997, the Arsenal midfielder scored the second goal in a 3-2 win over Manchester United, slid extravagantly across the turf on his knees and suffered a bad injury that put him out of the team for the next five weeks.

Martin Palermo

In 2001, the Argentinian in extra-time for Villareal against Levante in the Copa del Rey and ran to the crowd to celebrate. His celebration was curtailed when a wall collapsed on him, breaking his tibia and fibula. Six months later he was back in action, but he missed the World Cup as a result.

Shaun Goater

In 2002, Goater celebrated a goal by Nicolas Anelka for Manchester City by kicking an ad board, but he injured his knee in the process and had to be subbed with Darren Huckerby. Some years previously in 1998, he broke his arm while celebrating a goal.

Paolo Diogo

In 2004, the Portuguese player leaped into the crowd to celebrate a goal for the Swiss club Servette. He caught his wedding ring on perimeter fencing and ripped off the top of his finger. The missing finger was found but surgeons were unable to reattach it.

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