Mohamed Salah has beaten Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo to the 2018 Puskas Award with his strike against Everton after winning 38% votes.
With snow falling to set a dramatic scene in a game which needs no extra theatre, Mo Salah conjured a moment of artistic brilliance that would have looked at home on the finest of stages.
The ‘Egyptian King’, as he has been dubbed by the Liverpool faithful, controlled the ball exquisitely after receiving a pass on the Reds’ right from Joe Gomez and immediately wriggled free of Cuco Martina – spinning clear of his marker before dribbling into the penalty area.
Then came the moment that stole the show, a curling left-footed shot that finished high inside the far corner of Jordan Pickford’s net. The goal was not just aesthetically pleasing, but hugely important, helping the red half of Merseyside claim a point in a 1-1 draw against their bitter rivals.
Fans from around the world had their say and chose Salah’s superb effort as the winner of the 2018 FIFA Puskás Award.
The ten nominees for the FIFA Puskas Award are as below:
Gareth Bale
UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid 2-1 Liverpool
Denis Cheryshev
2018 FIFA World Cup: Russia 1-0 Croatia
Lazaros Christodoulopoulos
Superleague Greece: AEK Athens 2-2 Olympiacos
Giorgian De Arrascaeta
Campeonato Mineiro: Cruzeiro 1-0 América Mineiro
Riley McGree
A-League: Newcastle Jets 1-1 Melbourne City
Lionel Messi
FIFA World Cup: Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
Benjamin Pavard
World Cup: France 2-2 Argentina
Ricardo Quaresma
World Cup: Portugal 1-0 Iran
Cristiano Ronaldo
Champions League: Real Madrid 2-0 Juventus
Mohamed Salah
Premier League: Liverpool 1-0 Everton