There is a lot of terms in soccer that can be confusing if you don’t know what it means. One of these terms is a “brace”. In this post I will explain what the simple term brace means. I will also explain where the term comes from and present some of its relatives. So, what is a brace in soccer?
I remember when I first started watching soccer on English TV channels. There were a lot of expressions and jargon that I had no idea what meant. I picked up on it quite quick because soccer has been a big part of my life. But I can imagine that for someone who is just starting to follow the game, it can be a bit overwhelming.
This might seem hostile towards newcomers, but the opposite is actually true. A game that is so rich in language is interesting in so many more ways than just how the ball is kicked.
What is a Brace in Soccer?
A brace in soccer is when a single player scores two goals in one game.
Seems simple enough? Well, it really is. There are some rules to how these goals must be scored though.
The goals does not have to be scored consecutively. This means that other goals can be scored in between. Even if the other team scores one or more goals between the two goals, it is still a brace.
Goals scored in a penalty shootout does not count.
Normal penalty goals, that is penalties during normal time, counts towards a brace.
Lets look at a few examples.
Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo scores both goals on free kicks in the second half in a 2-0 win for Portugal. Did he score a brace?
Yes. He scored two goals during normal time of the game.
What if Mohammed Salah scores the first and last goal of the match of a 3-5 loss for Egypt? Is this a brace in soccer?
Yes. Since both goals were scored during normal time of the game, it qualifies.
Lionel Messi scores one goal in the first half and one goal in the penalty shootout in a world cup game for Argentina. Can we call it a brace?
No. As long as only one goal is scored during normal time, it is not a brace.
Now what if Haaland scores two goals in the first half and one in the second half for Norway. This must surely qualify for a brace?
No. It over qualifies. When a player scores three goals in a match it is called a Hat-Trick in soccer.
As you can see, the term is simple enough but there can be some misunderstandings. I think that the above examples should enable you to answer “what is a a brace in soccer?” with more certainty.
Where do the expression “brace” come from?
A brace precedes a hat trick, which means that a brace in football describes when a single player scores two goals in a single match. That’s it. Very simple, right? It does not matter if the player scores both goals in either half of the game, or if the player scores one goal in the first half and another one in the second half; as long as two goals were scored before full-time whistle and obviously, by the same player, it is considered a brace.
In old English, the word brace would mean a pair of two equal things. They would for example call it a brace if someone shot two birds in a hunting session. The hunters would say that they “shot a brace of birds” when they actually meant that they shot two birds. This has been transferred into soccer. When thinking about it, soccer players hunt for goals in much the same way as hunters hunt for birds.
Brace was used in England for centuries long before it ever became soccer jargon, but originally the term comes from the french language.
For example, you can watch a Bayern Munich game and hear the phrase “striker Robert Lewandowski scored a brace against Borussia Dortmund”; which is just one sample of how the word “brace” is used in football and how it properly reflects what that word stands for in that sport.
A few more examples of how “brace” is used in commentary
Listening to commentators is where most people come across the term first. Commentators have interesting ways of expressing themselves. In this section I will give a few examples of how a commentator might talk about a player scoring a brace in soccer.
“Harry Kane put the penalty in the back of the net, completing his incredible brace!”
“All in all an even battle that ends 2-1 between these two top teams. The decisive factor today is without a doubt Raheem Sterling with his brace.”
“As expected, this match was a total blowout. The hometeam wins 6-0 with 3 players recording a brace.”
“Romelu Lukaku is unstoppable! He mows his way through the defense and chips the ball in the back of the net. He can tick of one more brace on his already long list.”
Records for braces in soccer
As we all know, almost every achievement in soccer has a record. The soccer family lover its records. Number of braces is no exception. In this section i will present some of them.
Most braces in the Champions League:
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 38 braces
- Lionel Messi – 34 braces
- Robert Lewandowski – 20 braces
As you can see there is a big gap between Messi and Lewandowski on this list. Ronald in first place has almost double the amount of braces as Lewandowski, cementing his place as one of the all time greats.
Most braces in a single season of the Premier League:
- Alan Shearer – 10 braces
- Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Kevin Phillips – 9 braces
It should be mentioned that Alan Shearer had 42 games to achieve his record while everyone else on the list only had 38 games.
Conclusion
The simple answer to “What is a brace in soccer?” is that it is a single player who scores exactly two goals in a game. It really is a simple concept once you know what it means. I hope this has been useful to you and that you, or your favorite player, will score a lot of braces in the future.
If you are a beginner, you should read my post about the 3 basic skills in soccer.
For the more advanced reader, the post about pressing in soccer should be an interesting read.
