Ally McCoist Named the Greatest World Cup Goal Ever – Ahead of Maradona vs England

The FIFA World Cup has produced some of the most memorable goals in football history, and football fans and experts around the world have long debated which strike stands out as the tournament’s greatest ever.

From Diego Maradona’s incredible solo goal against England in 1986 to James Rodriguez’s spectacular long-range effort against Uruguay in 2014, the World Cup has often produced moments of magic that captivated fans and went down in history.

While most recognise Maradona’s 1986 ‘Goal of the Century’ as the greatest World Cup goal, former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist does not necessarily share that view, having previously hailed a strike from the 1978 tournament as the ‘goal of the World Cup’.

McCoist Praises Archie Gemmill’s Goal

McCoist, as quoted by the Daily Record, praised former Scotland international Archie Gemmill’s 1978 strike as the greatest World Cup goal of all time while co-commentating on the 2018 tournament alongside Jon Champion:

McCoist then doubled down on his claim, while accepting that Maradona’s goal against England in 1986 was the second-best ever:“If they’re going to be honest with themselves, yes.“Maradona’s against England was quite good. The second one.”

In the 1978 tournament in Argentina, Gemmill indeed scored what is widely regarded as Scotland’s greatest World Cup goal during a group stage clash with the Netherlands.

The former Derby County midfielder received the ball near the penalty box and weaved past multiple Dutch defenders with precise and quick touches, before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed.

The brilliant solo effort gave Scotland a 3-1 lead, but it was ultimately not enough to prevent an early exit, as they needed to win the game by three goals to qualify for the next stage of the tournament.

Scotland, who were drawn in a group with the Netherlands, Peru and Iran, finished third after poor performances in their first two games, collecting four points.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, finished runners-up following a 3-1 extra-time defeat to Argentina, who claimed their first-ever World Cup that year.

Gemmill is recognised as one of Scotland’s greatest ever midfielders, with one European Cup and three English league titles to his name.

The Paisley-born midfielder began his professional career with St Mirren before moving to Derby, where he became a key player under Brian Clough and helped the club win the First Division title in 1972.

Gemmill amassed over 700 appearances for club and country during his career and also had stints at Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Preston North End.