Cristiano Ronaldo Gareth Bale overhead GFXGetty/Goal

Bale, Ronaldo, Messi & Salah vie for FIFA's Puskas award

Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah have all been nominated for the Puskas award.

The prize is given to the best goal scored in a season, and a total of 10 players are set to battle for the gong, with the likes of Benjamin Pavard and Ricardo Quaresma also nominated.

The winner will be decided by a fan poll, and will be announced at a ceremony in London on September 24.

Bale's goal against Liverpool was beaten out by Cristiano Ronaldo for the Goal of the Champions League Tournament, but that could be flipped on his head at the Puskas Awards.

Indeed, the Welshman scored a staggering overhead kick against Liverpool in the final, while Ronaldo's bicycle kick against Juventus led to a standing ovation from fans, and ultimately convinced the Portuguese to move to the Italian giants.

A number of World Cup strikes are included in the nominations, most notably defender Benjamin Pavard, who scored a stunning volleyed effort in France's brilliant win over Argentina.

Denis Cheryshev's super strike for Russia against Croatia is also a potential winner, while Messi's slaloming run and finish against Nigeria is among the voting, along with Quaresma's sublime outside of the boot effort versus Iran.

Back in the club game, Mohamed Salah, a beaten Champions League finalist, could have had a number of his 44 goals last season included in the nominations, but FIFA have settled on his strike in the Merseyside derby against Everton, where he beat two players before curling an effort into the top corner.

A number of lesser-known players have also been given a chance to steal the limelight, with Riley McGree perhaps the player who posts the most danger to Ronaldo, Bale and Salah.

The Club Brugge midfielder is currently on loan at Melbourne City, but he scored his goal for Newcastle Jets, netting with a flick of his heel from outside the box against, ironically, the club who now have him on a short-term deal.

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos is also in the running, his world-class free kick from range stunning Olympiakos and his team-mates, and earning himself a move to the team he scored against, while Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored a superb flying scissor kick for Cruzeiro against America MG.


Watch FIFA Puskas Award Nominated Goals


Gareth Bale

Denis Cheryshev

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos

Giorgian de Arrascaeta

Riley McGree

Lionel Messi

Benjamin Pavard

Ricardo Quaresma

Cristiano Ronaldo

Mohamed Salah

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