The reverse sombrero is the back-to-the-defender version of the sombrero: with your marker tight behind you, you lift the ball off the ground with one foot, flick it back over your own head (and theirs) with a second touch of the same foot, then spin 180 degrees and collect it on the far side. It is different from the Sombrero Flick, where you face the defender and lift it over them, and from the Rainbow Flick, where the ball rolls up the back of your leg and goes forward. Names for these lifts are used loosely, and the coaching material on this move comes from skills sites, not a governing body, so treat it as a trick to drill, not a proven match move.
Set up
Before the ball reaches you, check over your shoulder so you know where the defender is and whether there is space behind them. Stay on your toes.
Know what's behind you.
Have the ball still on the ground with your back (or side) to the defender. Slide the toes of your flicking foot just under the ball, as close as you can without moving it.
Toes tucked under the ball.
Flick
Lift that leg to pop the ball up off the ground, and hop slightly off your other foot so you are briefly in the air.
Lift and hop together.
Land softly on the hopping foot. As the ball drops, kick it with the same foot a second time, leg extending and toes pointed up, making contact near the toe end of your laces so it goes up and back over your head.
Lean back slightly as you flick. It adds height and keeps the ball from hitting you in the face.
Small lean back, not a fall.
Turn and collect
Turn 180 degrees while the ball is still in the air, keeping your eyes on its flight. Go round the defender, not through them.
Spin while it hangs.
Catch the ball on your laces with the foot forward and toes up. If it drops high, cushion it on your thigh or nod it down instead.
Make that first touch take you into space and toward goal, so the turn actually gains ground.
Turned and going forward.
Feel it
Two quick touches with the same foot: a lift, then a flick back over your head, with a little hop in between and a slight lean back. Your eyes find the ball again as you spin, and the drop lands where you can catch it on your laces. This takes a lot of practice before it works under pressure.
Fix-its
- The ball rolls away instead of popping up Your foot isn't under it. Tuck your toes right under the ball, as close as you can, before you lift.
- The ball goes straight up or hits you in the face Lean back slightly and strike near the toe end of the laces with the toes pointed up, so the second touch sends it back over your head.
- You lose the ball while turning Start the 180-degree turn while the ball is still in the air and keep your eyes on it the whole way round.
- It bounces off you when it drops Catch it on the laces with the foot forward and toes up. If it comes down high, use your thigh or head instead.
- You turn into the defender or get penalised Check your shoulder first and only try it with space behind them. Never raise your foot near an opponent's head or play it in a way that threatens injury: that is dangerous play under Law 12.
Drill
- Lift only: tuck your toes under a still ball and pop it up with a small hop off the other foot. Catch it in your hands. Repeat on both feet until the lift is clean.
- Lift and flick: add the second touch so the ball goes back over your head. Don't turn yet; just check where it lands behind you.
- Full move: lift, flick, turn 180 degrees while it is in the air, and catch it on your laces (or thigh). Then take a first touch into space.
- Add a passive defender standing behind you. Check your shoulder before you start, flick over them and go round, not through.
- 1v1 with your back to goal against a live defender: choose the reverse sombrero only when they are tight and there is space behind them; otherwise use a simpler turn. Pick your moment in matches too: it isn't illegal, but referees can treat tricks as showboating (Neymar was booked for unsporting behaviour after a rainbow flick with PSG 5-0 up against Montpellier in February 2020).
Sources
- Jobs In Football — Soccer Skills: The Sombrero Flick (+5 Steps To Perform It Perfectly) (2023)
- Jobs In Football — Soccer Skills: The Rainbow Kick (2022)
- England Football Learning — What is turning in football? (2023)
- FIFA Training Centre, Jacqueline Dünker — Directing the ball with the first touch (2023)
- IFAB — Laws of the Game, Law 12: Fouls and Misconduct (latest edition)
Last checked 2026-10-26.