Full Breakdown
2025 Puskas and Marta Awards: Celebrating Exceptional Goals in Football
12/16/2025, 9:04:53 PM
Overview of the Puskas Award
The Puskas Award, named after legendary Hungarian goal scorer Ferenc Puskas, recognizes the most exceptional goals scored in football each year. The award is given to the male player who scores the best goal during the qualifying period, which for the 2025 award ran from August 11, 2024, to August 2, 2025. In a significant change since 2024, the Puskas Award is now exclusively for male players, while the newly established Marta Award honors the best goal in women's football.
2025 Puskas Award Winner and Nominees
The 2025 Puskas Award was awarded to Santiago Montiel of Independiente for his remarkable overhead kick against Independiente Rivadavia in the Argentine Primera Division on July 31, 2024. Montiel's goal was pivotal in securing a 1-0 victory for his team.
The nominees for the 2025 Puskas Award included:
- Alerrandro (Vitoria, Brasileiro Serie A vs. Cruzeiro, August 19, 2024)
- Alessandro Deiola (Cagliari, Serie A vs. Venezia, May 18, 2024)
- Pedro de la Vega (Cruz Azul, CONCACAF Leagues Cup vs. Seattle Sounders, July 31, 2024)
- Amr Nasser (Pharco, Egypt Capital Cup vs. Al Ahly, April 17, 2024)
- Carlos Orrantia (Atlas, Liga MX vs. Queretaro, April 16, 2024)
- Lucas Ribeiro (Mamelodi Sundowns, FIFA Club World Cup vs. Borussia Dortmund, June 21, 2024)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal, UEFA Champions League vs. Real Madrid, April 8, 2024)
- Rizky Ridho (Persija Jakarta, Indonesian Liga 1 vs. Arema, March 9, 2024)
- Kevin Rodrigues (Kasimpasa, Turkish Super Liga vs. Rizespor, February 9, 2024)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, La Liga vs. Espanyol, May 15, 2024)
Overview of the Marta Award
The 2025 Marta Award was awarded to Lizbeth Ovalle, a Mexican player who transferred to Orlando Pride from Tigres UANL for a world-record fee in August 2024. Ovalle's winning goal featured a stunning scorpion-kick finish from a cross by Jenni Hermoso during a Liga MX Femenil match against Guadalajara on March 3, 2025.
The nominees for the 2025 Marta Award included:
- Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign, NWSL vs. NC Courage, March 22, 2025)
- Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal, UEFA Women's Champions League vs. Lyon, April 27, 2025)
- Ashley Cheatley (Brentford, Women's FA Cup vs. Ascot United, November 3, 2024)
- Kyra Cooney-Cross (Australia, International Friendly vs. Germany, October 28, 2024)
- Jon Ryong-jong (North Korea, FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup vs. Argentina, September 2, 2024)
- Marta (Orlando Pride, NWSL vs. KC Current, November 17, 2024)
- Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands, UEFA Women's European Championship vs. Wales, July 5, 2024)
- Kishi Nunez (Argentina, FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup vs. Costa Rica, September 8, 2024)
- Ally Sentnor (USA, SheBelieves Cup vs. Colombia, February 20, 2025)
- Khadija Shaw (Man City, UEFA Women's Champions League vs. Hammarby, November 2, 2024)
Historical Context of the Awards
The Puskas Award has been presented annually since 2009, originally as a standalone award by FIFA before being integrated into The Best awards. The inaugural winner was Cristiano Ronaldo, with subsequent winners including notable players such as Neymar, James Rodriguez, and Mohamed Salah. The Marta Award was introduced in 2024 to honor female players, with Marta herself winning the first award for a goal scored against Jamaica.
Conclusion
The Puskas and Marta Awards continue to celebrate the artistry and skill in football, highlighting remarkable goals from both men's and women's games. The recognition of these exceptional achievements fosters appreciation for the sport and its athletes.
