There are certain skills in football that become so closely associated with one particular player that they end up taking that person’s name, whether it be the Cruyff Turn or the Berbatov Spin. The McGeady Spin is another one that falls into that category, being a move that a certain tricky winger used so often and so effectively that his name has been attached to it ever since.
It is a wonderful skill for wriggling out of a tight spot, allowing you to change direction and leave a defender for dead in one fluid movement, even if most people won’t remember the player who did it.
The skill is named after Aiden McGeady, the winger who represented the Republic of Ireland as well as the likes of Celtic and Everton during his career. He became known for a particular way of turning away from defenders that used both feet in quick succession, spinning away from trouble at the very moment his opponent thought that they had him cornered. The beauty of it lies in the way it lets you head off in a completely new direction whilst keeping the ball glued to your feet, making it especially useful for a winger who has been forced towards the touchline.
In order to carry it off, you use the sole of one foot to drag the ball across your body, before immediately using the sole of your other foot to drag it back the other way as you spin your body around. The combination of those two touches, performed in one smooth motion, sends you turning through 180 degrees or more with the ball still under close control the entire time. It is this quick change of direction that leaves the defender wrong-footed, having committed their body weight one way only to watch you disappear off in the other.
Naturally, this is not the sort of thing that you’ll be able to pull off perfectly the first time you try it, so you shouldn’t be disheartened if you end up tripping over the ball or losing control of it to begin with. Learning to use the soles of both feet in quick succession takes a fair bit of getting used to, which is why you’re best off practising it on your own at first, without the added pressure of an opponent trying to nick the ball off you. Start slowly and gradually build up the speed until the two touches begin to flow together as one. Once you’ve got it nailed, you’ll have a brilliant way of escaping a defender.