Olivier Giroud's scorpion kick and Nemanja Matic's thunderbolt among nominees for Fifa Puskas Award

Giroud described his 'scorpion kick' as a goal that will 'leave a mark on history'
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James Benge22 September 2017

Olivier Giroud’s stunning scorpion kick and Nemanja Matic’s FA Cup semi-final thunderbolt are among the nominees for the Fifa Puskas Award.

Arsenal striker Giroud is likely to be among the leading contenders for the prize after his remarkable goal against Crystal Palace on January 1, when he flicked an Alexis Sanchez cross from behind him his back beyond Wayne Hennessey, the ball cannoning back of the crossbar to cap off a searing counter-attack.

Juventus’ Mario Mandzukic can also be expected to be among the top contenders for his looping volley in the Champions League Final against Real Madrid.

Matic, then a Chelsea player but now at Manchester United, lit up Wembley with a stunning 30-yard strike to secure the Blues a place in the FA Cup Final with a 4-2 win over Tottenham.

Other contenders for the prize include Celtic striker Moussa Dembele, formerly of Fulham, then-Barcelona striker Jordi Mboula and Las Palmas’ Kevin-Prince Boateng.

The prize, awarded to the scorer of the best goal in the last 12 months, has not been won by a player based in the Premier League since 2009, when then-Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the inaugural prize for his goal against Porto.

Fifa’s award is named in honour of Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskas, who scored 512 goals in 528 matches and is widely ranked among the greatest players in footballing history.

Puskas Award nominees

Kevin-Prince Boateng (Villareal vs Las Palmas), Alejandro Camargo (Universidad de Concepcion vs O'Higgins), Deyna Castellanos (Venezuela vs Cameroon), Moussa Dembele (St Johnstone vs Celtic), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal vs Crystal Palace), Aviles Hurtado (Atlas vs Tijuana Xolos), Mario Mandzukic (Juventus vs Real Madrid), Oscarine Masuluke (Baroka vs Orlando Pirates), Nemanja Matic (Chelsea vs Tottenham), Jordi Mboula (Barcelona U18s vs Borussia Dortmund U18s)

Both men and women are eligible for the award, which was won by Malaysian forward Mohd Faiz Subri in 2016.

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