In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season. It is typically contested between the winners of the preceding ten Goals of the Month, although the goal can and has come from any game in the regular season, including international qualifiers and friendlies—potentially from the opening league games of the season to the end of the European season UEFA Champions League final. In several instances, the goal has come in the final game of the domestic season, the FA Cup final, the most recent example of which is Steven Gerrard's last-minute goal in 2006. However, in 1980–81, for example, the superb goal scored by Ricky Villa in the FA Cup final replay for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester City could not be considered as voting had already taken place.Match of the Day: 25 Years of Goal of the Season video (1995, voiced by John Motson)
In general, the winning goal has occurred for an English side within the domestic English league or cups, although there are no particular rules; Kenny Dalglish's goal in 1982–83 for Scotland being an exception. The goal usually comes from competitions to which the BBC holds television rights and which are shown under the Match of the Day banner; at present Premier League highlights and FA Cup live matches and highlights, although some have come from the equivalent Sportscene broadcast by BBC Scotland. Due to the lack of BBC European club football coverage, held predominantly by ITV, Sky and BT Sport, no goal of the season has ever been scored in European club competition despite many contenders.
Due to a transfer of broadcast rights, the entries for the 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons were decided on ITV's The Premiership, which have been subsequently recognised by the BBC. When the BBC previously could not show league footage from 1988–89 to 1991–92, the winning goal in each season was scored in the FA Cup which they held the rights to. League rights holder ITV had its own competition during these seasons for Goal of the Season, broadcast on the Saint and Greavsie show. Previously the channels had shared league and cup rights (showing different matches to each other) and for many years ITV broadcast its own Golden Goals competition as an equivalent of Goal of the Season. From 2013–14 season onwards, the Goal of the Season has been chosen by a Twitter poll and the BBC Sport website. The public vote creates a shortlist of three and the studio pundits of the final show of the season pick the winner.
Jack Wilshere is the first player to win Goal of the Season in consecutive seasons (2013–14 and 2014–15) since the start of the Premier League and is only the second player overall to have achieved this after John Aldridge, who won the award in both 1987–88 and 1988–89 (which pre-dated the Premier League era) seasons. Wayne Rooney is the only player to achieve this accolade for two different competitions (FA Cup and Premier League), as well as the only player to receive the award three times. The 1987–88 competition was unique in that all 10 goals shortlisted were scored by Liverpool players. To date, this is the only occasion where the contenders were made up entirely of goals scored by players for one club.
For several years in the late 2000s, the winner was not subject to public vote due to the 2007 phone-in scandals. The winning goal was instead decided by pundits in the studio.
List of winners Source
SeasonScorerNationalityForAgainstStadiumCompetitionDateCommentatorNotes1970–71Coventry CityEvertonHighfield RoadFirst Division3 October 19701971–72Hereford UnitedNewcastle UnitedEdgar StreetFA Cup5 February 1972Motson (2005), p. 19.1972–73ChelseaArsenalStamford BridgeFA Cup17 March 19731973–74FulhamLeicester CityCraven CottageFA Cup26 January 19741974–75BlackpoolSunderlandBloomfield RoadSecond Division1 February 1975Bradford (2006), p. 480.1975–76Queens Park RangersLiverpoolLoftus RoadFirst Division16 August 1975 1976–77LiverpoolEvertonMaine RoadFA Cup23 April 1977Motson (2010), p. 91.1977–78Nottingham ForestArsenalCity GroundFirst Division21 January 19781978–79LiverpoolDerby CountyBaseball GroundFirst Division24 February 19791979–80Norwich CityLiverpoolCarrow RoadFirst Division9 February 1980Clough (2009), p. 231.1980–81Aston VillaEvertonGoodison ParkFirst Division7 February 1981 1981–82West Bromwich AlbionNorwich CityThe HawthornsFA Cup13 February 1982 1982–83ScotlandBelgiumHeysel Stadium, BrusselsEuro 1984 qualifying15 December 1982 1983–84SouthamptonLiverpoolThe DellFirst Division16 March 19841984–85EvertonLiverpoolAnfieldFirst Division20 October 19841985–86EnglandIsraelTel AvivFriendly26 February 19861986–87Coventry CityTottenham HotspurWembley StadiumFA Cup16 May 19871987–88LiverpoolNottingham ForestHillsboroughFA Cup9 April 19881988–89LiverpoolEvertonWembley StadiumFA Cup20 May 19891989–90Crystal PalaceManchester UnitedWembley StadiumFA Cup12 May 19901990–91Tottenham HotspurArsenalWembley StadiumFA Cup14 April 19911991–92WrexhamArsenalRacecourse GroundFA Cup4 January 1992Auclair (2009), p. 203.1992–93Aston VillaWimbledonSelhurst ParkPremier League3 October 1992 1993–94Leeds UnitedTottenham HotspurElland RoadPremier League17 April 1994Edwards (2011), p. 45.1994–95SouthamptonBlackburn RoversEwood ParkPremier League10 December 1994Le Tisser (2009), p. 117. 1995–96Leeds UnitedWimbledonSelhurst ParkPremier League23 September 19951996–97Queens Park RangersBarnsleyLoftus RoadFA Cup25 January 19971997–98ArsenalLeicester CityFilbert StreetPremier League27 August 19971998–99Manchester UnitedArsenalVilla ParkFA Cup14 April 19991999–2000West Ham UnitedWimbledonUpton ParkPremier League26 March 20002000–01Charlton AthleticLeicester CityThe ValleyPremier League1 April 20012001–02ArsenalNewcastle UnitedSt James' ParkPremier League2 March 20022002–03ArsenalTottenham HotspurHighburyPremier League16 November 2002 2003–04LiverpoolPortsmouthAnfieldPremier League17 March 2004 2004–05Manchester UnitedMiddlesbroughOld TraffordFA Cup29 January 2005 2005–06LiverpoolWest Ham UnitedMillennium StadiumFA Cup13 May 2006 2006–07Manchester UnitedBolton WanderersOld TraffordPremier League17 March 2007 2007–08ArsenalTottenham HotspurWhite Hart LanePremier League15 September 20072008–09PortsmouthHull CityFratton ParkPremier League22 November 20082009–10Wigan AthleticStoke CityBritannia StadiumPremier League12 December 2009 2010–11Manchester UnitedManchester CityOld TraffordPremier League12 February 2011 2011–12Newcastle UnitedChelseaStamford BridgePremier League2 May 20122012–13Manchester UnitedAston VillaOld TraffordPremier League22 April 20132013–14ArsenalNorwich CityEmirates StadiumPremier League19 October 20132014–15ArsenalWest Bromwich AlbionEmirates StadiumPremier League24 May 20152015–16Tottenham HotspurCrystal PalaceSelhurst ParkPremier League23 January 20162016–17LiverpoolWatfordVicarage RoadPremier League1 May 20172017–18Leicester CityWest Bromwich AlbionThe HawthornsPremier League10 March 20182018–19Manchester CityLeicester CityEtihad StadiumPremier League6 May 20192019–20Tottenham HotspurBurnleyTottenham Hotspur StadiumPremier League7 December 20192020–21Tottenham HotspurArsenalEmirates StadiumPremier League14 March 20212021–22LiverpoolManchester CityAnfieldPremier League3 October 20212022–23Brighton & Hove AlbionManchester CityFalmer StadiumPremier League24 May 20232023–24Manchester UnitedEvertonGoodison ParkPremier League26 November 20232024–25Brighton & Hove AlbionChelseaFalmer StadiumPremier League14 February 20252025–26FulhamCrystal PalaceCraven CottagePremier League7 December 2025
Multiple awards won by player The following table lists the number of wins by players who have at least two goals named as BBC Goal of the Season.
AwardsPlayerCountrySeasons32004–05, 2006–07, 2010–1121987–88, 1988–891997–98, 2001–022013–14, 2014–15
Awards won by nationality
CountryPlayersTotal24283333232322 22111111111111111111111111
Awards won by club
Club Players TotalLiverpoolArsenalManchester UnitedTottenham HotspurAston VillaBrighton & Hove AlbionCoventry CityFulhamLeeds UnitedQueens Park RangersSouthamptonBlackpoolCharlton AthleticChelseaCrystal PalaceEnglandEvertonHereford UnitedLeicester CityManchester CityNewcastle UnitedNorwich CityNottingham ForestPortsmouthScotlandWest Bromwich AlbionWest Ham UnitedWigan AthleticWrexham
Awards won by competition
Competition Players TotalPremier LeagueFA CupFirst DivisionEuro qualifiersFriendlySecond Division
Most Goals of the Season by commentator Commentator TotalJohn MotsonBarry DaviesSteve WilsonTony GubbaGuy MowbrayClive TyldesleySimon BrothertonJon ChampionDavid ColemanSteve BowerMartin FisherAlan GreenAlan ParryJonathan PearceJohn RoderGerald SinstadtRobyn Cowen
2014–15 Goal of the Season controversy On 24 May 2015, the final day of the 2014–15 season, Match of the Day held an online vote at around 11 pm GMT for the Goal of the Season award. Users were able to vote via the BBC website or Twitter. The poll was quickly skewed by vote brigading by Arsenal supporters, many from the Far East, resulting in Jack Wilshere winning the award for his final day strike against West Bromwich Albion, despite not being the favourite. Host Gary Lineker expressed surprise as he read out the winner, and pundit Alan Shearer suggested that Charlie Adam should have won the award for his 66-yard effort against Chelsea, while fellow pundit Danny Murphy felt former Fulham teammate Bobby Zamora should have won.
The incident was labelled a "shambles" by Pete Smith of The Stoke Sentinel who also thought Stoke's Adam should have won, and a "concerted campaign by Arsenal fans" by Alan Pattullo of The Scotsman, who also felt the Scottish midfielder was deserving of the award. Mark Brus, of Caught Offside, also criticized the choice arguing that a goal in a meaningless game should not have won Goal of the Season and that Juan Mata's acrobatic effort against Liverpool was worthy of the award.
The following season, before the final episode of that season's Match of the Day, the programme's producers changed the rules to prevent a similar situation. The Goal of the Season award has since been decided by the pundits on the show, who will choose the winner based on the top three goals voted for by the public.
See also BBC Goal of the Month Premier League Goal of the Season
References