One strike that immediately springs to mind is Peter Crouch's glorious looping volley against Manchester City from the 2011/2012 season. At the time Stoke were still very much a long-ball team, as we were for the majority of the Pulis regime. The majority of our attacks started with Robert Huth's trademark "hoof" technique, which basically just involved punting the ball upfield and hoping one of the big lads upfront got their heads on it.
However, this particular goal didn't start with Huth- or the "Berlin Wall" as he was affectionately known in the potteries- but with goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who launched the ball upfield. Crouchie headed the ball on to Jermaine Pennant who headed it straight back to the big man. Then Crouch controlled the ball with his right, keeping the ball in the air, and then took his shot. Standing on his long left leg, Crouch swung his right peg at the ball, catching it perfectly. The ball then looped in and over Joe Hart in goal, nestling in the top left of the net, creating one of the most incredible goals scored in the red and white stripes.
The video quality may not do it justice, but you can rest assured this was perhaps the greatest goal of his career...
