Spectacular Strikes Battle for Football's Most Coveted Goal Prize: 2025 Puskas Award Nominees Revealed
While beauty in football goals remains a matter of personal taste, the 11 contenders for the 2025 FIFA Puskás Award are undeniably spectacular.
The Puskás Award, honoring the iconic Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás, was established in 2009 with the challenging mission of selecting the year's most visually captivating goal.
Past recipients include football superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Mohamed Salah, though numerous relatively unknown players have also claimed this prestigious accolade. Strikes from Malaysia, Poland and Hungary have previously earned this distinguished recognition.
Below are the complete list of contenders for the 2025 Puskás Award, with the champion determined through combined public voting and FIFA specialist evaluations.
Alerrandro
Bicycle kicks consistently perform well in Puskás Award competitions, and Alerrandro's perfectly-timed aerial artistry secured his nomination this season. The Vitória striker capitalized on a weak defensive header, spinning to fire past the Cruzeiro keeper while facing away from goal.
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Alessandro Deiola
Cagliari channeled their inner Barcelona during a Serie A encounter with Venezia in the latter stages of the 2024–25 campaign. A sophisticated series of one-touch passes along their left wing culminated with Alessandro Deiola receiving a clever touch before bending a flawless shot into the upper corner from the edge of the box.
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Pedro de la Vega
Few volleys match the breathtaking quality of Pedro de la Vega's magnificent strike for Seattle Sounders versus Cruz Azul. A diagonal pass became an unexpected assist as the Argentine unleashed a sublime shot into the distant top corner from the penalty area's left side. A goal that improves with each viewing.
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Santiago Montiel
One could debate whether Santiago Montiel committed a foul on his defender just before executing an incredible overhead kick from beyond the penalty area for Independiente in Argentina, but this doesn't diminish what remains a bold and extraordinary goal.
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Amr Nasser
Miss it in a heartbeat. Emulating Wayne Rooney and Alejandro Garnacho, Pharco's Amr Nasser delivered an athletic volley that combined power with beauty, soaring past the Al Ahly keeper before he could properly position himself.
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Carlos Orrantia
Questionable goalkeeping doesn't diminish Carlos Orrantia's incredible goal against Atlas in Mexico's premier division. After collecting a weak punch from the Querétaro goalkeeper, Orrantia controlled the ball, juggled it with his left foot and knee, then hammered a vicious shot into the top corner with surgical precision.
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Lucas Ribeiro
Though perhaps among the less impressive candidates for the 2025 honor, Lucas Ribeiro's goal at the summer FIFA Club World Cup remained a delightful effort. The Mamelodi Sundowns striker surged through Borussia Dortmund's defense from his own half before powering past Gregor Kobel to net the opener in an incredible 4–3 loss for the South African side.
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Declan Rice
Declan Rice's initial free kick in Arsenal's 3–0 victory over Real Madrid was impressive, but his second was absolutely magnificent. The midfielder, previously not renowned for distance set pieces, combined force with accuracy as he curved effortlessly into the top corner from 25 yards to confound Thibaut Courtois.
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Rizky Ridho
Traveling to Indonesia for this year's ninth candidate, Rizky Ridho's exceptional strike from just beyond the halfway line deserves recognition among the nominees. Spotting the Arema goalkeeper off his line, Ridho chipped a beautiful effort over the advancing keeper that nestled just under the crossbar.
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Kévin Rodrigues
De la Vega and Kévin Rodrigues are engaged in a contest of truly exceptional volleys, with no clear victor. While the former's came from a narrow angle, the ball descended from considerable height before meeting Rodrigues's left foot, with the Portuguese defender arcing a spectacular effort into the top corner with tremendous force.
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Lamine Yamal
Some might argue that Lamine Yamal's goal against Espanyol wasn't even the Spaniard's finest strike of the season, yet it remained an excellent effort. Drifting inward and curving into the top corner, the winger helped secure Barcelona's La Liga championship with an elegant finish.
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