The rabona can be a eye-catching, if oftentimes unnecessary trick to pull off. But it’s not easy, and can make even professionals look silly. Just ask David Dunn.
The move can also, as we learned this weekend, transcend sports. New York Jets punter Braden Mann brought the rabona to tackle football for his onside kick late in Sunday’s NFL game against the New England Patriots.
It didn’t exactly work.
An onside kick would seem to make sense for a potential non-soccer application of the rabona. The art of deception can be a crucial element as the defending team oftentimes is forced to guess which direction the kicker will go.
Mann may have kept the Patriots guessing until the last moment, but subterfuge only goes so far when your kick goes straight to an opposing player.
it didn't work, but i greatly appreciate Braden Mann's trickshot, behind-the-leg attempt at fooling the Patriots with his onside kick pic.twitter.com/5JAbIqLQQ4
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 30, 2022
We still applaud Mann’s attempt, futile though it was. If Erik Lamela isn’t too busy, perhaps he can give Mann a future lesson.
The winner of the #Puskas Award goes to… @ErikLamela! 🔥#TheBest pic.twitter.com/qa4HNW2tch
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 17, 2022
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