Charlie Adam knew he didn't have the pace to break past Chelsea so just thought 'why not' and hit his 66-yard bolt from the blue

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Charlie Adam looked up, noticed Thibaut Courtois was off his line, and thought: ‘Why not?’

Why not, indeed. The Stoke City midfielder was 66 yards from goal but had the audacity to score what will surely be crowned the Barclays Premier League’s strike of the season.

David Beckham did it against Wimbledon in August 1996, as did Wayne Rooney against West Ham last March. There was Xabi Alonso in 2006 and Maynor Figueroa three years later, too.

Charlie Adam (centre) lets fly from inside his own half as he scores one of the goals of his career at Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois watches on as he is unable to stop Adam's shot from hitting the back of the net for 1-1

Yet this was different. It was not a hit and hope. It was not a lob. This was a direct shot from deep inside Adam’s own half which fooled one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers — and Adam meant it.

Sportmail’s Jamie Redknapp agreed. ‘This is better than Beckham, more audacious than Rooney’s last season, This is one of the best strikes we’ve ever seen. It’s an absolutely incredible piece of play by Charlie Adam.

‘You categorise goals as great individual efforts or team goals, but that was a piece of genius. To even try it is brilliant.’

Even by the standards those at Stamford Bridge are used to seeing week in, week out, this was special. 

Particularly because it came from an unexpected source, from a ‘bloke who looks like a bus driver’, as former English cricket captain Freddie Flintoff colourfully put it.

Nineteen years ago, when Beckham introduced himself to the world with his goal from the halfway line, he did so wearing the wrong footwear. 

The Manchester United great beat Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan wearing custom-made boots embroidered with ‘Charlie’ on the tongue — adidas sending Beckham a pair which were actually intended for Rangers attacking midfielder Charlie Miller.

Adam (second left) admitted he had mixed emotions after scoring the goal but losing the game

David Beckham struck from inside his own half for Manchester United against Wimbledon in 1996

Beckham celebrated the final goal in 3-0 win for United on the opening day of the 1996-97 season

Miller never got his boots as they were retired, turned into a museum piece, having helped Beckham towards his first of 115 England caps less than three weeks later against Moldova.

From one Scottish Charlie to another, Adam plans to frame his boots and shirt from Stamford Bridge, but this goal is unlikely to be the making of the former Rangers, Blackpool and Liverpool midfielder as it was for Beckham.

Yet in the four seconds it took for the ball to go from boot to net, Adam disproved the theory that sequels are never better than the original.

‘The manager kept saying to me, “come in the middle of the pitch”, to try to get on the ball,’ Adam said. 

‘I’m not a winger, I’m not a wide left midfielder, I don’t have the pace to go in behind so I’ve seen an opening, I’ve seen the goalie off his line and I thought, “why not do it at a place like Chelsea?” 

'I’ve seen the goalie back-pedalling and I was praying it would go in. I’ll remember it for the rest of my career.’

From Spain’s Marca to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, the goal has been admired worldwide.

One man who does not want to see it again, however, is Jose Mourinho. It left a black mark against a win which moved them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, yet even the Chelsea manager can admire a wonder-goal when one comes along, as much as it hurts to admit it.

Even Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had to admit that Adam's goal was a strike of the highest quality

Adam (right) celebrates with his Stoke City team-mates after scoring at Stamford Bridge on Saturday

‘It was a fantastic goal, every player in the world would like to score a goal like that,’ Mourinho said. ‘Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi to all these brilliant players. Not all of them did score that goal in their careers.’

Maradona, Messi, and Adam. Unlike the Argentinian greats, he is known more for his heavy tackling, as Gareth Bale found out when he suffered ankle ligament damage in May 2011. Yet this was straight from the Pele playbook.

Stoke had not managed a single shot on target with half-time minutes away and there seemed no danger as Adam picked up the ball 10 yards inside his own half.

Courtois mistakenly thought the same. Yet this is nothing new from Adam. He did it for Blackpool reserves previously, and Ross County, too. Asked if it is something he thinks about using regularly during a game, Adam said: ‘Every time.’

Midway through this interview, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba interrupts. ‘Why?’ he asks Adam in mock indignation. ‘Tell me why?’ To which Adam replies: ‘I watch your videos.’

Indeed there are compilations of goals just as outrageous on YouTube and, on Saturday, Adam rightly earned his place in history among them.