Richarlison, Payet and Oleksy: finalists for Puskas Award 2022

FIFA have announced the finalists for the 2022 Puskas Award, as well as the finalists for The Best Player, among others.

Richarlison, Dimitri Payet and Marcin Oleksy are the three finalists to win the Puskas Award. This is the award for the best goal of the year.

The Tottenham striker scored the best goal of the Qatar 2022 World Cup in the match against Serbia. The player controlled with his left foot a ball from Vinicius and sent an acrobatic volley into the net.

"It was a very beautiful goal. I had scored one like that previously for Fluminense and a similar one for Everton. I had the chance to score a scissor-kick goal again and I think it was one of the most beautiful goals my career, because it was in the World Cup and in a game that was difficult for us," Richarlison said.

Payet scored the nominated goal in the Conference League quarter-final against PAOK. He shot the ball from 25 metres and the ball went straight into the visitors' goal. "I took the shot in a casual manner, as if it was during training. I think this sense of relaxation made the movement fluid. I couldn’t have hit it better. It bounced before and it sat up perfectly for a left-footed shot. It was a difficult move but I did it without pressure and I think I scored because I was relaxed when I took the shot. I enjoyed it because it’s a goal that people will remember and it’s a goal that mattered," he said.

Oleksy scored his goal in a football match on crutches and pulled off a beautiful scissor-kick. "My teammate Dawid [Novak] played the pass. When I saw him approaching the ball, I knew it was coming to me. I connected really cleanly. It was pure. When I hit it, I was following the ball all the way with my eyes and I saw it go into the corner of the net. I always wanted to score a beautiful goal. You could see how proud it made me after I scored. I stood up tall, I put my chest out. I was just so, so happy," Oleksy said.

 

February 10, 2023