There also often times the culmination of successful team works or individual flashes of brilliance. Goals are usually celebrated because they are so good but some are also out of this world. 

In this Pulse End of Year list, we look at our 10 best goals of 2018. 

The greatest goalscorer in football history. Regardless of which foot the ball is, headers, free kicks, tap-ins, penalties, long range. 

But then as a Real Madrid player and against his future club Juventus in Champions League quarter-final clash, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner pulled one out of his magic box rising majestically with an overhead kick to meet a cross from Dani Carvajal to beat Gianluigi Buffon in goal. 

Over-kick when executed perfectly is a thing of beauty but when it is pulled off in high-profile game like the Champions League final, it’s simply sensational. 

Bale’s sensational moments came in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in the Champions League final. 

With the score still at 1-1, Bale came on for Isco in the 61st minute and two minutes met a Marcelo cross with an acrobatic kick that flew past a stranded Loris Karius into the Liverpool net. 

France’s gradual impetus at the 2018 FIFA World Cup had more vigour with a sensational goal by their right-back Benjamin Pavard in a round of 16 clash against Argentina. 

With Argentina leading, a fierce Pavard volley from outside the penalty area flew past Argentine goalkeeper Franco Arman for France’s equaliser. 

Pavard’s goal was Goal of the Tournament by FIFA, a deserved and an added award to his name after getting his hands on the World Cup medal with France. 

Denis Cheryshev was one of the finds of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, impressing for the host Russia who got all the way to the quarterfinals where they were knocked out by Croatia. 

Cheryshev, however, had Russia in dreamland after giving them the lead in that quarter-final clash against Croatia. 

The 37-year-old forward swapped passes with a teammate before bending a curler from 25 yards with his left foot for one of the goals of the tournament. 

Portugal started their 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign with a morale-boosting draw against pre-tournament favourites Spain. 

It was Ronaldo who led the charge for Portugal, scoring a hattrick, the third, a freekick of beauty. 

With the last kick of the game, Ronaldo sent a beautiful curler past the wall with his free-kick to beat David de Gea and grab a point for Portugal. 

In one of the 2018 FIFA World Cup goals, Musa’s solo effort against Iceland makes our list for its effect in Nigeria and the sheer relentlessness of it. 

Musa pounced on a loosed clearance from Kenneth Omeruo from the left and used his pace to beat an Iceland defender. He rounded up the goalkeeper and finished into an empty net for a Goal of the Tournament nominee.

With Argentina on the brink of elimination, Lionel Messi breathed life into their 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign with a goal befitting of his status in the game.

He received a long pass from Ever Banega, controlled with his left thigh and finished off with his right foot to put Argentina in the lead. They went on to win 2-1 to progress to the round of 16. 

Mauro Icardi lit up the Serie A last season and was rightly awarded the Best Player of the 2017/2018 season. 

He scored 29 league goals but his backheel against his former side Sampdoria stood out and was also awarded the Best Goal of the Season. 

Ricardo Quaresma’s goal was one of the nominees for the Goal of the Tournament after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

The goal, a strike with the outside of his foot, is typical Quaresma, but just because we’ve seen this several times from him does not mean he should not be appreciated. 

The Mo Salah goal that controversially won the 2018 Puskas Award which got him into this list. 

For this goal, Salah weaved through the Everton defence before curling his effort past the goalkeeper.