As aesthetically pleasing as it was seeing Paul Pogba and Ousmane Dembele strut their stuff and ruin their fair share of England players in last night's friendly at the Stade de France, they were still some way off boasting the best piece of play in the latest round of international fixtures.
That's because we can officially give that esteemed imaginary award to Syria's goalkeeper, who has introduced a skill that all good shot-stoppers around the world (including Sunday League) should be giving a try.
Big Wayne Shaw might fancy giving it a go. Image: PA
Syria drew 2-2 in a World Cup qualifier with China yesterday, and it was the man between the sticks, Ibrahim Alma, who stole the show with his extraordinary antics.
Having gathered the ball in his 18-yard box, instead of taking the usual route of punting the ball up the pitch, or even throwing the ball into the path of a teammate, he flicks the ball up in the air and in something that you'd expect to see on in Volleyball, punches the ball right up the field into the opponent's half.
The distance he gets on the punch is quite incredible and you really, really need to check it out:
Credit: Twitter
It's fair to say we've never seen anything like it before in football. Fair play to Alma, though, he's well and truly changed the game with his creativity and originality here.
Why kick the ball when you can give it a good old welly with your fist, and see the ball travel a further distance?
The 25-year old's brilliant mastery has picked up plenty of steam on social media, and one would expect a plethora of goalkeepers to try and imitate his antics.
However, it turns out that this isn't the first time that the Al-Ittihad player has busted out his powerful punch, as it seems to be a bit of a signature move for him.
Less than a week earlier, when Syria took on Japan on home soil, Alma was doing what he does best - giving the ball a good right hook and sending it flying up the pitch.
This particular clip comes with a slow-mo that makes it look even more impressive:
Credit: YouTube
It's safe to say that Ibrahim Alma is our new favourite goalkeeper.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Punch, Football, International Football
