The pre-season friendly rabona goal that went viral
Frederik Hvillum
Ruben Lima is behind one of the most viewed lower-league goals on social media in 2023.
Earlier this summer, Ruben Lima from Buckley Town Football Club received the ball in the middle of the field, deceived four players on his way toward the goal, and then, with an outrageous rabona shot, placed the ball past the goalkeeper.
Fortunately for him, the pre-season friendly against AFC Liverpool was recorded with a Veo camera.
It quickly went viral, amassing millions of impressions on social media and being shared on major football and sports channels. On Veo's Instagram alone, the goal has been viewed more than eight million times, and it has also gone viral on the most significant football pages with several million views.
"Honestly, it was crazy seeing it everywhere. The one that really got me was when it was live on Skysports. Even today, I can't believe it's gone viral," says the winger when Veo asks about the experience of going viral.
Despite the fantastic goal, Ruben Lima doesn't break into wild celebrations, although several of his teammates are left in disbelief. This isn't the first time the player has attempted a rabona:
"It's funny because when we play 5-a-side together, that's all I do. My teammates always tease me for doing it because it doesn't always go in. Now they can't say anything after I scored that goal," Limas expresses.
Fortunately for him and his teammates, Buckley Town Football Club records all their matches with a Veo camera, so the camera was also set up on the sidelines for this summer's pre-season friendly against AFC Liverpool. Limas is extremely glad that the camera was on the sidelines, as he has now immortalized his viral goal:
"If it wasn't for Veo, that video wouldn't have gone viral. It's good that it gets recorded so you'll never forget moments like this. In the future, when I have kids, they can see it."