In association football, the rabona is a method of kicking the football whereby the kicking leg is wrapped around the back of the standing leg—effectively with one's legs crossed.

There are several reasons why a player might opt to strike the ball this way: for example, a left-footed striker

Striker

Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 advancing towards the goal slightly on the right side rather than having the goal straight in front may feel that his shot power or accuracy with his right foot is inadequate, so will perform a rabona in order to take a better shot. Another scenario could be a left-footed winger sending a cross while playing on the right side of the pitch without having to turn first. Another reason why a player could perform a rabona might be to confuse a defending player, or simply to show off his own ability as it is considered a skillful trick at any level.

The first rabona was performed by Ricardo Infante

Ricardo Infante

Ricardo Roberto "Beto" Infante is a former Argentine football striker. He is the 2nd highest scoring player in the history of Estudiantes de La Plata and the 6th highest scoring player in the professional era of the Primera División Argentina.Infante made his professional debut in 1942 for...

 in a game between Argentine teams Estudiantes de la Plata

Estudiantes de La Plata

Club Estudiantes de La Plata , simply referred to as Estudiantes, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its history....

 and Rosario Central

Rosario Central

Club Atlético Rosario Central is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina. Its football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second tier of the Argentine football league system, after being relegated in the 2009-10 season....

 in 1948. After it, soccer magazine El Grafico

El Gráfico

-History:El Gráfico was founded on May 30, 1919. Born as a general interest weekly magazine, it became a sports-only publication in 1925. In 2002, it became a monthly....

 set up a front cover showing Infante (in Spanish "infant") dressed as a pupil with the caption "Infante played hooky" ("rabona" in Spanish means to play hooky or to skip school). Since then the play has been called a rabona. The first filmed rabona was performed by Pelé

Pelé

However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

 in the São Paulo

São Paulo (state)

São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...

 state championship in 1957.In the 1970s this move was simply called a "crossed-kick."

Well known players who have used the skill effectively in competition include John Giles, Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...

, Rivaldo

Rivaldo

Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...

, Deco

Deco

Anderson Luís de Souza, OIH , commonly known as Deco, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for Fluminense....

, Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...

, Fabrizio Miccoli

Fabrizio Miccoli

Fabrizio Miccoli is an Italian football striker who currently is playing for Serie A team Palermo.-Early years:After playing at youth level with Milan, he returned to his native Apulia in 1995 to join Serie C1 team Casarano, where he made his professional debut at the age of 17...

, Ángel di María

Ángel Di María

Ángel Fabián di María Hernández is an Argentine footballer who currently plays as a winger for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Argentine national team...

, Dennis Wise

Dennis Wise

Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....

, Ricardo Quaresma

Ricardo Quaresma

Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo is a Portuguese footballer of partial Romani descent who currently plays as a winger for Turkish Süper Lig side Beşiktaş J.K and the Portuguese national team. Quaresma began his career at Sporting Clube de Portugal, and has also played for FC Barcelona, FC Porto,...

, Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...

, Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for English team Manchester City and the Italian national team.He started his professional football career at Lumezzane and only played for the first team twice before having an unsuccessful trial at FC Barcelona, and subsequently...

, Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus, of which he is also club captain....

, Juan Sebastián Verón

Juan Sebastián Verón

Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División....

, David Villa

David Villa

David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....

, Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...

, Nani

Nani

-People:*Nani, a Portuguese footballer who plays for Manchester United*Gianluca Nani, former technical director at West Ham United*Nanabhoy Palkhivala, nicknamed Nani, an Indian jurist and economist*Nani Roma, a Spanish rally racing driver...

, George Elokobi

George Elokobi

George Nganyuo Elokobi is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a defender for English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers....

, Wesley Sneijder

Wesley Sneijder

Wesley Sneijder is a Dutch footballer playing as an attacking midfielder for Internazionale. He was named UEFA midfielder of the season as well as one of the three best midfielders in the world for 2010 by FIFA....

, Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....

, Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...

, Matías Fernández

Matías Fernández

Matías Ariel Fernández Fernández is a Chilean footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal in Portugal.An attacking midfielder with playmaking and dribbling skills, also being a free-kick specialist, he is known by several nicknames: Mati, El Pelusa and Matigol.Fernández was elected South...

, Roger Guerreiro

Roger Guerreiro

Roger Guerreiro , commonly known as Roger, is a naturalized Polish footballer currently playing for A.E.K. Athens as a midfielder.- AEK Athens F.C. :...

, Luis Suárez

Luis Suárez (Uruguayan footballer)

Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team...

, Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard is a Belgian footballer who currently plays for French club Lille in Ligue 1 and the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger. Hazard is known for his creativity, speed, and technical ability and is described as a "fearless, explosive attacking...

, Matías Urbano

Matías Urbano

Matías Héctor Sebastián Urbano is an Argentine striker who currently plays for Unión San Felipe in the Chilean Primera División....

, Bryce McKillop, Simone Pepe

Simone Pepe

Simone Pepe is an Italian footballer who plays as a right winger for Serie A club Juventus. He is known for his high versatility and can play on either side of the pitch and even as a right fullback-Club career:...

, Davide Moscardelli

The rabona is also a dance step used in the tango

Tango (dance)

Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....

. The dance step takes its name from the football kick.