Ferenc Puskas, Diego Maradona and Liam Brady: some of football's great entertainers have been left-foot maestros. With around 80% of the general population right-sided the allure of these exponents of the left was further enhanced by their exoticness. Now, in a new wave headed by Robin van Persie, Rafael van der Vaart, David Silva and Gareth Bale, the goalscoring trend in the Premier League is becoming an everyday tale of My Left Foot.
Last Saturday, in the 27th minute of a 2-1 victory over Norwich City, Arsenal's Van Persie claimed his 13th finish of an impressive league campaign. The strike stretched his lead in the left-foot goalscoring charts to two – it was his eighth – ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Van der Vaart. So far this season, the 110 goals with the "other" boot account for 30.9% of the 356 scored, which is more than last year's mark: in a total of 1,063, 303, or 28.5%, were claimed with the left.
This follows a developing trend. In the past five seasons, the number scored this way has risen by more than a third. Why the increase? The strength of the Premier League market, a shift in how teams are set up and two-footedness are three factors suggested by experts.
Harry Redknapp, for whom Van der Vaart and Bale play at Spurs, says simply: "There are more left-sided players at the top level and they're better goalscorers. It has changed a bit since the days of Brady and Graham Rix [when those players were the exceptions]."
Andy Roxburgh, Uefa's technical director, points to the influx of quality non-English players: "Part of it is how good the market is as all these gifted boys can be bought who happen to be left-footed: [Juan] Mata, Silva, Van Persie, Van der Vaart, [Hatem] Ben Arfa [Newcastle's French attacking midfielder], even [Liverpool and Scotland's Charlie] Adam and Bale are not English."
Didier Drogba's feat in 2009-10 intrigues because of the 29 goals that won him the season's Golden Boot nearly a third, nine, were with what may be viewed his wrong foot. But was it? Despite many footballers having an obvious preference, others do not. "Someone like Tom Huddlestone, I said to him: 'Which foot do you favour?' He said: 'Both feel exactly the same. They don't feel any different at all,'" Redknapp explains.
"He said he takes corners with his left foot, corners with his right. I said: 'There must be one that you feel [stronger with].' He said: 'No. My grandfather used to get me kicking with both feet from when I was very young. Both feel exactly same.'"
Dr David Carey, a sports psychologist at Bangor University, has done extensive work in this area, including a study of 236 players at the 1998 World Cup, which found all were potentially as gifted on either side. "We are born with bias to become right or left-footed," he says.
"What you find over many players is that they are not using their non-preferred foot very often but, when they do, the outcome is pretty good. Practice makes you very skilled with the other one but that somehow doesn't get through to the part of the brain used on the pitch."
Carey, Roxburgh and Redknapp all agree there are strategic advantages in being able to field a potent left-footer. Roxburgh says: "There is what I call the Messi syndrome. Before Lionel Messi was pushed into a central area by Barcelona he was the gifted left-footer who played from the right-wing and the greater mobility in attack that we're beginning to see – rather than straight lines – encouraged this tactic. In the European Under-21 championship final this year you had Mata for Spain on one side and Switzerland's best player [Xherdan] Shaqiri, again left-footed, also playing on the outside.
"The left-footers come into three categories: the one coming from the right; the one, like Bale, who comes from the natural side and is still a finisher; and you have got the free spirits, who play middle-to-front or up-front, like Van der Vaart and Van Persie.
"It doesn't matter if Messi or Silva are left-footed – they do what they do. But they are clearly advantageous because in any team what you're looking for tactically is to have the balance."
Redknapp adds: "It certainly gives you a balance when you've got natural left-sided players and more teams now are playing with left-sided ones on the opposite sides: Bale plays on the opposite side for Wales, Ashley Young comes in on to his right side at Manchester United, [Stewart] Downing likes to come in from the right for England."
