FIFA has announced the contenders for the 2025 Puskas and Marta Awards, which are awarded to the most beautiful goal scored in men’s and women’s football, respectively, between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025 (inclusive) and part of the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony held in Switzerland every January.
The Puskas Award previously included beautiful goals scored by anyone, anywhere in men’s and women’s football (with the only requirement being that the goal must have been scored on camera), but 2024 saw the launch of the inaugural Marta Award, which the Brazilian icon whose name went to and won herself.
In fact, Marta is once again shortlisted for her own award this year, with the winners of both awards ultimately determined by an equal split between fan votes and those cast by an internal panel of FIFA experts.
All shortlisted goals have been selected by FIFA and selected from a variety of competitions around the world, both domestic and international.
Then-Manchester United striker Alejandro Garnacho won the Puskas Award last year for his overhead kick against Everton, with five of the past eight awards having been won through goals scored in the Premier League. However, previous previous winners have also come from the Brazilian Second Division, the Malaysian Super League, and even Polish Amputee Football.
There are some big names on both 2025 shortlists, with Lamine Yamal and Declan Rice vying for the men’s prize, while Vivienne Miedema, Mariona Caldente and of course Marta are in contention for the women’s prize.
Without further ado, here is a list of the 11 shortlisted contenders for the 2025 Men’s Puskas Award, ranked in alphabetical order.
Aleandro | Victory vs Cruz | August 19, 2024
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With Vitoria already a goal ahead of Brazilian rivals Cruzeiro, Aleandro was able to quickly adapt to a partially cut-off cross, turning on his heels and finding the far top corner with a brilliant overhead kick.
Alessandro Diola | Cagliari vs Venice | May 18, 2025
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Cagliari managed to get out of the corner with a quick and clever passing maneuver that was finished with confidence by Deola, who sent a well-placed effort past the Venezia goalkeeper from an acute angle to seal a 3-0 win.
Pedro de la Vega | Seattle Sounders vs Blue Cross | July 31, 2025
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The Sounders thrashed Cruz Azul in the 2025 League Cup, with the goal of the match being De La Vega’s hideous first-time effort from the edge of the box which he skillfully curled past the stranded goalkeeper.
Santiago Montiel | Independent vs Independent Rivadavia | May 11, 2025
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Montiel scored the only goal of the game to seal victory for Independiente in Argentina’s inaugural tournament, somehow curling a massive overhead kick from 25 yards out over the goalkeeper and sending the stadium into ecstasy.
Amr Nasser | Pharco vs. Al-Ahly | April 17, 2025
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Pharco striker Amr Nasser fired a very fast bicycle kick into the net against Al Ahly in the Egyptian Capital Cup.
Carlos Orrantia | Atlas vs Queretaro | April 16, 2025
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Orrantia opened the scoring for Atlas in a 2-1 win over Queretaro in the Mexican Final League last April. After the goalkeeper had only partially cleared a cross, the full-back skillfully weaved his way past a defender before sending a neat shot into the top corner.
Declan Rice | Arsenal vs Real Madrid | April 8, 2025
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Perhaps the most famous goal on the men’s shortlist was that of Rice, whose stunning free-kick goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals last season was among the favorites to win the award.
Lucas Ribeiro | Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund | June 21, 2025
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The first goal in what turned out to be a nail-biting 4-3 defeat for Sundowns in the Club World Cup, Ribeiro got back on his feet and ran after collecting the ball in his own half and embarked on a powerful, direct run down the middle of the pitch, skipping past several Dortmund defenders before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.
Rizky Rido | Persija Jakarta vs Arima | March 9, 2025
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With a run that started from his own goal line, the Persija Riddu captain raced up the touchline to collect a pass before spotting the Arima goalkeeper out of position and sending a shot over his head from the halfway line.
Rodriguez Cave | Caspasa vs Absorption Rights | February 9, 2025
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With the first goal of the game in Kasimpasa’s 3-2 win in the Turkish Super League, Rodriguez found himself directly under headed clearance which he duly slotted into the far top corner from 25 yards.
Lamin Yamal | Barcelona vs Espanyol | May 15, 2025
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Yamal put Barcelona on track for a straightforward 2-0 win over local rivals Espanyol, cutting in from the right flank and curling an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Here are the 11 shortlisted contenders for the 2025 MARTA Prize for Women, also presented in alphabetical order.
Jordyn Pugh | Seattle Reign vs. North Carolina Courage | March 22, 2025
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Center back Bugg scored what proved to be the winning goal in the Reign’s 2-1 win when she took a high defensive clearance, controlled it perfectly and then blasted a long-range shot into the top corner from 30 yards.
Mariona Caldente | Arsenal vs. Lyon | April 27,
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As the first half of the Women’s Champions League semi-final approached, Arsenal star Caldente doubled the club’s lead with a perfectly judged long-range shot. The Gunners would go on to beat Lyon 4-1 to seal the win 5-3 on aggregate, before going on to win the tournament directly over Barcelona.
Ashley Chitley | Brentford vs Ascot United | November 3, 2024
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The Women’s FA Cup match was marked by a brilliant strike from Shetley, who had to get out of an awkward position, pass it over her marker’s head and then score from eight yards out with an acrobatic touch.
Keira Cooney Cross | Australia vs Germany | October 28, 2024
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Australia came from behind to pull off a shock 2-1 win over Germany in an international friendly, with Cooney Cross setting the tone for the upset by equalizing with a giant volley from 50 yards.
Jun Ryung Jung | North Korea vs Argentina | September 2, 2024
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North Korea beat Argentina 6-2 in the group stage of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, with Ryong Jung scoring the best goal in the defeat after just 10 minutes with a 25-yard volley.
Marta | Orlando Pride vs Kansas City current | November 17, 2024
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1:31
Marta reacts to the epic solo goal in the semi-finals of the NFL playoffs
Marta speaks after her goal helped Orlando Pride defeat KC Current in the semi-finals of the NRL play-offs.
Aiming for a second successive Marta Trophy, the 39-year-old Brazilian screamed with energy with her solo effort against Current, running into the box, dribbling past two defenders, then the goalkeeper before carelessly slotting the ball into an empty net.
Vivian Miedema | Netherlands vs Wales | July 5, 2025
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Miedema scored her 100th international goal for the Netherlands with a stunning volley against Wales, dribbling the ball gracefully to her left, then turning it back to her right to confuse the defense before slotting the ball home from 20 yards.
Quiche Nunez | Argentina vs Costa Rica | barrier. 8, 2024
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In another group stage match for the U-20 Women’s World Cup, Nunez eluded a small group of Costa Rican defenders before firing a stunning long-range shot from 40 yards.
Lisbeth Offaly | Tigers vs Guadalajara | March 3, 2025
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It’s no surprise that Ovalle’s shot went viral with his innovative volley against Guadalajara in the Liga MX Femenil thanks to an unorthodox technique that was later dubbed ‘The Shrimp’ – for obvious reasons.
Ali Santanour | United States of America vs. Colombia | February 20, 2025
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The USWNT beat Colombia 2-0 in their opening match of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, with the decisive goal coming from Centenor, who raced into space before firing a powerful shot into the top corner from distance.
Khadija ‘The Rabbit’ Show | Manchester City vs Hammarby | November 21, 2024
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Shaw became City’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League with two goals in a 2-1 win over Hammarby. After a powerful dribble from Jess Park saw City take the lead, Shaw collected the ball on the edge of the area, turned away from her marker and fired a rocket into the top corner.
