There's a special kind of magic that settles over Wembley just before the FA Cup final kicks off. The trumpets sound, the tin-foil trophies glint in the stands, and players pace the tunnel with the same nervous energy as the traveling fans. Managers prowl the dugout in their finest club suits, all of us waiting—hoping—for a new hero to emerge.
Every football fan has that golden era where they can recite every detail of every final. Those childhood years when the kits, the colors, the goal-scorers, and the captains climbing those steep Wembley steps become permanently etched in memory. Ask me what happened a couple of years ago? Blank. But Paul Rideout in '95? Eric Cantona against Liverpool? Crystal clear, like it was yesterday.
Some goals, however, transcend eras. They're the ones written into FA Cup folklore, replayed in every montage, discussed in pubs for generations. These are the belters, the moments of individual brilliance, the strikes that sealed shock victories. Here's my attempt to rank the top 10.
10. Youri Tielemans (Leicester City vs Chelsea, 2021)
The real Leicester miracle was winning the Premier League at 5,000-1 odds five years earlier, but clinching their first FA Cup in 2021 felt almost as special. And it was sealed with an absolute rocket. Tielemans received a pass just inside the Chelsea half, took two touches to set himself, then unleashed a bullet-like drive that screamed into Kepa Arrizabalaga's top corner. Pick that one out. Covid restrictions meant only 20,000 fans witnessed it in person, but as the Foxes now find themselves in League One, those cup-winning memories remain priceless.
9. Ben Watson (Wigan Athletic vs Manchester City, 2013)
This one isn't the most technically beautiful on the list—though a well-executed set-piece deserves respect—but few goals have produced a bigger shock. Wigan Athletic, massive underdogs, facing a Manchester City side that had just won the Premier League. The winner came in the 91st minute, adding even more drama. Watson rose like an Atlantic salmon to meet Shaun Maloney's corner at the front post, flicking a looping header into the far corner. Wigan fans were back in London three days later—this time to watch their team get relegated. But they had their moment.
Stay tuned for the rest of the countdown, where we'll relive more iconic strikes from Ricky Villa, Steven Gerrard, Ray Parlour, and others who wrote their names into FA Cup history.