‘Remarkable’ Manuel Lanzini is still ‘stunning’ as West Ham icon rolls back the years
La Joya’s juggle-and-jab combo against Crystal Palace comes in at a very close second.
Lanzini delivered a fatal blow to the title hopes of arch rivals Spurs in 2017, too; rifling a blink-and-you-miss-it strike into the roof of the net at the London Stadium. Add in that sublime lob against Everton, a delightful free-kick against Leicester, a crafty chip against Crystal Palace, and a compilation of Lanzini’s greatest West Ham contributions makes for extremely fun viewing.
West Ham United icon Manuel Lanzini has clearly still got it
Lanzini is back in Argentina with Velez Sarsfield these days. Even at the age of 33, and ten years on from that Stamford Bridge stunner, one of the most underrated midfielders in modern Premier League history is proving that there is no age limit on world-class finishes.
As a ball through the lines is fizzed into his path, Lanzini instinctively backheels it into the path of a Velez Sarsfield teammate. Racing onto the resulting through ball – if you’ve seen a better one-two than this, then answers on a postcard please – the evergreen playmaker sits the keeper down and blasts an emphatic shot in over his head.
It was a move and finish described by Argentinian outlet FM Amiga, not without justification, as ‘stunning’.
This fine goal was sandwiched between a razor-sharp winner against former employers River Plate and a hat-trick of assists during a 4-1 Copa Argentina thrashing of Club Deportivo Armenio.
After Lanzini’s second spell at River Plate ended in disappointment – four goals and one assist in 27 games – six goal contributions in 13 starts for league leaders Velez Sarsfield is a thumping riposte to those who thought those days of bending matches to his whims were a thing of the past.
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“[Lanzini is a] remarkable player with proven quality,” head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto tells DeporTV. “[Players like this] have the necessary humility to give Velez what it needs, and we are very happy with them.
“Manuel has eight years experience in the Premier League.”
Including the 2023 Conference League, Lanzini added a tenth trophy to his enviable collection of silverware when Velez Sarsfield beat Central Cordoba in September’s Supercopa Argentina.
Now flying out of the blocks with seven wins in their first 13 league matches of 2025, title number eleven might not be too far away.
