Every year, FIFA hands out the Puskas and Marta awards to the scorers of the year’s most beautiful goal in both men’s and women’s football, respectively. The winners of the 2025 awards — with goals scored between Aug. 11, 2024 and Aug. 2, 2025 (inclusive) on the list of nominees, will be revealed during The Best FIFA Football Awards on Dec. 16.
Since the year 2009, the Puskas Award has covered beautiful goals scored by anyone, anywhere in both men’s and women’s football (with the only stipulation being that the goal must have been caught on camera). However, in 2024 the inaugural Marta Award was launched specifically for the best strikes in women’s football.
Incredibly, Marta — the Brazil international and icon of the women’s game — won the first edition of the award that bears her name, and she is once again nominated this year.
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The shortlisted goals have all been selected by FIFA and are plucked from a diverse array of competitions around the world, both domestic and international. The winners of the two prizes will be determined by an equal split between fan votes and those cast by an in-house panel of FIFA experts.
Last year’s Puskas Award was claimed by then-Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho for his bicycle kick against Everton, with five of the past eight awards being won by goals scored in the English Premier League. However, recent winners have also hailed from the Brazilian second tier, the Malaysian Super League and even Polish Amputee football.
There are some big names on both shortlists for 2025 with Lamine Yamal and Declan Rice vying for the men’s award while Vivianne Miedema, Mariona Caldentey and Marta are in with a shout of taking the women’s prize.
Here is the list of the 11 contenders on the 2025 Puskas Award shortlist for the men, presented in alphabetical order.
Alerrandro | Vitoria vs. Cruzeiro | Aug. 19, 2024
With Vitoria already a goal ahead against Brazilian Serie A rivals Cruzeiro, Alerrandro adapted quickly to a partially cut-out cross, spun on his heels and found the far top corner with a brilliant improvised overhead volley.
Alessandro Deiola | Cagliari vs. Venezia | May 18, 2025
Cagliari played their way out of the corner with a quick, clever interlaced passing maneuver finished by Deiola, who sent a curling finish past the Venezia goalkeeper from an acute angle to round off a 3-0 victory.
Pedro de la Vega | Seattle Sounders vs. Cruz Azul | July 31, 2025
The Sounders thrashed Cruz Azul in the 2025 Leagues Cup, with De la Vega’s outrageous first-time volley from the edge of the box being the goal of the game that he skillfully guided beyond the stranded goalkeeper.
Santiago Montiel | Independiente vs. Independiente Rivadavia | May 11, 2025
Montiel scored the only goal of the game to win this Argentine Apertura clash for Independiente, and in style via a 25-yard overhead kick that sailed back over the goalkeeper, igniting the stadium.
Amr Nasser | Pharco vs. Al Ahly | April 17, 2025
Pharco striker Amr Nasser executed a lightning-fast bicycle kick to net against Al Ahly in the Egyptian Capital Cup.
Carlos Orrantía | Atlas vs. Querétaro | April 16, 2025
Orrantía opened the scoring for Atlas in a 2-1 victory over Querétaro in the Mexican Clausura. After the goalkeeper partially cleared a looping cross, the fullback skillfully juggled past a defender before sending a perfect volley into the top corner.
Declan Rice | Arsenal vs. Real Madrid | April 8, 2025
Perhaps the most high-profile goal on the men’s shortlist belongs to Rice, whose beautifully struck free kick against Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of last season’s Champions League is among the favorites to claim the award.
Lucas Ribeiro | Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund | June 21, 2025
In what turned out to be a lively 4-3 defeat for the Sundowns at the Club World Cup, Ribeiro scored the first goal after picking up possession in his own half and embarking on a powerful charge up the pitch, outpacing several Dortmund defenders before finishing precisely past the goalkeeper.
Rizky Ridho | Persija Jakarta vs. Arema | March 9, 2025
Starting from his own goal line, Persija captain Ridho sprinted up the touchline to collect a pass, spotting the Arema goalkeeper out of position and sending a shot over his head from the halfway line.
Kévin Rodrigues | Kasimpasa vs. Rizespor | Feb. 9, 2025
Rodrigues scored the first goal of the game in a 3-2 Turkish Super Lig win for Kasimpasa, volleying a headed clearance back into the far top corner from 25 yards out.
Lamine Yamal | Barcelona vs. Espanyol | May 15, 2025
Yamal helped Barcelona secure a straightforward 2-0 win over local rivals Espanyol, cutting in from the right flank and bending an unstoppable finish into the top corner.
And here are the 11 contenders on the 2025 Marta Award shortlist for the women, also presented in alphabetical order.
Jordyn Bugg | Seattle Reign vs. North Carolina Courage | March 22, 2025
Center back Bugg netted what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory for the Reign when she collected a high defensive clearance, controlled it perfectly, and then torpedoed a long-range strike from 30 yards into the top corner.
Mariona Caldentey | Arsenal vs. OL Lyonnes | April 27, 2025
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Caldentey doubled the club’s lead with a perfectly judged long-range effort just before halftime. The Gunners won 4-1 against Lyon to clinch a 5-3 aggregate victory, before ultimately claiming the tournament against Barcelona.
Ashley Cheatley | Brentford vs. Ascot United | Nov. 3, 2024
The Women’s FA Cup tie featured a wonderful volley from Cheatley, who juggled her way out of an awkward position, flicked the ball over the head of her marker, and scored with an acrobatic finish from eight yards.
Kyra Cooney-Cross | Australia vs. Germany | Oct. 28, 2024
In a surprising 2-1 win over Germany, Cooney-Cross set the tone for the upset by equalizing with a sensational lob from 50 yards out.
Jon Ryong-jong | Korea DPR vs. Argentina | Sept. 2, 2024
North Korea dominated Argentina 6-2 in the Women’s U20 World Cup group stage, with Ryong-jong netting the best goal of the match just 10 minutes in with a stunning 25-yard strike.
Marta | Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current | Nov. 17, 2024
Aiming for her second Marta Award in succession, the 39-year-old Brazilian veteran showcased her skills with a solo effort against the Current, sprinting into the area, fending off two defenders, and rolling the ball into an empty net.
Vivianne Miedema | Netherlands vs. Wales | July 5, 2025
Miedema marked her 100th international goal for the Netherlands with a masterful strike against Wales, rolling the ball from left to right to confuse the defense before hitting the net with an arching shot from 20 yards out.
Kishi Núñez | Argentina vs. Costa Rica | Sept. 8, 2024
Another standout from the Women’s U20 World Cup saw Nunez evade a group of Costa Rican defenders before launching a remarkable long-range shot from 40 yards out.
Lizbeth Ovalle | Tigres vs. Guadalajara | March 3, 2025
It’s no wonder that Ovalle went viral with her inventive airborne volley against Guadalajara, using a technique that spawned the nickname “The Shrimp.”
Ally Sentnor | USA vs. Colombia | Feb. 20, 2025
The USWNT started their 2025 SheBelieves Cup with a 2-0 victory over Colombia, featuring a decisive goal from Sentnor, who cut into space and blasted a shot into the top corner from distance.
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw | Manchester City vs. Hammarby | Nov. 21, 2024
Shaw became City’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League with two goals in a 2-1 win against Hammarby. After a strong run from Jess Park, Shaw took over at the edge of the area, evaded her marker, and rocketed a shot into the top corner.