BBC Goal of the Season


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.
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 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. Jack Wilshere is the first player to win Goal of the Season in consecutive seasons 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 seasons. The 1987–88 competition was unique in that all 10 goals shortlisted were scored by Liverpool players. As of 2018–19, 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.

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 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.

List of winners

SeasonScorerNationalityForAgainstStadiumCompetitionDateCommentatorNotes
1970–71Coventry CityEvertonHighfield RoadFirst Division3 October 1970
1971–72Hereford UnitedNewcastle UnitedEdgar StreetFA Cup5 February 1972
1972–73ChelseaArsenalStamford BridgeFA Cup17 March 1973
1973–74FulhamLeicester CityCraven CottageFA Cup26 January 1974
1974–75BlackpoolSunderlandBloomfield RoadSecond Division1 February 1975
1975–76Queens Park RangersLiverpoolLoftus RoadFirst Division16 August 1975
1976–77LiverpoolEvertonMaine RoadFA Cup23 April 1977
1977–78Nottingham ForestArsenalCity GroundFirst Division21 January 1978
1978–79LiverpoolDerby CountyBaseball GroundFirst Division24 February 1979
1979–80Norwich CityLiverpoolCarrow RoadFirst Division9 February 1980
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 1984
1984–85EvertonLiverpoolAnfieldFirst Division20 October 1984
1985–86EnglandIsraelTel AvivFriendly26 February 1986
1986–87Coventry CityTottenham HotspurWembley StadiumFA Cup16 May 1987
1987–88LiverpoolNottingham ForestHillsboroughFA Cup9 April 1988
1988–89LiverpoolEvertonWembley StadiumFA Cup20 May 1989
1989–90Crystal PalaceManchester UnitedWembley StadiumFA Cup12 May 1990
1990–91Tottenham HotspurArsenalWembley StadiumFA Cup14 April 1991
1991–92WrexhamArsenalRacecourse GroundFA Cup4 January 1992
1992–93Aston VillaWimbledonSelhurst ParkPremier League3 October 1992
1993–94Leeds UnitedTottenham HotspurElland RoadPremier League17 April 1994
1994–95SouthamptonBlackburn RoversEwood ParkPremier League10 December 1994
1995–96Leeds UnitedWimbledonSelhurst ParkPremier League23 September 1995
1996–97Queens Park RangersBarnsleyLoftus RoadFA Cup25 January 1997
1997–98ArsenalLeicester CityFilbert StreetPremier League27 August 1997
1998–99Manchester UnitedArsenalVilla ParkFA Cup14 April 1999
1999–2000West Ham UnitedWimbledonUpton ParkPremier League26 March 2000
2000–01Charlton AthleticLeicester CityThe ValleyPremier League1 April 2001
2001–02ArsenalNewcastle UnitedSt James' ParkPremier League2 March 2002
2002–03ArsenalTottenham 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 2007
2008–09PortsmouthHull CityFratton ParkPremier League22 November 2008
2009–10Wigan AthleticStoke CityBritannia StadiumPremier League12 December 2009
2010–11Manchester UnitedManchester CityOld TraffordPremier League12 February 2011
2011–12Newcastle UnitedChelseaStamford BridgePremier League2 May 2012
2012–13Manchester UnitedAston VillaOld TraffordPremier League22 April 2013
2013–14ArsenalNorwich CityEmirates StadiumPremier League19 October 2013
2014–15ArsenalWest Bromwich AlbionEmirates StadiumPremier League24 May 2015
2015–16Tottenham HotspurCrystal PalaceSelhurst ParkPremier League23 January 2016
2016–17LiverpoolWatfordVicarage RoadPremier League1 May 2017
2017–18Leicester CityWest Bromwich AlbionThe HawthornsPremier League10 March 2018
2018–19Manchester CityLeicester CityEtihad StadiumPremier League6 May 2019
2019–20Son Heung-minTottenham HotspurBurnleyTottenham Hotspur StadiumPremier League7 December 2019