FIFA opened global voting Thursday for its two premier goal-of-the-year honors, unveiling the shortlists for the 2025 Puskas Award and the Marta Award – annual prizes that celebrate the most spectacular individual strikes in men’s and women’s football.
The lists are headlined by Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal and Brazil’s legendary forward Marta, whose nominations capture both the sport’s future and its enduring icons.
Yamal’s selection comes from a derby goal that crystallized his emergence as one of world football’s brightest young attackers.
In a May league match against Espanyol, the 18-year-old winger collected the ball on his familiar right flank and drove diagonally across the defensive line, manipulating space with ease until he found the opening he wanted.
With one controlled touch, he shifted the ball onto his left foot and sent a curling shot arcing toward the top corner, beating Joan Garcia with the precision and confidence of a seasoned finisher.
The strike quickly became a symbol of Barcelona’s reawakening and of Yamal’s role within it, a reminder that the club’s next attacking architect has already begun shaping its identity.
Marta’s nomination is rooted in a goal that felt both familiar and timeless.
While playing for the Orlando Pride against Kansas City Current, she seized a loose ball near the center circle and accelerated into open field with the same dynamic power that defined her peak years.
Two defenders closed in, but she beat both in full stride, first with a slight feint, then with a burst of pace that split the line.
As she entered the box, she glided past the goalkeeper and steered the ball into an empty net with a calm tap, completing a solo run that blended instinct, control and veteran composure.
For the player whose name now represents the women’s award, the goal felt like a reaffirmation of everything she brought to the sport – artistry, audacity and an almost effortless command of one-on-one situations.
FIFA’s shortlists feature 11 nominees in each category, chosen from hundreds of goals submitted across global competitions.
The organization relies on a hybrid voting model in which fans cast ballots online while a panel of former international players weighs the technical quality of each strike.
Voting remains open until Dec. 3, with FIFA still undecided on whether the winners will be revealed two days later during the men’s World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., an event expected to include U.S. President Donald Trump.
The men’s shortlist includes several standout efforts beyond Yamal’s.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice earned recognition for a curling 30-yard free kick against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, a strike that bent over the wall and beyond Thibaut Courtois during a pivotal match in the club’s European run.
Another entry comes from Mamelodi Sundowns forward Lucas Ribeiro, who produced one of the Club World Cup’s most memorable moments by dribbling from the halfway line through multiple Borussia Dortmund defenders before lofting a composed finish over goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
The Marta Award shortlist mirrors that same emphasis on ingenuity.
U.S. midfielder Ally Sentnor delivered one of the year’s most technically demanding efforts when she unleashed a dipping long-range shot against Colombia in the SheBelieves Cup, a strike that swerved unpredictably before crashing inside the post.
Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema added her name to the list with a floated lob during Women’s European Championship qualifying, lofting the ball from distance over the Wales goalkeeper with the ease and vision that have long defined her playmaking presence.
