Spanish Football Slang: golazo, chilena & caño explained

Spanish football has its own vocabulary — colourful, acrobatic, passionate. Here are the key terms, explained in our voice; sources below.

The beautiful goals and tricks

• golazo — a gorgeous goal, a screamer. The "-azo" makes any word bigger.
• chilena — the bicycle kick (the "Chilean").
• vaselina — the chip: a soft, curling shot over the keeper.
• rabona — striking the ball with the kicking leg crossed behind the standing leg.
• caño — the nutmeg: the ball through an opponent's legs.
• la pared — the one-two ("the wall").

The pitch and the people

• el portero / el guardameta — the goalkeeper.
• el larguero · el palo — the crossbar, the post.
• la escuadra — the top corner ("the set square").
• el pichichi — the top scorer, named after striker Rafael "Pichichi" Moreno.
• el crack — the outstanding player, the star.
• la hinchada / la afición — the fans, the supporters.

Match situations

• la manita — "the little hand": five goals (5–0), a handful.
• la remontada — the great comeback.
• fuera de juego — offside.
• el clásico — the marquee game between arch-rivals (Real vs Barça).
• colgar las botas — "to hang up the boots": to retire.

Talk football like this and you cheer with full Selección passion. And in your round you submit your pronóstico — el clásico included.

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What does "golazo" mean?

A golazo is an especially beautiful, spectacular goal. The "-azo" ending intensifies the word — gol becomes screamer.

What is a "chilena"?

The chilena is the bicycle kick: an acrobatic backwards shot over your own head.

Where does "pichichi" come from?

"Pichichi" was the nickname of Spanish striker Rafael Moreno Aranzadi. Today it means the top scorer in the Spanish league.

What is a "manita"?

"Manita" means "little hand" and stands for five goals in a game (5–0) — a handful of goals.

Sources: El Castellano — football glossary · Real Valladolid Academy · CNN en Español · Wikilengua.

Explore more: The big football dictionary · Viennese football slang · World Cup today: fixtures & AI picks · AI League: 10 AIs predict the World Cup

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