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Sombrero Flick

Lifting the ball up and over a defender's head — 'over the hat,' hence sombrero — then darting around them to collect it on the other side. It's a high-risk, high-reward way past someone in tight space, and very advanced; it takes a lot of practice to get the height and timing right.

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You face a defender who is closing in, scoop the ball just over their head with the top of your foot, then run round them and collect it as it drops on the other side. This is the facing version: in the Reverse Sombrero your back is to the defender and you flick it over your own head, and in the Rainbow Flick the ball rolls up the back of your leg first. Names for these lifts are used loosely, and the coaching on this move comes from skills sites and a youth academy, not a governing body, so treat it as a trick to drill hard before you try it in a game.

Set up

1

Check your shoulders before the ball arrives so you know where the defender is and whether there is space behind them for the ball to land.

you've seen the gap behind them before you go.

2

Stop the ball dead at your feet and let the defender come towards you. The move works when they are running in to tackle, not when they are standing off you.

patient: you are waiting for them to commit.

3

As they close in, slide your strongest foot right underneath the ball, toes under it, with your standing foot beside it.

the ball sitting on top of your foot, ready to lift.

Scoop it up

4

Scoop the ball up with the top of your foot so it goes just over the defender's head. Keep the arc low: if it goes up too high, they have time to adjust and intercept it.

a quick lift, not a big floated lob.

5

Send it far enough past them that they can't turn and reach it first. It needs to land in the space you spotted behind them.

you're aiming at a spot behind them, not at their head.

6

Only lift when it is safe. If the defender is diving in low or so close that your foot could catch them, play something else. Law 12 calls any action that, while trying to play the ball, threatens injury to someone (yourself included) dangerous play, and kicking an opponent carelessly is a direct free kick.

a clean lift with space between your foot and their body.

Run around

7

The moment the ball leaves your foot, push off your standing leg and sprint round the defender, around them, not through them.

flick and go in one motion. You have to be first to the ball.

8

Collect it as it drops and take your first touch into space or towards goal, then keep dribbling.

by the time they've turned, you're already away.

Feel it

The defender runs in, the ball pops just over their head, and you're round them and onto it before they've turned. If they get a head or a foot to it, you lifted it too high or too early. Keep it lower and wait until they're committed.

Fix-its

  • Defender heads it or intercepts it The arc was too high and gave them time. Keep it just over their head and go straight away.
  • Ball lands right next to them Lift it further, into the space behind, so they can't turn and reach it first.
  • Defender wasn't committed, so they just step back and wait Hold the ball still and let them run in to tackle before you lift.
  • You hesitate after the flick and they get back to it Push off your standing leg as soon as the ball is up and sprint round them.
  • Foot comes up close to the defender Don't try it when they're diving in low or right on top of you. That's dangerous play under Law 12. Play a different move.

Drill

  1. On your own: bounce the ball just in front of you and lob it about 2 metres into the air in your direction of travel, then run onto it. When that's comfortable, do it several times in a row.
  2. Ball dead at your feet: get your strongest foot under it and scoop it over a tall cone or marker, then run round the marker and collect it.
  3. With a friend: they walk towards you, then jog, and you scoop it over them and run round to collect. Keep it to a partner you trust until the lift is consistent.
  4. 1v1 faced-up game: two-minute games where you can only score from the final third, so you have to beat your opponent first. Use the sombrero only when they run in to tackle.

By position

A 1v1 option when a defender rushes you and there's space behind them, most often for attacking players. Use it rarely. It's legal, but Law 12 doesn't name tricks, and a referee who thinks it shows a lack of respect for the game can caution you for unsporting behaviour. The move is associated with Neymar.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-31.

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