Every FIFA Puskas Award Winner (Ranked)

The Ballon d’Or remains the most prestigious individual accolade in football. Once a prize that seemed to be shared betwee Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the field has opened up in recent years, with Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Harry Kane winning the award. But there’s another award dished out that isn’t quite dominated by the biggest names. In fact, Messi hasn’t even got his hands on it.

Of course, we’re talking about the FIFA Puskas Award – the award named after Ferenc Puskas, the Hungary and Real Madrid legend. The award is given to the player who has scored the most aesthetically pleasing, “beautiful” goal of the calendar year. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A public vote was originally used to decide the victor until some controversial winners forced a rethink.

Not all Puskas winners are equal. Some goals are obviously better than others, while the context behind each strike is always different and has to be taken into consideration. Using a range of factors which have been listed below, here’s how each spectacular strike compares since the award’s inception in 2009.

Ranking Factors

• Distance from goal
• Number of teammates involved
• Quality of the opposition
• Level of competition
• Importance in the game

17

Mohamed Salah – 2018

Liverpool (vs Everton)

After Mohamed Salah claimed the award for his curler against Everton in the 2017/18 campaign, his Liverpool teammate at the time, James Milner, tweeted: “Congrats @MoSalah on your 7th best goal from last season winning goal of the year.” It was tongue-in-cheek, but Milner wasn’t far wrong.

Salah’s effort was decent as he wriggled away from two Everton defenders before curling a beautiful effort into the top corner past Jordan Pickford. But the Egyptian had scored many goals like that during the same season. Decent but worthy of winning the Puskas Award? No chance. Amazingly, it beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible overhead kick for Real Madrid against Juventus.

16

Wendell Lira – 2015

Goianesia (vs Atletico-GO)

We all love an overhead kick, but Wendell Lira’s effort isn’t *that* good. The Brazilian scored his acrobatic effort for Goianesia in a 2-1 win over Atletico-GO, and it staggeringly received 46.7% of the total votes. In second place was Lionel Messi’s incredible solo goal against Athletic Club in the 2015 Copa del Rey final. Sorry, we’re not having that.

It’s a good goal, but Messi’s effort against Athletic was one of the most impressive solo strikes we’ve seen in quite some time. It’s absurd that it missed out on the Puskas Award here and, as a result, arguably the greatest player of all time still hasn’t won the accolade.

15

Miroslav Stoch – 2012

Fenerbahce (vs Genclerbirligi)

We all remember attempting a ‘Scholesy’ when we were younger and instantly realising it’s a lot harder than it looks. Even the Manchester United icon only pulled off the immensely difficult technique a couple of times during his legendary career. But Fenerbahce’s Miroslav Stoch nailed it back in 2012 when he spanked a sweet volley from a corner two minutes into a 6-1 battering of Genclerbirligi. It picked up a crazy 78% of the vote, but it’s easy to see why.

After a corner was cleared to the Slovakian winger, he fired it first time and his fierce volley sailed into the top corner. No keeper in the world would have stopped it, let alone poor Ramazan Kose – a 23-year-old shot-stopper feeling his way through his first season as a top-flight player.

14

Mohd Faiz Subri – 2016

Penang (vs Pahang)

One of the most remarkable free-kicks ever produced on a professional football pitch ripped through the air when Mohd Faiz Subri struck an absolute howitzer in the Malaysian Super League clash between Penang and Pahang back in 2016. With the set piece situated near the touchline, he took aim and fired an incredible effort on goal that sailed into the top corner, helped along the way with some quite absurd curve.

But does he really intend to put that much swerve on it that it ends up in the top corner? We’re not so sure. We just think he’s hit it as hard as he could, and it somehow arrowed into the top corner. Incredible goal but we feel there might be a lack of technical ability involved here.

13

Cristiano Ronaldo – 2009

Manchester United (vs FC Porto)

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a few unbelievable goals during his unbelievable career. We’ve already mentioned how his overhead kick against Juventus was robbed of winning the award in 2018. This wasn’t quite as good technically, but a 40-yard screamer in the Champions League isn’t bad. Just look how hard he hits it!

The Manchester United icon only received 17.68% of the votes for this goal, with fourth place Eliran Atar picking up 13.36%. That’s how close it was. The Portuguese star probably could have won several Puskas awards throughout his career, but as things stand, this is still the only one under his belt and it was a superb strike which helped United through to the Champions League semi-finals.

12

Hamit Altintop – 2010

Turkey (vs Kazakhstan)

You know we were talking about doing a ‘Scholesy’? Well, maybe we should start calling it an ‘Altintopy’. Ok, it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, but Altintop’s goal for Turkey against Kazakhstan in a Euro 2012 qualifier was just stupendous. We’re not sure we’ve seen too many instances of a ball hit sweeter than it was here.

The power and placement are second to none. This is the sort of strike that would be impressive even coming from the likes of Steven Gerrard or Scholes. One figure who didn’t look entirely enamoured by the ceremony was the man handing Altintop his deserved award, Andrei Sidelnikov. Sidelnikov was the Kazakh keeper who was left flapping at thin air by the Turkey international’s thunderous drive.

11

Guilherme Madruga – 2023

Botafogo-SP (vs Novorizontino)

REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

The audacity. The execution. Everything about Guilherme Madruga’s acrobatic attempt is gracious in its own right – but to have it higher than some others in this list wouldn’t make sense. A scramble just outside the 18-yard box ensued before the Brazilian – not typically renowned for his goalscoring ability – produced an exquisite overhead kick. The keeper? Well, he had no chance.

It was one of those that would’ve only been kept out by 1% of goalkeepers in their pomp. Puskas Award voters seem to be in awe of overhead kicks given they feature so regularly – and this year it was no different. Their undying love for an authentic – yet superbly struck – acrobatic attempt was out in full force once again in 2023, giving the award to Madruga for his goal against Novorizontino. Julio Enciso and Nuno Santos may feel hard done by – but, sometimes, you just have to tip your hat.

10

Alejandro Garnacho — 2024

Manchester United (vs Everton)

Alejandro Garnacho was once heralded as the future of Manchester United’s attack and, with goals such as the overhead kick he scored against Everton, it is easy to see why fans got excited. Unfortunately Garnacho and the Red Devils, things didn’t quite work out as planned, but they’ll always have that goal.

Indeed, there were shades of Wayne Rooney’s overhead against Manchester City when Garnacho swivelled his body in the air the dispatch the ball directly into the far top corner. Memorable.

9

James Rodriguez – 2014

Colombia (vs Uruguay)

Imagine scoring a Puskas Award-winning goal in a World Cup knockout tie. James Rodriguez was ridiculously good at the 2014 World Cup and earned himself a lucrative move to Real Madrid. He was on top of the world and that was exemplified with this magnificent strike.

The Colombian playmaker chested the ball down with his back to goal, swivelled and smashed an unstoppable volley off the underside of the crossbar to help his nation side beat Uruguay in the round of 16. Simply stunning. The power, the control and the technique are all outrageous. No goalkeeper in the world was saving that.

8

Santiago Montiel — 2025

Independiente (vs Independiente Rivadavia)

via Youtube/GuardianSport

A goal must be good if it beat a Declan Rice free kick against Real Madrid and Lamine Yamal’s Catalan derby goal for Barcelona. Indeed, Santiago Montiel continued a trend of overhead kicks winning the Puskas Award in 2025, but it is all the more impressive due to the distance he was from goal. It’s not very often players score such acrobatic efforts from beyond 18 yards.