Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks, who scored an incredible 56-yard goal against Ludogorets on Thursday, has admitted that his jaw-dropping long-range strike was a fluke.
Winks’ goal helped his side to demolish the Bulgarian squad 4-0 in their Europa League group stage clash.
The midfielder took the ball after spotting Ludogorets goalkeeper Plamen Iliev off his line. His killing shot ended up right in the net, ending Winks’ two-year goal drought.
The player, who was widely praised for his shooting skills, later admitted that his remarkable goal was merely an overhit pass.
“I’ve got to be honest [though] and say I didn’t mean it. I saw Gaz [Gareth Bale] making the run and just overhit it,” Winks said after the game.
“But I’ll take it; it’s a goal at the end of the day and I’m really happy to get on the scoresheet. I'd love to say that I did but I've got to be honest… I just overhit it,” he added.
Former Spurs striker Peter Crouch praised the player for his honesty, suggesting that some athletes would lie in his place.
“There’s plenty of players who would lie in that kind of situation, fair play to him,” Crouch said.
Manager Jose Mourinho joked that Winks’ honesty had cost him a nomination for the Puskas Award.
“If it was me, I would say I tried to score that goal and it would be a candidate for the Puskas Award, but no, he wanted to make the pass to Gareth,” Mourinho said.