Contenders for this year’s Puskás Award
Seeing football’s elite games played behind closed doors has been strange since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic. The eerily quiet stands and echoes from coaches’ instructions just doesn’t feel the same as a packed-out stadium with passionate supporters — especially after scoring an important goal.
The Puskás award is a celebration of the year’s best goals. Whether it be a piece of individual brilliance, a long-range screamer or a well worked team effort, the contenders are always a fantastic watch for the neutrals. Initially created in 2009, the award is dedicated to Ferenc Puskás, a Real Madrid legend in the 1950s renowned for his aesthetic goalscoring style. Previous winners include Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Mohammed Salah.
Last year felt different with supporters watching goals from home for the majority of the year, as Son Heung-min took home the award for his solo run against Burnley. With that in mind, lets look at some contenders for this year’s recipient
Mohammed Salah vs Manchester City
The most recent edition in the catalogue of great Salah goals, the Egyptian is in the form of his life right now and set Anfield into a state of delirium when he put Liverpool 2-1 in a crucial game in the Premier League title race. Despite City coming back to draw level in a game that could prove decisive in the title race on the bet exchange, Liverpool’s main man defied both AyemericLaporte and Ruben Dias to squeeze the ball across Ederson at an acute angle. A goal arguably better than the strike that won him his 2018 Puskás award against Everton.
Big players tend to come up with crucial goals when they matter most. Erling Haaland has quickly emerged on the scene as one of the deadliest marksmen in Europe, scoring a plethora of great goals since his move to Borussia Dortmund, with the pick up of the bunch coming in the Revierderby. Known for the aggressive tackles and passionate supporters, even Schalke’s fans had to appreciate the Norwegian’s acrobatic scissor kick, as he soared through the air to defy his 6ft4inch frame and place the ball inch perfectly in a massive Bundesliga match. The way Haalandis playing at the moment, even if he doesn’t win the award this year, the 21-year-old will score plenty of other contenders in the coming years — Dortmund fans will just be hoping it is for them in front of the Yellow Wall.
Again, another derby features on the list, and arguably the most audacious goal of them all. Although his time at Tottenham Hotspur was plagued by injuries and inconsistency, Érik Lamelawould occasionally display moments of individual brilliance capable of justifying his pricey move from Roma in 2013. He may not have set the world alite at White Hart Lane or the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Argentine, who departed North London this summer for Sevilla, will go down in Spurs folklore for his incredible rabona goal against Arsenal.
You could only imagine the kind of reception the goal would have received had supporters been present, but it is certainly one that will top the list of famous derby goals for years to come, especially given it’s creativity and flamboyance.