Puskás Award: they are the 10 nominees

Established since the 2008/2009 season, whose first winner was Cristiano Ronaldo while he was still at Manchester United and in a quarterfinal match of the Champions League, year after year fans can vote among ten candidates, of which will select three.

The latter will be put to the vote and chosen by the FIFA Legends, which is a program that seeks to bring together “former players and coaches of the highest level of male and female football in order to promote and support football and its global mission worldwide”, according to the official entity.

Meanwhile, fans will be able to vote until September 1 through the official website of the prize, and they only need to register. Here, the ten nominees:

1. Matheus Cunha

The Brazilian soccer player of 20 years, currently plays as a striker in the RP Leipzig of the Bundesliga, where he arrived last year for 15 million euros. The goal for which he is nominated was done on April 6 when his team faced Bayer Leverkusen on day 28 of the 2018/2019 season.

According to the official Bundesliga website, Cunha came in after Amadou Haidara left at halftime with his team behind Leverkusen 2-1, "and made sure that Leipzig returned home with all three points in the 83rd minute when he turned about Wendell with a striking film before throwing the ball over Lukas Hradecky to score an effort that was later voted the Goal of the month of the Bundesliga in April”.

2. Billie Simpson

The 27-year-old Irish footballer currently plays in the National Women's Soccer Team of Northern Ireland. The goal for which she was nominated was done while playing with the Cliftonville Ladies team against Sion Swifts in the Northern Ireland Premier League match in August last year.

Simpson becomes the second woman in Northern Ireland to be nominated for this award, because in 2014 Stephanie Roche was nominated for her goal when she was in the Peamount United team against Wexford Youths, that year the Irish lost against the Colombian, James Rodriguez .

3. Zlatan Ibrahimović

The Swedish striker, and who is currently playing in the LA Galaxy, scored in the game against Toronto FC, in a match where the galactic lost 5-3. The goal of Ibrahimović opened the scoring for his team, and the play came after "watching a long ball fall on his shoulder, before turning around and hooking the ball to the goalkeeper with a rapid movement," according to ESPN.

The goal for which he is nominated turned out to be number 500 in his career as a footballer. The Swede is one of three in the world that has managed to reach this figure, along with Argentine Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.

4. Amy Rodriguez

The American footballer currently plays for the Utah Royals FC team in the National Women's Soccer League and is also part of the national women's soccer team of the United States.

Rodriguez's nomination comes after the only goal in a match against Sky Blue FC. According to ProSoccer, "it was a solo effort that started with her winning the ball in her own half, then dribbling past the center of the field before shooting from 35 yards with her left foot."

5. Juan Fernando Quintero

The Colombian River Plate midfielder was nominated for the goal he scored against Racing, in the Argentine Super League, on February 10, 2019. The action took place when Quintero took a free kick 30 minutes after the game, which would finish 2-0.

It is not the first time that a Colombian is nominated, because in the 2011/2012 season, Radamel Falcao García was in second place. And in 2013/2014 the Puskás Prize was awarded to Real Madrid striker James Rodríguez after his goal against Uruguay in the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup.

Read also: Van Dijk, Messi and Ronaldo vie for UEFA Player of the Year award

6. Ajara Nchout

Cameroon is the last woman to be nominated for the award. He currently plays for Vålerenga Fotball of the Toppserien of Norway and is part of the women's team of Cameroon.

The goal for which she is nominated was made in the last Women's World Cup France 2019 in the Cameroon match against New Zealand. Nchout is not only the first African woman to be nominated, but she is the only player on the continent to be among the ten nominees.

7. Lionel Messi

It is not the first time that Barcelona's star is nominated for the award, because seven times (eight counting this year's), the Argentine has opted for the award; more than any other player.

The goal for which he is nominated was made against Betis by Spanish LaLiga on March 17, 2019. According to Sport, “it is the only goal of the League chosen by the panel of experts”, likewise, the goal of Messi It is profiled as one of the favorites within the selected ones.

8. Daniel Zsori

The 18 years Hungarian soccer player, but born in Romania, could not have a more perfect debut in football, which was played for the Debreceni team. In the game against the league leader, Ferencvaros, Zsori entered the 89th minute when the game drew 1-1.

However, in the complementary time (90 + 3 ') Zsori "took advantage of a center from the left side, got up and finished off the Chilean play to put the 2-1", in favor of his team, according to Futbolred.

9. Fabio Quagliarella

The Italian, player of the Sampdoria of the Serie A, has been considered one of the rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo, because on several occasions he has been at the top in the list of top scorers of the Italian league.

According to 90min, the nomination was given “courtesy of his scandalous volley against Napoli in September 2018”, the match was 3-0 in favor of the Quagliarella team.

10. Andros Townsend

The English midfielder plays for Crystal Palace and was nominated after his "spectacular 30-yard volley against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in December last year," according to Football Paradise.

The match was 3-2 in favor of Crystal Palace.