Bicycle kicks can be used defensively to clear away the ball from the goalmouth or offensively to strike at the opponent's goal in an attempt to score. The bicycle kick is an advanced football skill that is dangerous for inexperienced players. Its successful performance has been limited largely to the most experienced and athletic players in football history. [3]
The bicycle kick was invented in South America, possibly as early as the late 19th century, during a period of development in football history. Innovations like the bicycle kick were the result of local adaptations to the football style introduced by British immigrants. Football lore has many legends on the possible origins of the bicycle kick. Newspaper archives from the beginning of the 20th century evidence a complex, multinational history for the bicycle kick's invention, naming, and diffusion.
Football lore has numerous legends relating when and where the bicycle kick was first performed and who created it. [30] [31] [C] According to Brazilian anthropologist Antonio Jorge Soares, the bicycle kick's origin is important only as an example of how folklore is created. [32] Popular opinion continues to debate its exact origin, particularly in the locations where the manoeuvre was allegedly created ( e.g. , Brazil, Chile, and Peru). [33] [34] [D] Regardless, the available facts and dates tell a straightforward narrative. [9] [30]
