Soccer on Feb. 29: Who can declare to be soccer’s Mr. Leap 12 months?

Very like World Cups (for now not less than), Feb. 29 solely comes round as soon as each 4 years and a few selection soccer occasions have occurred on the rarest of all dates.

As you most likely know, a Leap 12 months accommodates an extra day on high of the standard 365, which is added in on the finish of February so as to preserve a degree of synchronisation between the Gregorian calendar yr and the Earth’s precise annual rotation across the Solar.

With 2024 being one other Leap 12 months, and Leap Day itself upon us as soon as once more, this is a well timed look again at a few of the most notable intercalary incidents which have taken place in soccer on Feb. 29, going again to the yr that the Premier League and Champions League each started.

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1992

#OnThisDay in 1992: Eric Cantona scores his first objective in English soccer, the winner for #LUFC vs Luton. pic.twitter.com/bpQhTyrbkv

— A Humorous Previous Recreation (@sid_lambert) February 28, 2018

Eric Cantona scored his first objective in English soccer on Feb. 29, 1992, over a month after signing for Leeds United from French aspect Nimes. After coming off the bench in opposition to Luton City, Cantona managed to open his account and lay on an help in a 2-0 victory for his new aspect, who the surly France ahead helped propel to the ultimate English First Division title earlier than the highest tier rebranded and relaunched because the Premier League for the 1992-93 season.

2000

Ferran Torres is an apex predator. 🦈 pic.twitter.com/rpEKgxVeFh

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 6, 2023

Ferran Torres was born on Feb. 29, 2000 which, assuming the Barcelona ahead has solely been capable of rejoice his birthday each 4 years since, technically makes him seven years previous right this moment — certainly the key to his youthful look.

Ferran is not the one skilled footballer to have been born on a Leap Day; actually he shares his birthday with a choose group that features former United States worldwide Taylor Twellman (born in 1980) and World Cup-winning Germany midfielder Benedikt Höwedes (1988). Crystal Palace hero Darren Ambrose was additionally born on Feb. 29 in 1984, which implies he has the esteemed honour of sharing his birthday with none apart from hip-hop star and Fyre Pageant founder Ja Rule.

On the identical day that Ferran was born, Bayern Munich galloped to a 4-2 hammering of Actual Madrid within the second group stage of the Champions League. Bayern topped the group but it surely was the Spaniards who had the final chuckle. Madrid powered by way of to the knockout stage, beating Bayern residence and away within the semifinals, earlier than lifting the trophy by defeating Valencia 3-0 within the ultimate.

2004

Harry Kewell put in a superb efficiency by scoring for Liverpool in a 2-2 draw in opposition to former membership Leeds United at Elland Street on Feb. 29, 2004. Kewell then staked his declare to be eternally generally known as soccer’s “Mr. Leap 12 months” by scoring for Australia on Feb. 29, 2012. The Socceroos swept to a dramatic 4-2 win over Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifier with a late three-goal flurry that ended the latter’s hopes of reaching the 2014 event in Brazil.

2008

What a strategy to get your first Reds objective 😍

🚀 @Mascherano 🚀 pic.twitter.com/YATyky5Cnu

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 8, 2021

Leap Day in 2008 introduced with it a merciful finish to a controversial and drawn-out switch saga that had begun the earlier November. Javier Mascherano lastly accomplished his everlasting transfer to Liverpool from West Ham, having beforehand been on mortgage at Anfield for over a yr.

The deal had been held up for months on account of authorized problems with Mascherano and the third-party possession of his financial rights, beneath which he had joined West Ham United two years earlier from Brazilian aspect Corinthians alongside compatriot Carlos Tevez. Nevertheless, issues had been finally resolved and the Argentina worldwide’s £18 million swap was ratified. Shortly afterwards, FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League took steps to ban third-party possession fully.

2012

The U.S. males’s nationwide crew loved slightly Leap Day magic in 2012 once they pulled off a well-known 1-0 win over Italy in a world pleasant, beating the Azzurri for the primary time ever. Clint Dempsey scored the decisive objective simply after half-time but it surely was the U.S.’s resilient defensive show thereafter, marshalled by captain Carlos Bocanegra, that really sealed the deal in Genoa.

Earlier that day, Stuart Pearce suffered the indignity of dropping his first and solely sport as England supervisor, after stepping in as caretaker following the sacking of Fabio Capello, in a 3-2 defeat in opposition to Netherlands. Arjen Robben scored the late objective that consigned “Psycho” and his gamers to their underwhelming destiny at Wembley. In case you’re questioning whether or not Robben reduce in from the fitting and completed deftly together with his left foot, then surprise no extra …

2016

WATCH
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had a memorable first day in workplace! https://t.co/C0tzKBAZsK

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) March 1, 2016

After being sworn in as successor to the deposed Sepp Blatter, Gianni Infantino marked his first day in workplace as president of FIFA with a star-studded kickaround that happened on Leap Day outdoors his new office in Zurich. A raft of former gamers turned out for the sport with Luis Figo, Robert Pires, Michel Salgado, Clarence Seedorf and Deco serving to to type a stacked roster for the event.

2020

There have been Premier League fixtures performed on Feb. 29 for the primary time since 2004 as 5 top-flight video games happened on Leap Day in 2020.

Probably the most memorable was Watford’s shock 3-0 win over Liverpool at Vicarage Street, primarily as a result of the previous had been bobbing round within the relegation zone on the time and the latter had been simply 5 outcomes shy of equalling the Arsenal Invincibles’ Premier League document 49-game unbeaten streak. The Reds had been additionally on a run of 18 straight league wins, although all that got here crashing to a halt because the Hornets hauled themselves out of the drop zone with a really momentous efficiency.

Ismaïla Sarr additionally made his personal little little bit of Premier League historical past by changing into the primary participant to attain two targets on Leap Day, although the Senegal winger’s achievement was matched later the identical day as Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso scored a brace of his personal in a 2-2 draw in opposition to AFC Bournemouth.