Amazing

West Ham United was off to a hot start to the 2015/16 Premier League season. They rallied off a 6-3-3 record with the help of Dimitri Payet, who scored 5 goals and tacked on 3 assists. Things were going well for The Hammers, and then Payet went down with an ankle injury and West Ham went on to only win two of their next 9 games, with 5 of those matches resulting in ties. Getting points is always good, but the loss of Payet was affecting the squad in the win column.

HE DID IT. HE DID IT. Wayne Rooney had been stumbling across the desert in dire need of a goal and he finally found the watering hole vs Swansea. The England man had not found the back of the net in a Premier League match since October 17th but that dreadful drought has ended, and he ended it in style with a filthy backheel. The peach of a goal was the 188th of his career in the EPL and the 238th of his Red Devil career. It moved him into second place in all time Premier League goals (Alan Shearer leads with 260) and second place in all time goals by a Manchestesr United player.

We're 6 days into 2016 and Leo Messi has already made the play of the year. In today's Copa del Rey match vs Espanyol, Los Blaugranes secured a 3-1 victory behind the brilliance of La Pulga. Messi netted a brace and added an assist, but his second goal was one that comes with almost complete normalcy for the Argentine. The four time (let's be honest, soon to be five time) Ballon d'Or winner struck a 25 yard free kick off the crossbar and into the back of the net showing us all the brilliance we've been lucky to see for the past 11 years. 2016? More Messi free kick golazos? Can't wait. 

Thierry Henry is Arsenal's all-time leading goal scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. Choosing the best one out of those 228 would seem like a tall order, but it really isn't. Henry's goal against Manchester United back in 2000 was simply the most genius goals scored by the Frenchman. The goal is classic Henry. Flair, creativity, and execution is all there. It happens so quick and so unexpectedly as he turns a simple pass that really meant no harm, into absolute glory. Out of nowhere he flicks the ball in the air, and before you know it, he sends a cracker into back of the net.

We don't know what was crazier in today's match between Real Madrid and Sociedad. It was either this volley by Cristiano Ronaldo or the fact that CR7 missed the target for the first time in 55 La Liga attempts. Nonetheless, both feats involved the great Cristiano Ronaldo and both are equally impressive. Obviously it's not impressive that he missed a PK, but it's absurd that the 30-year-old megastar MISSED THE TARGET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LA LIGA IN 55 ATTEMPTS. DID YOU HEAR US? Death, taxes and CR7 putting PKs on frame. Now, back to CR7's volley.

Liverpool fans will be pleased to know that one of their young prospects is scoring goals that remind us of Neymar. Yes, THAT Neymar goal came to mind when we saw Sergi Canos score this beauty for Brentford FC. The 18-year-old Spaniard played youth soccer for Barcelona for three years before moving to England to sign a deal with Liverpool at the tender age of 16. This season the Reds loaned Canos to Brentford FC where the youngster has 3 goals in 17 appearances.

Is there a prettier goal than a rabona goal? The answer is no. The skillful move is one of beauty and nonchalantness. The pros make it look so easy but it isn't. Laurent Koscielny was just fooling around in Arsenal training at the Emirates and saw the camera was on him. What does a baller do when the lights are on him? He performs obviously. After a series of little tricks, Koscielny rips a rabona into the upper 90 from about 15-18 feet like it's nothing. 

Khethokwakhe Masuku has 18 letters in his name. For this reason we are already fans of his. Another reason, is because he scores 30 yard screamers like it's nothing. The Orlando Pirates midfielder starts his run from the halfway line and bursts forward before cutting inside. The 29-year-old had a right winger streaking open which he easily could have played through, but Khethokwakhe Masuku doesn't pass up opportunities to score screamers. He selfishly holds on to the ball and rips off a cracking shot back to his left as he's running right.

There are three things that are certain in this world. Death, taxes and that Mesut Ozil will register an assist whenever he steps on the pitch. In Monday's 2-1 victory over Manchester City, Ozil chalked up assists on both Gunner goals bringing his total for the 2015 EPL campaign to 15! The next highest assist total in the league is 7, which is held by Everton's Gerard Deulofeu. Now that we gave props to Ozil's ridiculous assist numbers, we go onto the real discussion of this Amazing Goals post. Which goal was better between Theo Walcott's and Yaya Toure's?

Xabi Alonso, you 34-year-old dog you.  So are you resorting to only scoring goals as far out as your age? Because this 30+ yard cracking volley is pure greatness. That touch to kill the clearance, and then the approach on the bouncing ball that resulted in the back of the net. Your greatness will never be forgotten and we at The18 thank you for giving us this gem of a goal. Keep being you Xabi.