1) Costlyña

The bulky 6ft 3in former Honduras striker (and one-time Birmingham City loanee) Carlo Costly is not an obvious skill merchant, but he carries in his locker one of the most delightful tricks in the modern game. It’s typically implemented when Costly is on the left side of the pitch with a defender alongside him on his inside. He will drop his pace to a jog and then languidly swing his left foot up and backwards in a fake backheel. At this point the defender invariably takes a step forwards, seeking to cut out the backheel, only for Costly to hit the gas and surge away. The trick is known as the costlyña in his homeland and, as video footage demonstrates, its capacity for rendering opposing defenders flatfooted is uncanny. Costly used his trick to memorable effect in a 2013 friendly against Ecuador in Houston. After cantering on to a pass down the inside-right channel, he dropped a costlyña to ease the defender Jorge Guagua out of his way before curling a magnificent shot into the top-left corner.

2) Robinzonáda

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On a tour of Central Europe in April 1901, Southampton’s Jack Robinson caused jaws to drop by keeping goal with an athleticism that none of the locals had ever witnessed. As an England international, Robinson’s fame preceded him and when Southampton arrived to play Slavia Prague, he was persuaded to give a display of his agility before kick-off. Robinson’s team-mates peppered his goal with shots and in the words of the club secretary, Ernest Arnfield, “scarcely a ball passed him”. Local supporters were used to seeing goalkeepers stretching and reaching, but Robinson threw his whole body into spectacular low saves that drew gasps from the crowd. When he had finished showing off his reflexes, spectators streamed on the pitch and chaired him off. Southampton played further games in Vienna and Budapest and finished their tour with a record of seven straight wins. By the time the squad left for home, Robinson had become a regional celebrity. Eye-catching saves were known as robinzonádas in Czechoslovakia, Austria and Hungary until well into the 20th century, and robinsonada remains in use today in Poland.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jack Robinson, pictured circa 1900. Photograph: Bob Thomas/Popperfoto/Getty Images

3) Gol de peixinho

Several countries equate diving headers with fish, the common denominator being horizontal, head-first movement, but in Brazil the gol de peixinho (“little fish goal”) owes its name to Peixinho, a former São Paulo winger who scored the first ever goal at Éstadio do Morumbi. Born Arnaldo Poffo Garcia, he was dubbed Peixinho (“Little Fish”) in honour of his father, Peixe (“Fish”), who had played for Santos in the 1940s. Peixinho was in the starting line-up when São Paulo played Sporting Lisbon in a friendly to inaugurate the Morumbi on 2 October 1960. In the 12th minute he made history by flinging himself at a right-wing cross from Jonas to head home the only goal. His name has become synonymous with flying headers in Brazil.

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4) Cuauhtemiña

During Mexico’s game against South Korea at the 1998 World Cup, Cuauhtémoc Blanco unveiled an innovation that instantly earned global acclaim. Twice during the second half in Lyon, Blanco collected possession wide on the left, allowed two defenders to close in on him and gripped the ball between his feet and leapt through the gap between his opponents. Mexicans came to know it as the cuauhtemiña (effectively, “little Cuauhtémoc move”). It was ungainly but effective and it brought a smile to the face – much like Blanco himself, who delighted in using his body in strange and unusual ways on the pitch. His other tricks included the jorobiña (“little hunchback flick”) and the nalguiña (“little arse flick”).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cuauhtemoc Blanco jumps between Germany’s Jorg Heinrich and Christian Worns in Montpelier at the 1998 World Cup. Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/AFP

5) Cruyff turn

Arguably the most influential figure in modern football history, Johan Cruyff gifted the game a move so simple and yet so devastating that it’s difficult to imagine the sport without it. Cruyff presented his turn to the world during a 0-0 draw against Sweden at the 1974 World Cup. Finding his route blocked by the Swedish right-back Jan Olsson, Cruyff made as if to play the ball infield, only to drag the ball behind his standing leg with his right foot and race off towards the byline. “That moment against Cruyff was the proudest moment of my career,” Olsson told David Winner in Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football. “I was not humiliated. I had no chance. Cruyff was a genius.”

If it seemed inconceivable, however, that a trick so straightforward could never have been performed before, that’s because it was. Pelé was baffling defenders by flicking the ball behind his standing leg when Cruyff was still in short trousers and a British Movietone film from 1960 shows the Barcelona striker Eulogio Martínez pulling off a succession of textbook Cruyff turns during a European Cup match at Wolves. His widely accepted position as the inventor of the move owes much to the fact the 1974 World Cup was beamed into more homes than any tournament before.

6) McGeady spin

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Photograph: Bloomsbury Sport

One ingenious piece of trickery turned the Irish winger Aiden McGeady into something of a global reference point. A well-watched YouTube clip shows him pulling off his trademark move during a game between Celtic and Aberdeen in October 2004. Having run on to a pass from John Hartson, McGeady finds himself facing the left-hand touchline with his back to the play. As Aberdeen’s Steve Tosh approaches from behind, McGeady performs a Cruyff turn directly into Tosh’s path, but then flicks the ball down the touchline with the outside of his left foot, leaving his opponent comically flatfooted as he scampers away. McGeady performed the trick so readily that it was soon included as a skill move in the Fifa game series, where it’s known as the McGeady spin.

• This is an edited extract from Do You Speak Football? A Glossary of Football Words and Phrases from Around the World by Tom Williams, which is published by Bloomsbury Sport on 3 May