The FIFA Puskas award, for those of you who aren’t aware, is an award given by football’s governing body to the man or woman deemed to have scored the most beautiful goal in that calendar year, and it is named in honour of Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas.
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Here are the first 7 Puskas award winners: Where are they now?
7. Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus
The Puskas award began in 2009, so that’s where we begin our seven. The great thing about the Puskas award, unlike say the Ballon d’Or of FIFA Best awards, is that they’re open to just about anyone who plays competitive football. That means the winners have been a really eclectic mix of world superstars and absolute nobodies, and we kick off with a man who fall firmly into that first category. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Puskas award winning strike came in his last season at Manchester United with an extraordinary 40-yard strike in the Champions League against Porto, which he has since described as the best goal of his career. Ronaldo left United in 2009 for Real Madrid, where he cemented his place among the greatest footballers of all time, and the 34-year-old is now in his second season in Italy with Juventus.
6. Hamit Altintop – Free Agent
Hamit Altintop (L) of Darmstadt and Niko Giesselmann (R) of Duesseldorf fight for the ball during the Second Bundesliga match between Fortuna Duesseldorf and SV Darmstadt 98 at Esprit-…
Aged 36 now and having been without a club for more than a year, it is quite possible that Hamit Altintop has retired, but the former Turkish international is yet to confirm that so we’ll still call him a free agent. His Puskas award winning strike was a comically brilliant volley from a corner that was fizzed at waist-height to the edge of the box. Think one of Paul Scholes’ classic corner routine goals but on steroids, and against Kazakhstan in a Euro 2012 qualifier. Altintop was at Bayern Munich at the time, and has since played for Real Madrid, Galatasaray and Darmstadt – but as mentioned, he has been without a club since 2018.
5. Neymar – PSG
Another big name Puskas award recipient, Neymar was still playing for Santos when he received the award in 2011 for a fantastic combination of individual skill and team play against Flamengo. That game ended 5-4, and if you haven’t before, I’d strongly recommend watching the 15 minute highlights of the match on YouTube. Neymar went on to join Barcelona, where he formed an extraordinary attacking trident alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, before becoming the most expensive footballer of all time in a move to PSG. He still with the Ligue 1 champions at the time of recording, but has been heavily linked with a return to La Liga.
4. Miroslav Stoch – PAOK
Miroslav Stoch of Slavia Praha during the UEFA Europa League Quarter Final Second Leg match between Chelsea and Slavia Praha at Stamford Bridge on April 18, 2019 in London, England.
There were some similarities between Miroslav Stoch’s 2012 Puskas award winning strike and Hamit Altintop’s 2010 goal, inasmuch as both were belting volleys from outside the area from corners. Stoch’s was more of a looping delivery than a zipped one though, meaning he had to generate all the power himself, and he sure did. The Slovakian international was at Fenerbahce at the time, but now aged 29, he signed for Greek outfit PAOK this summer.
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – LA Galaxy
I probably don’t need to tell you that Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Puskas award winning goal was his audacious overhead kick in an international friendly against England, I’m sure it is etched in most of your minds forever. The goal summed up Zlatan’s incredible self-belief and confidence, just to attempt the strike, and his remarkable skill to pull it off. Then of PSG, he now plays for LA Galaxy in the MLS, where he’s scored 42 goals in 48 games despite rapidly approaching his 38th birthday.
2. James Rodriguez – Real Madrid
James Rodriguez of Real Madrid looks on during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Real Valladolid at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on August 24, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.
Another player currently being linked with transfers elsewhere, including as part of Real Madrid’s interest in Neymar in fact, James Rodriguez is still with Los Blancos at the time in which I am recording this video. The attacking midfielder was Colombia’s talisman as they put in an impressive showing at the 2014 World Cup, and he was probably unfortunate to miss out on the Golden Ball to Lionel Messi. Rodriguez’s Puskas winning strike was of course his thunderous and beautifully taken volley against Uruguay in the Round of 16.
1. Wendell Lira – YouTuber & Pro FIFA Player
2015 Puskas award winner Wendell Lira is a perfect example of how obscure players can win the much-coveted award, although it didn’t do a great deal for his playing career. Lira won the award whilst playing regional football in Brazil, and unlike some of the others in this seven, Lira really just added a stylish finishing touch to a wonderful team goal. He retired from football a year later though, aged 27, to become a YouTuber and e-sports FIFA player, and he has since amassed over 500,000 subscribers.
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