Czechoslovakian football legend, Antonin Panenka, criticized the way Moroccan international, Brahim Diaz, executed the penalty kick in the African Cup of Nations final, considering that the player did not do enough training for it.
Panenka told Radio Cadena Ser that it took him “two years of daily training” to master the famous kick named after him. He added: “I am convinced that Ibrahim had not trained properly to shoot it in this way.”
While attending an awards ceremony bearing his name, the former player explained that Diaz may have tried to implement the idea spontaneously at that crucial moment without prior preparation, which led to its loss.
Panenka strongly rejected the accusations that this type of shot expresses a lack of respect for the opposing goalkeeper. He stated: “In the European Championship final, do not think about mockery… it was simply the most likely way to score the goal.”
When asked about the current best player in executing the “Panenka kick,” Panenka refrained from mentioning a specific name, saying only that “many are trying.” This statement came days after Frenchman Kylian Mbappe executed a similar kick in one of Real Madrid’s matches, announcing that he did so in support of his colleague Diaz. (Sports)
