The winner will be announced at the end of the month.
FIFA has announced the three contenders for the title of the best goal scorer of 2022, named after Ferenc Puskas. The award will be awarded based on the results of voting on the official website of the central football organization. If the applicants have equal points, the prize will be awarded to the one who receives first place. Independent observers control the voting procedure. The winner will be announced at a special FIFA ceremony on February 27 in Paris.
Initially, 11 goals were nominated for the award. Experts and fans who voted on the official FIFA website selected three finalists from this list. They were Brazilian striker Richarlison, Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet and a player from the Polish club Warta Poznań with an amputated leg Marcin Oleksi.
Richarlison's goal, Brazil - Serbia, World Cup 2022
In Brazil's first match at the 2022 World Cup, Richarlison scored the winning goal against Serbia in the 62nd minute. The striker took the ball in the penalty area with one touch from Vinicius and sent the ball into the net in an acrobatic style. Eleven minutes after the goal, Richarlison scored a brace. If the striker wins this award, it will be the third year in a row that a Tottenham player has won the award. In 2020, the prize went to Son Heung-min, and in 2022, to Eric Lamela.
Brazil striker Richarlison: "It was a stunning goal. I have already scored a similar goal for Fluminense and a similar goal for Everton. I had a chance to score again with a scissors kick, and I think it was one of the most beautiful goals of my career because it was at the World Cup and in a difficult game for us."
Goal by Dimitri Payet, Marseille - PAOK, Conference League
This ball of the Frenchman became victorious in the confrontation between Marseille and PAOK. Then Dimitri Payet led his club to the semi-finals of the Conference League. After hitting the attacker from about 25 meters, the ball hit the "nine." This goal by Dimitri Payet is similar to Denis Glushakov's winning goal for Spartak against Amkar. Payet is a funeral?
Marseille striker Dimitri Payet: "I took the shot relaxedly as if it was during training. I think that the feeling of relaxation made the movement smooth. I couldn't hit better. The ball bounced early and was perfect for a left-foot kick. It was a difficult move, but I did it without pressure, and I think I scored because I was relaxed during the shot. I enjoyed it because it's a goal that people will remember, and it's a goal that matters."
Goal by Marcin Oleksi, Warta Poznan - Stal Rzeszow
Looks like a top contender for the win. In June, the Polish player sent the ball with "scissors" into the opponent's goal. It was not easy for Marcin Oleksi - his left leg was amputated. The player was part of the Polish national team at the 2022 World Cup among people with disabilities with amputations. He helped the team reach the 1/8 finals, where they lost to Brazil (1:2).
"My teammate David Novak passed to me. When I saw that he was approaching the ball, I realized he would pass me. When I hit, I followed the ball with my eyes and saw how it flew into the corner of the goal. I always wanted to score a beautiful goal. You could see how proud I was when I scored the goal. I stood up to my full height and puffed out my chest. I was just very, very happy," said the scorer.
14.02.2023