Micky van de Ven (24, Tottenham Hotspur) shook the European stage with a wonder goal created by a 67.7m solo run. But even this incredible mark fell short of Son Heung-min (33, LAFC)'s 72.3m run-and-goal against Burnley in 2019.
Tottenham said on the club's official website on the 6th (Korea time) that "van de Ven ran 67.7m against Copenhagen to record the longest dribble goal in Champions League history."
He started inside his own penalty area, beat five defenders and finished with his left foot. The previous record was Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)'s 64.4m. Van de Ven bettered that mark by 3m.
The match was perfect. Tottenham routed Copenhagen 4-0 in the fourth round of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League league phase at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the 5th. Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the 19th minute of the first half, and in the second half Wilson Odobert scored in the 7th minute, van de Ven in the 19th and João Palhinha in the 22nd with consecutive goals. Johnson was sent off for a rough challenge in the 12th minute of the second half, but the flow of the game did not waver.
All the spotlight fell on van de Ven. In the 19th minute of the second half, he won the ball in his own half and began a solo run. At incredible speed he sliced through Copenhagen's half, repeatedly leaving five defenders behind. Once inside the penalty area he finished with a left-footed shot that beat the goalkeeper's timing. The ball ripped the net. It was a clinching goal that saved a team playing with 10 men.
Reaction in Britain was explosive. The BBC called it "a goal that will live in Champions League history," and fans compared him to Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale, mentioning their names together in comparison.
Commentator Owen Hargreaves marveled, "van de Ven ran as if defenders didn't exist. It's the best of the season and literally a crazy goal."
The scene naturally recalled Son Heung-min's wonder goal against Burnley. In Dec. 2019 he started in his defensive half, ran about 72.3m alone, beat six defenders and scored.
That goal won the 2020 FIFA Puskás Award and received worldwide praise. No matter how remarkable van de Ven's mark is, Son Heung-min's 72.3m wonder goal remains an unbeaten wall.
Tottenham posted the two goal scenes side by side and joked, "They're almost identical. Just give van de Ven the Puskás Award now." Football London also said, "van de Ven's run recalled Son Heung-min," and the BBC reported, "This goal is compared to Son Heung-min's Burnley goal. Son received the Puskás Award for that goal." The Daily Mail likewise said, "van de Ven produced another Tottenham moment on the level of Bale and Son Heung-min," and could not stop praising.
Son Heung-min also reacted directly. In a post on Tottenham's official social media he tagged van de Ven and left a short comment: "Wow… just wow."
[Photo] Son Heung-min and van de Ven / ©Gettyimages (Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited) / Squawka social media.
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