Barcelona's teenage sensation, Lamine Yamal, is among the nominees for the prestigious FIFA Puskás Award, which recognizes the best goal scored in men's football between August 11, 2024, and August 2, 2025. FIFA announced the nominees for both the Puskás Award and the FIFA Marta Award, which recognizes the best goal in women's football, on Thursday.
Yamal's nomination comes as a result of his stunning goal against Espanyol in the Catalan derby at Cornellà-El Prat. The young forward produced "a moment of brilliance" when he unleashed a powerful, long-range strike that beat his now-teammate, Joan Garcia, nestling the ball perfectly in the top corner. The goalkeeper had no chance against the perfectly placed shot. The goal, a trademark curling left-foot shot after Yamal ran across the defense from the right flank, has been widely celebrated as a testament to his burgeoning talent.
The 17-year-old has already enjoyed a successful year, having won the Kopa Trophy and the AFE Player of the Year award, and finishing second in the Ballon d'Or rankings. Now, he is in the running for the Puskas award.
Other contenders for the award include Declan Rice, for one of his two sensational free-kick goals for Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Real Madrid.
The winner of the Puskás Award will be determined through a combination of fan and expert votes. Football fans can register on FIFA.com to cast their votes, ranking their top three goals with a weighting system: five points for their first choice, three for their second, and one for their third. Voting will remain open until December 3 at 23:59 CET. The award will be presented at the FIFA The Best awards ceremony.
In addition to the Puskás Award, FIFA also announced the nominees for the FIFA Marta Award, named after Brazilian football legend Marta. Marta was shortlisted for the FIFA Marta Award. She earned the nomination for a goal where she received the ball in the center circle, sprinted and dribbled past two defenders, rounded the goalkeeper, and scored into an empty net while playing for Orlando Pride against Kansas City Current.
