Borgetti: You don't see many headers like mine against Buffon

Of all the goals Jared Borgetti scored in a prolific career, there is one that every Mexico fan remembers. It came 20 years ago today, against Italy on the final matchday in Group G of the 2002 World Cup Korea/Japan™. El Tri went into the game as section leaders, needing just a point to reach the Round of 16. They were also aiming to make a little history by beating one of the few nations to win the World Cup. Though the Italians were not at their absolute best, they still possessed a star-studded squad featuring the likes of Gigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero. Coached by Giovanni Trapattoni, the Azzurri were ranked among the tournament favourites, while Mexico, under Javier Aguirre, remained a work in progress, with Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Rafael Marquez and Jared Borgetti their most famous faces. It was on that night in the Japanese city of Oita that Borgetti’s career would change forever. “It’s what people most remember me for: the Italy game and the goal,” Borgetti said in the latest episode of Como Nunca lo Viste, the FUT+ exclusive-Spanish-language vodcast. “And that’s because of the quality of the move, the opposition, the players we were up against, and above all how the move started and finished.”

It involved 17 passes in all and began in the Mexico box when Marquez came away with the ball after an Italy attack broke down. What came next was art, as the ball was moved flawlessly up the pitch before arriving at the feet of Blanco, who saw Borgetti in space in the box. He picked him out with a sublime, pinpoint cross.

“I made a pretty unusual run,” recalled Borgetti. “I was in the centre of the box and went to the near post. When the ball came to me I had two options: knock it down for a team-mate or just do what I had in mind.” Borgetti was known throughout his career for his aerial prowess, which is what made him such a threat in the opposition penalty area: “That’s what my game was about: finding space in the box and being good in the air.” So, when Blanco found him, Borgetti had it all figured out in his head, even with Maldini sticking as close to him as he could. Though his run had taken him into a position where he couldn’t see the goal, he knew where it was. All he had to do was turn his head as the cross came in, as if someone were calling him from behind, and glance at the ball. And that is just what he did, flicking the ball across Buffon and into the far corner of the net. “I turned my neck as I headed the ball and that helped put a little spin on it and for it to curve a little," said Borgetti. “It made Buffon think the ball was going wide but that curve took it inside the post. It wasn’t the kind of header you expect either. You don’t see many like that.”

Football - 2002 World Cup Korea/Japan(TM), Group G, Mexico v Italy, Oita Big Eye Stadium, Oita, Japan, 13/6/02.Mexico's Jared Borgetti celebrates after scoring the 1st goal for Mexico. Yahoo! board.Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew Budd. Digital.....broad smile on his face, Borgetti added: “He stood there and watched it. I would have tried to save it just to make it look better.”

Regularly posted on social media, the goal is remembered as one of the finest headers in the history of the World Cup. And though it was not enough to give Mexico the win that night – Del Piero scored a late equaliser for the Italians – it earned a precious point that took both teams into the next round. Meanwhile, Borgetti’s disappointment at having victory snatched from his side’s grasp was tempered by the fact he swapped shirts with the great Del Piero at the end of the game. The World Cup is the kind of event where unforgettable memories are made, and Borgetti will always remember the goal he scored on the biggest stage of all 20 years ago, one that Mexico fans will never tire of watching.

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