VIDEO. The creator of the most legendary own goal in football history recreates it in his farewell match

Goalkeeper Yuta Minami never played outside of Japan. In fact, he has no titles to his name and never appeared for the Japanese national team.

However, that didn’t stop him from entering football history as the author of one of the most iconic own goals the game has ever seen.

In 2004, Minami attempted to throw the ball to a teammate. At the last moment, the goalkeeper changed his mind, but he couldn’t retain control of the ball, which slipped treacherously into his own net.

That own goal made Yuta famous, even though it didn’t help him build a stellar career.

• Read also: Shock: Hollywood star Brad Pitt faints on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit

This weekend, the 45-year-old goalkeeper played his farewell match. According to Japão日本FC on X (formerly Twitter), Minami decided to recreate that infamous goal during his final game.

Just as he did 20 years ago, the goalkeeper "accidentally" botched a pass to a teammate, sending the ball straight into his own net.

Immediately after the moment, the veteran keeper humorously appealed to the referee, asking him to review the incident via video replay. The referee obliged, and the stadium’s big screen showed footage of Minami's original own goal from two decades earlier.

“Many people asked, ‘You’re going to do it, right?’ I thought that if I didn’t, it would feel a bit lacking as entertainment, so I decided to repeat it. For the first time, I actually thought an own goal was a good thing,” said the now-retired footballer.