“Infante was an extremely well-known player from the 1940s and 50s, he emerged as one of the stars of the so-called golden generation of Argentine football in the 40s, possibly the greatest of all time. “ was the first to receive that name,” Argentine football historian and owner of the Entre Tiempos memorabilia store in Buenos Aires Esteban Bekerman tells Goal. “There were most likely similar goals beforehand, but it was the first to be called a 'rabona'. Such was the impact of his strike that the referee and even the defeated Central goalkeeper approached to congratulate him. I never imagined I'd put it there, right in the left top corner.” Getty Images “It bobbled a little and, as the field – uneven, with patches of grass – helped out, I just had to wedge my right foot behind my left leg. “ Gagliardo's shot hit the left post and the ball sprang back the other way,” the late striker, who is the sixth-highest scorer in Argentine league history with 217 goals, recalled to Clarin in 1998. There, Estudiantes' 24-year-old striker Ricardo Infante used the technique 25 metres from goal to net his side's third of a 3-0 victory over Rosario Central, writing his own name into the history books in the process.

The first rabona goal for which reliable records exist dates back to September 19, 1948, some 60km from Lamela's Buenos Aires birthplace in the city of La Plata.

In doing so, he continued a proud Argentine tradition which stretches back almost to the final years of World War II, if not even earlier. Arsenal later recovered and ran out 2-1 winners, with Lamela making an early exit after seeing red, but the image of his left foot, wrapped around the back of his right shin and propelling the ball towards goal, will endure far longer in the memory.

Rabona skill