FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, in order to award the player, male or female, judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant, or "most beautiful", goal of the calendar year.
The award is in honour of Ferenc Puskás, the striker of Real Madrid during the late 1950s and the 1960s, and central member of the highly successful Hungarian side of the same era. Puskás is widely considered by many to be the most powerful and prolific forward European football produced in first-division football, and scored a once world record of 84 goals in 85 internationals. He is one of the top scorers of the 20th century, with 512 goals in 528 matches.
"It is important to preserve the memory of those footballing greats who have left their mark on our history. Ferenc Puskás was not only a player with immense talent who won many honours, but also a remarkable man. FIFA is therefore delighted to pay tribute to him by dedicating this award to his memory," said Blatter at the inauguration of the award in Budapest.
The time-frame for the first award was July 2008 to July 2009. The annual award was presented for the first time during the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year Gala on 21 December in Switzerland, with the Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo being the first prize winner.
Criteria
- It should be a beautiful goal.
- It should be awarded "without distinction of championship, gender or nationality".
- It should not be the result of luck, mistakes, deflection by another player or the player in an offside position.
- It should support fair play, i.e. the player should not have behaved badly in the game or have been charged with doping, for example.
- The player cannot be nominated with two different goals.
Winners and nominees
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
The following list includes the nominees for the 2013 award. Voting was possible through the FIFA.com website until 9 December 2013, after a second voting round was held between the top three goals from the first round. The award to the winning goal from the second round was presented on 13 January 2014.| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Score | Competition | Vote percentage |
| 1st |  Zlatan Ibrahimović | 4–2 | Friendly | 48.7% | ||
| 2nd |  Nemanja Matić |  Benfica | Porto | 2–2 | 2012–13 Primeira Liga | 30.8% |
| 3rd |  Neymar | 1–0 | 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup | 20.5% | ||
| Unranked |  Peter Ankersen | Esbjerg | Aarhus | 5–1 | 2013–14 Superliga | N/A |
| Unranked |  Louisa Cadamuro | Lyon | Saint-Étienne | 5–0 | 2012–13 Division 1 Féminine | N/A |
| Unranked |  Lisa De Vanna |  Sky Blue | Boston Breakers | 5–1 | 2013 National Women's Soccer League | N/A |
| Unranked |  Antonio Di Natale | Udinese | Chievo | 3–1 | 2012–13 Serie A | N/A |
| Unranked |  Panagiotis Kone | Bologna | Napoli | 2–3 | 2012–13 Serie A | N/A |
| Unranked |  Daniel Ludueña |  Pachuca | UANL | 2–1 | Liga MX Apertura 2013 | N/A |
| Unranked |  Juan Manuel Olivera | Náutico | Sport Recife | 2–0 | 2013 Copa Sudamericana | N/A |
2014
The nominees for 2014 were announced on 12 November.| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Score | Competition | Vote percentage |
| 1st |  James Rodríguez | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | 42% | ||
| 2nd |  Stephanie Roche | Peamount United | Wexford Youths | 2–0 | 2013–14 Irish Women's National League | 33% |
| 3rd |  Robin van Persie | 5–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | 11% | ||
| Unranked | Tim Cahill | 2–3 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | N/A | ||
| Unranked |  Diego Costa | Atlético Madrid | Getafe | 7–0 | 2013–14 La Liga | N/A |
| Unranked | Marco Fabián | Cruz Azul | Puebla | 1–0 | Liga MX Clausura 2014 | N/A |
| Unranked | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Paris Saint-Germain | Bastia | 4–0 | 2013–14 Ligue 1 | N/A |
| Unranked |  Pajtim Kasami |  Fulham | Crystal Palace | 4–1 | 2013–14 Premier League | N/A |
| Unranked | Camilo Sanvezzo |  Vancouver Whitecaps | Portland Timbers | 2–2 | 2013 MLS | N/A |
| Unranked |  Hisato Satō | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Kawasaki Frontale | 2–1 | 2014 J. League Division 1 | N/A |
2015
FIFA announced the list of 10 nominees on 12 November 2015.| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Score | Competition | Vote percentage |
| 1st | Wendell Lira | Goianésia | Atlético Goianiense | 1–0 | 2015 Campeonato Goiano | 46.7% |
| 2nd |  Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Athletic Bilbao | 1–0 | 2014–15 Copa del Rey | 33.3% |
| 3rd |  Alessandro Florenzi | Roma | Barcelona | 1–1 | 2015–16 UEFA Champions League | 7.1% |
| Unranked | David Ball | Fleetwood Town | Preston North End | 2–2 | 2014–15 League One | N/A |
| Unranked | Chory Castro | Real Sociedad | Deportivo La Coruña | 2–1 | 2014–15 La Liga | N/A |
| Unranked |  Carli Lloyd | United States | Japan | 4–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup | N/A |
| Unranked | Philippe Mexès | Milan | Inter Milan | 1–0 | Friendly | N/A |
| Unranked |  Marcel Ndjeng |  Paderborn | Bolton Wanderers | 3–1 | Friendly | N/A |
| Unranked |  Esteban Ramírez | Herediano | Deportivo Saprissa | 3–1 | Liga FPD Invierno 2014 | N/A |
| Unranked | Carlos Tevez | Juventus | Parma | 4–0 | 2014–15 Serie A | N/A |
2016
FIFA announced the list of 10 nominees on 21 November 2016.| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Score | Competition | Vote percentage |
| 1st |  Mohd Faiz Subri | Penang | Pahang | 4–1 | 2016 Malaysia Super League | 59.46% |
| 2nd | Marlone | Corinthians |  Cobresal | 3–0 | 2016 Copa Libertadores | 22.86% |
| 3rd |  Daniuska Rodríguez | Venezuela | Colombia | 1–0 | 2016 South American U-17 Women's Championship | 10.01% |
| Unranked | Mario Gaspar | 1–0 | Friendly | N/A | ||
| Unranked |  Hlompho Kekana | 2–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | N/A | ||
| Unranked | Lionel Messi | 2–0 | Copa América Centenario | N/A | ||
| Unranked | Neymar | Barcelona | Villarreal | 3–0 | 2015–16 La Liga | N/A |
| Unranked | Saúl Ñíguez | Atlético Madrid | Bayern Munich | 1–0 | 2015–16 UEFA Champions League | N/A |
| Unranked |  Hal Robson-Kanu | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 | N/A | ||
| Unranked |  Simon Skrabb | Åtvidabergs FF | Gefle IF | 1–0 | 2015 Allsvenskan | N/A |
2017
FIFA announced the list of 10 nominees on 22 September 2017.| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Score | Competition | Vote percentage |
| 1st | Olivier Giroud | Arsenal | Crystal Palace | 1–0 | 2016–17 Premier League | 36.17% |
| 2nd | Oscarine Masuluke | Baroka | Orlando Pirates | 1–1 | 2016–17 South African Premier Division | 27.48% |
| 3rd | Deyna Castellanos | Venezuela | Cameroon | 2–1 | 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup | 20.47% |
| Unranked |  Kevin-Prince Boateng | Las Palmas | Villarreal | 1–0 | 2016–17 La Liga | N/A |
| Unranked | Alejandro Camargo | Universidad de Concepción | O'Higgins | 3–1 | Chilean Primera División Apertura 2016 | N/A |
| Unranked | Moussa Dembélé |  Celtic | St Johnstone | 5–2 | 2016–17 Scottish Premiership | N/A |
| Unranked | Avilés Hurtado | Tijuana | Atlas | 1–1 | Liga MX Clausura 2017 | N/A |
| Unranked |  Mario Mandžukić | Juventus | Real Madrid | 1–1 | 2016–17 UEFA Champions League | N/A |
| Unranked | Nemanja Matić | Chelsea | Tottenham Hotspur | 4–2 | 2016–17 FA Cup | N/A |
| Unranked | Jordi Mboula | Barcelona | Borussia Dortmund | 4–1 | 2016–17 UEFA Youth League | N/A |
2018
FIFA announced the list of 10 nominees on 3 September 2018.| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Score | Competition | Vote percentage |
| 1st |  Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Everton | 1–0 | 2017–18 Premier League | 38% |
| 2nd | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Juventus | 2–0 | 2017–18 UEFA Champions League | 22% |
| 3rd | Giorgian De Arrascaeta | Cruzeiro | América Mineiro | 1–0 | 2018 Campeonato Mineiro | 17% |
| Unranked | Gareth Bale | Real Madrid | Liverpool | 2–1 | 2017–18 UEFA Champions League | N/A |
| Unranked |  Denis Cheryshev | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | N/A | ||
| Unranked | Lazaros Christodoulopoulos | AEK Athens | Olympiacos | 2–2 | 2017–18 Superleague Greece | N/A |
| Unranked | Riley McGree | Newcastle Jets | Melbourne City | 1–1 | 2017–18 A-League | N/A |
| Unranked | Lionel Messi | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | N/A | ||
| Unranked | Benjamin Pavard | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | N/A | ||
| Unranked | Ricardo Quaresma | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | N/A |
2019
FIFA announced the list of 10 nominees on 19 August 2019.| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Score | Competition |
| 1st |  Dániel Zsóri | Debrecen | Ferencváros | 2–1 | 2018–19 Nemzeti Bajnokság I |
| 2nd | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Real Betis | 4–1 | 2018–19 La Liga |
| 3rd | Juan Fernando Quintero | River Plate | Racing | 1–0 | 2018–19 Argentine Primera División |
| Unranked | Matheus Cunha | RB Leipzig | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–2 | 2018–19 Bundesliga |
| Unranked | Zlatan Ibrahimović | LA Galaxy | Toronto FC | 1–3 | 2018 Major League Soccer season |
| Unranked | Ajara Nchout | 2–1 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| Unranked | Fabio Quagliarella | Sampdoria | Napoli | 3–0 | 2018–19 Serie A |
| Unranked | Amy Rodriguez | Utah Royals FC | Sky Blue FC | 1–0 | 2019 National Women's Soccer League season |
| Unranked |  Billie Simpson | Cliftonville Ladies | Sion Swifts Ladies | 1–2 | 2018 Women's NIFL Premiership |
| Unranked | Andros Townsend | Crystal Palace | Manchester City | 2–1 | 2018–19 Premier League |
Awards won by nationality
Most nominations received
| Player | Nominations |
| Lionel Messi | 7 |
| Neymar | 5 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | 4 |