The goals we fell in love with

Combining technique, agility, bravery and that little bit of luck; Wayne Rooney’s goal in the weekend’s Manchester derby had everything, and will quite rightly be held up as one of the greatest the game has seen. But can a distinction be drawn between the best goal we have seen, and our favourite goal of all time?

Across the live coverage on Sky and the highlights package on BBC, commentators struggled to find the superlatives to do Rooney’s strike justice. But that is the key to witnessing a truly stunning goal live; there should be no words that adequately describe what you feel the moment you see the net bulge.

We all have our own opinions on what the greatest goal ever scored is: some say Maradona against England in 1986; others suggest Van Basten’s against the USSR in 1988; and many of you will suggest more leftfield choices such as Arie Haan for Holland in the 1978 World Cup or Dennis Bergkamp’s exquisite pirouette against Newcastle. But as football fans, it’s unlikely that any of these will feature in your favourite goals of all time.

Our favourite goals are the ones that still take our breath away in the way that Rooney’s goal did, but they have that personal attachment that means they will always make your heart beat that little bit faster whenever you see them replayed.

They are not always the 30 yarder from your inspirational midfielder; sometimes they are your two yard tap-in from your versatility man. Think Lee Martin in the 1990 FA Cup final replay for Manchester United, or Michael Thomas for Arsenal against Liverpool in 1989. These were by no means the greatest goals ever scored, but their significance is such that they left fans at the time, and even still now, weak with emotion.

It may surprise you to know that many a great goal has been scored at Upton Park, and not always by the opposition. Paolo Di Canio’s scissor volley against Wimbledon ranks amongst the best the Premier League has ever seen, and I once witnessed Trevor Sinclair acrobatically volley home a move involving Di Canio and Joe Cole where the ball was juggled between all three without touching the floor once. Scott Parker is also rapidly developing a fine portfolio of impressive strikes, whilst Julian Dicks could be relied upon to send the odd thunderbolt past opposition goalkeepers from distance.

But my favourite goal is one scored whilst West Ham were outside of the Premier League. Its scorer is a man who up until last season, was much maligned by most football fans despite being an honest professional with a better than average goalscoring record. My favourite goal is a scrappy side foot finish from Bobby Zamora in the 2005 Championship play off final in Cardiff. I've tried hard but I cannot think of another that stirred such emotion at the time, and still brings back only good memories.

The goal itself is nothing special: Matthew Etherington sent over a hardly venomous cross that Zamora swung a leg at, before the ball slowly found its way into the net. It was enough to give West Ham a 1-0 win over Preston, and sent the club back to the Premier League. It wasn’t a great goal; it wasn’t even a good one, but it brought utter joy and just as much relief to the thousands of West Ham fans watching at the ground and at home.

There is a standard cycle of actions that fans perform following the scoring of a goal: stand up; cheer; punch the air; clap; sit down. When goals are scored like Zamora’s, and you will all have memories of similar occasions for your own clubs, the cycle goes out of the window. Emotion takes over and you barely remember where you are. You cheer constantly, not because that’s what you think you're supposed to do, but because you physically cannot stop; your heart won’t let you. Often, you find yourself still cheering whilst play has already restarted, but it doesn’t matter because you know you want to saviour that moment for as long as possible.

With Rooney’s goal settling the game in a tense Manchester derby, it’s more than likely that the thousands of fans there on Saturday will forever remember that strike as their favourite of all time. Others will recall more mundane efforts in equally or more important situations; a relegation-saving tap in, or a later headed equaliser at the home of your deadly rivals.

They will all be different goals, but will all share one quality: for one reason or another, they will have a place in the heart of the individual forever.

What’s your favourite goal of all time?