History of the Bicycle Kick (or better said, the “Chilena”)
Daizen Maeda executing the \"Chilena\", a move with over 112 years of history
Daizen Maeda’s incredible overhead kick against Rangers instantly became one of the most talked-about goals of the weekend in Scotland. But what many fans outside South America don’t know is that this spectacular move has a fascinating origin story.
In the Spanish-speaking world, the bicycle kick is called the “Chilena” — literally, “the Chilean.” And that name exists for a reason.
The move is historically linked to Ramón Unzaga, a footballer from Talcahuano, Chile, who began performing the acrobatic kick around 1914. At the time, the movement was so unusual and visually shocking that newspapers and spectators struggled to describe it. Over time, it became known as the “Chilena.”
Years later, David Arellano — founder and captain of Colo-Colo — helped popularize the move internationally during tours across Europe in the 1920s. European journalists were amazed by the technique and associated it with the Chilean players performing it. That is how the name spread around the football world.
So when Daizen Maeda flies through the air at Celtic Park and scores that unbelievable goal, he is not just scoring a “bicycle kick.”
He is continuing a football tradition born on the Pacific coast of Chile more than a century ago.
From Talcahuano in 1914 🇨🇱
To Glasgow in 2026 🍀
The “Chilena” still defies gravity. ⚽
