Every year, FIFA holds The Best Awards gala, which recognises the world’s most outstanding footballers. However, among the most eagerly awaited awards is a very special one: the Puskás Award, created to honour the best goal of the season and discover talents that might otherwise go unnoticed.

What is the FIFA Puskás Award?

The Puskás Award was established by FIFA in the 2008/2009 season with the aim of recognising the scorer of the most spectacular goal of the year in official competitions. The first winner was Cristiano Ronaldo, thanks to his powerful strike against FC Porto in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with Manchester United.

Since then, the award has become one of the most prestigious in football, forming an essential part of the annual The Best Awards ceremony, which is usually held in January.

Selection criteria

For a goal to be considered worthy of the Puskás Award, it must meet four fundamental criteria established by FIFA:

Goal aesthetics: the beauty, creativity or technical difficulty of the play is assessed (e.g. long-range shots, collective or acrobatic actions).

Importance of the match: the goal must have been scored in an official match recognised by FIFA, whether in a league, international tournament or national team competition.

Absence of the luck factor: it must not be the result of an opponent’s mistake or a fortuitous rebound.

Fair play: the scorer of the goal must not have displayed unsportsmanlike behaviour or been sanctioned for doping during the relevant period.

Why is it called the Puskás Award?

The award pays tribute to Ferenc Puskás, one of the best strikers in history. The Hungarian footballer led his national team to win the gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and to compete in the final of the 1954 World Cup.

He went on to become a Real Madrid legend, winning five La Liga titles and three European Cups, scoring 242 goals in 262 matches. In 2004, FIFA recognised him as the top scorer of the 20th century and a leading figure in world football.

Puskás Award Winners

Since its inception, the trophy has rewarded memorable goals, from bicycle kicks and rabona kicks to brilliant individual plays. To date, no player has ever won it twice.

Below is the complete list of footballers who have won the Puskás Award:

Season	Player	Nationality	Club / National team	Match

2008/2009

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

Manchester United

vs FC Porto (Champions League)

2009/2010

Hamit Altıntop

Turkey

Turkey national team

vs Kazakhstan (Euro 2012 Qualifiers)

2010/2011

Neymar Jr.

Brazil

Santos

vs Flamengo (Brasileirão)

2011/2012

Miroslav Stoch

Slovakia

Fenerbahçe

vs Genclerbirligi (Turkish Super League)

2012/2013

Zlatan Ibrahimović

Sweden

Sweden national team

vs England (Friendly match)

2013/2014

James Rodríguez

Colombia

Colombia national team

vs Uruguay (2014 World Cup)

2014/2015

Wendell Lira

Brazil

Goianésia

vs Atlético Goianiense (Goiano Championship)

2015/2016

Mohd Faiz Subri

Malaysia

Pulau Pinang

vs Pahang (Malaysia Super League)

2016/2017

Olivier Giroud

France

Arsenal

vs Crystal Palace (Premier League)

2017/2018

Mohamed Salah

Egypt

Liverpool

vs Everton (Premier League)

2018/2019

Daniel Zsori

Romania

Debreceni VSC

vs Ferencváros (Hungarian First Division)

2019/2020

Son Heung-Min

South Korea

Tottenham Hotspur

vs Burnley (Premier League)

2020/2021

Erik Lamela

Argentina

Tottenham Hotspur

vs Arsenal (Premier League)

2021/2022

Marcin Oleksy

Poland

Warta Poznań

vs Stal Rzeszów (PZU Amp Futbol Ekstraklasa)

2022/2023

Guilherme Madruga

Brazil

Botafogo-SP

vs Novorizontino (Series B)

2023/2024

Alejandro Garnacho

Argentina

Manchester United

vs Everton (Premier League)

Goals that made history

Over the years, the Puskás Award has immortalised plays that remain etched in the memory of fans:

• Cristiano Ronaldo’s rocket against Porto.
• Neymar’s individual play with Santos.
• Zlatan Ibrahimović’s impossible bicycle kick against England.
• James Rodríguez’s spectacular goal at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
• Erik Lamela’s ‘rabona’ in the North London derby.
• And Alejandro Garnacho’s recent bicycle kick against Everton, a contender for one of the most iconic goals in the Premier League.

An award to remember

The Puskás Award celebrates not only technical brilliance and individual talent, but also the essence of football as an art form. Each edition reminds us that, beyond titles and results, there are goals that transcend time and become true masterpieces of the sport.