The greatest left back in the history of the sport retired two weeks ago but this is the free kick that made him immortal. And unbeknownst to him, he used very well established laws of physics to generate that stupendous lift and spin that seemingly defied every law of physics.
The video above explains a little bit but to learn more here is a classic that really explores in depth how he achieved that kick.
It is not that difficult to comprehend if one remembers the basics of aerodynamics learned in school (Bernoulli’s theorem). It’s been 15 years since that day, and we still see free kicks crash into walls, sail harmlessly over, or hit the stratosphere.