The FIFA Puskás Award[ˈpuʃkaːʃ] is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the player judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant, or "most beautiful", goal of the calendar year. The Puskás Award is announced yearly and is considered by voting. From 2024, only male players are eligible to win, with the FIFA Marta Award established for female players instead.[1]
The award is in honour of Ferenc Puskás, the striker of Real Madrid during the late 1950s to the late 1960s, and central member of the highly successful Hungarian side of the same era. Puskás is widely considered by many to be the most powerful and prolific forward Europe produced in first-division football and was honoured by IFFHS in 1997 as the best top-tier goalscorer of the 20th century. Puskás scored 806 goals in 793 games and his 86 national team goals in 90 outings was a world record at the time.[2][3]
"It is important to preserve the memory of those footballing greats who have left their mark on our history. Ferenc Puskás was not only a player with immense talent who won many honours, but also a remarkable man. FIFA is therefore delighted to pay tribute to him by dedicating this award to his memory," said Blatter at the inauguration of the award in Budapest. [citation needed]
Until 2018, the winner was decided completely based on votes from fans on FIFA's official website.[4] However, after a controversy in the 2018 award,[5] FIFA changed the procedure. Now, the award is decided by pundits selected by FIFA, who will choose the winner based on the top three goals voted for by the public.
The first award was presented from July 2008 to July 2009. The annual award was presented for the first time during the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year Gala on 21 December in Switzerland, with Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo as the first prize winner.
Lionel Messi holds the record for the most nominations for the FIFA Puskás Award. He has been nominated a total of 7 times[6] (in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019), though surprisingly, he has never won the award. He came the closest to winning the award in 2011,2015 and 2019 with 2nd place rankings.
The award has seen a wide variety of winners, from lesser-known players to global superstars, highlighting the best goals across all levels of competition.
Award criteria
It should be an "absolutely beautiful goal" (subjective, but decided by voting and judgement from experts — the spread of goals should include long-range shots, team goals, rabona, overhead kicks, individual plays, scorpion kicks, etc.).[citation needed]
It should be awarded "without distinction of championship, gender or nationality".[7]
It should not be the result of luck, mistakes, or deflection by another player or the player in an offside position. [citation needed]
It should support fair play, i.e. the player should not have behaved badly in the game or have been charged with doping, for example. [citation needed]
The player cannot be nominated with two different goals.[citation needed]
Winners and nominees
Scores and results list the player's club goal tally first.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first recipient of the award for his long-range goal against Porto from 40 yards out. Former Dutch international Ruud Gullit called it a "strike", while former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said, "I would have to go a long way back in the memory bank to find another one like that!"[8]
Zlatan Ibrahimović's 35-yard overhead kick with his back to goal won him praise from players and pundits, with the BBC describing it as a goal that "combined unfathomable imagination and expert technique".[11]
The following list includes the nominees for the 2013 award. Voting was possible through the FIFA.com website until 9 December 2013, after a second voting round was held between the top three goals from the first round. The award to the winning goal from the second round was presented on 13 January 2014.
James Rodríguez's volley was described as "one of the greatest goals the World Cup has ever seen" by Uruguayan manager Óscar Tabárez, who also called Rodríguez "the best player in the World Cup".[13]
FIFA announced the list of 10 nominees on 12 November 2014.[14]
Olivier Giroud's backheeled "scorpion kick" volley was described by then-Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger as one of the five best in his Arsenal reign.[20]
FIFA announced the list of 10 nominees on 22 September 2017.[21]
_(cropped).jpg)
