A banana or a roll
A curved centre in the penalty area is called a bananenflanke in German, while in English a banana kick is the term for a curved shot (usually from a direct kick). Czech football slang includes the term rohlik for a curved centre, while in Hungarian it (kifli) is what they call a curved shot.
Potato
In French, a potato (patate) is the term for a beautiful shot from distance. Paul Pogba, for example, has often delighted French fans with a good "potato" that also ended up in the net.
But if you used the Norwegian word potato (potet), you would be talking about a versatile player who can play in any position. Just as a potato goes with every meal, a versatile player - a "potato" - can play anywhere on the pitch.
Caviar
France, as the gastronomic centre of the world, is also the origin of the term for the beautiful and clever pass (usually through or behind the defence) that a player offers his teammate a goal-scoring chance on a golden platter. Among the footballers who have served caviar in spades is Lionel Messi. There is a tasty term for a beautiful, goal-scoring pass in Polish - the passer serves the scorer a cookie (ciasteczko).
Kroketa
In Spanish, a croqueta is a contortionist move in which a player quickly switches the ball from one foot to the other and squeezes past an opposing player. One of the greatest master chefs, who prepared croquettes like a Michelin star restaurant, was Andrés Iniesta.
Nutmeg
Slipping the ball through an opponent's legs is one of a player's favourite moments on the pitch. However, in the skin of the "victim" who has the ball between his feet, it is an embarrassment. There are a plethora of names for this popular moment in many languages.
A very familiar term is the English nutmeg. In Jamaican English it is called salad, in Austrian German a small cucumber (Gurkerl), in Swahili (spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda) this moment is likened to the laying of an egg (okubiika eggi).
Cucumber pass
"Cucumber terminology" also enters German in the case of a simple pass that misses the intended target. Such a missed pass is called a cucumber pass (Gurkenpass).
Chocolate foot
When a footballer kicks with his weaker foot, he often looks a little unsure and fragile. This is the origin of the term in Dutch, in which the kick with the less preferred foot is referred to as the chocolate foot kick (chocoladebeen). For Arjen Robben, a great left-footed player, his chocolate foot was his right foot.
We wish you a pleasant football-filled holiday season in the company of Flashscore Enjoy!