Last Update: February 28, 2023, 07:47 IST
Marcin Oleksiy’s Puskas Award-winning goal (AP and Twitter)
Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksi beat the likes of Dmitri Payet and Richardson to take the Puskás Award for best goal.
Amputee football star Marcin Oleksiy has won the 2022 FIFA Puskás Award for his stunning scissor-kick goal.
Joining the likes of Oleksiy Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the Puskas Award Roll of Honour, this year’s most spectacular strike has been recognized in men’s and women’s football.
The Polish ace scored with a stunning acrobatic effort combining extraordinary athleticism, imagination and technique in a game for Warta Poznan last November.
The Puskás Award winner was voted on by fans and expert panelists from around the world. Oleksiy’s strike topped the poll ahead of surprise goals from Dimitri Payet and Richarlison in the final.
“My teammate David [Novak] Pass played. When I saw him coming towards the ball, I knew it was coming to me. I really connected to cleanliness. It was pure. When I hit it, I was following the ball with my eyes and I saw it go into the corner of the net. I always wanted to score a beautiful goal. You can see how proud I felt after scoring. I stood tall, I stuck out my chest. I was just so happy.
See the target here:
2⃣ 0⃣ 2⃣ 2⃣ ⃣ ⚽ What a shot what a bomb We could watch Marcin Oleksiy’s hits from previous tournaments for hours ❗
This is PZU Amp Futbol Ekstraklasa pic.twitter.com/P65gUCeoJT
– Amp Futbol Polska (@AmpFutbolPolska) November 7, 2022
Amid the public vote for the Puskás Award, Oleksiy’s countryman Robert Lewandowski – two-time winner of The FIFA Best Men’s Player Award – posted a message of support for him on social media.
“It was great to be mentioned by Robert,” says Oleksiy. “I am very proud. In Poland, many people love and look up to Robert. He has been the ambassador of Polish amputee football for a few years. He has supported our football for a long time.”
Oleksi hopes amputee football’s publicity from his Puskás Award nomination – and subsequent victory – can propel the sport to new heights.
“I hope the world can see that we are doing what we love to do,” said Oleksiy. “I am very happy for the game. I think it was not only me who scored but the whole amputee football family scored together.
(with inputs from agencies)
read all Latest sports news Here