Who is the 'Mighty Magyar' the Puskas Award is named after?
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The Puskas Award is presented to the footballer adjudged to have scored the best goal each year and is named in honour of legendary striker Ferenc Puskas.
Puskas led Hungary's golden team of the early 1950s, before taking Spanish citizenship and becoming part of Real Madrid's all-conquering team.
The attacker earned a reputation for scoring magnificent individual and aesthetically pleasing goals - scoring 83 times in 84 games for Hungary between 1945 and 1956.
Puskas played a central role in Hungary's golden generation of players, who won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics and finished as runners-up at the 1954 World Cup final despite Puskas suffering an injury in the tournament.
He was also part of the 'Mighty Magyars' who became the first overseas team to beat England on home soil in 1953, scoring twice in the 6-3 win at Wembley.
Former England winger Sir Tom Finney, who watched the game from the stands, said after the match: "I came away wondering to myself what we had been doing all these years."
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After defecting from Hungary, Puskas joined Real Madrid and, along with Alfredo di Stefano, was the inspiration behind a string of domestic and European titles.
He scored four goals in Real's 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a remarkable final at Hampden Park in 1960 - the second of three European Cups he won with the Madrid side.
He also played for Spain in the 1962 World Cup.
Puskas retired in 1967, going on to coach clubs in several countries, including leading Greek side Panathanaikos to the European Cup final in 1971.
'The Galloping Major' was voted the 20th century's sixth best player by the International Federation for Football History and Statistics.
He died in 2006 aged 79 after spending six years in hospital following a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
What is the Puskas Award and who decides the winner?
Ferenc Puskas (front left) scored twice as Hungary thumped England 6-3 at Wembley in 1953
The annual award was established in 2006 by Fifa President Sepp Blatter at an award ceremony in Budapest.
Until 2018, the winner was decided completely based on votes from fans, but that was changed following online criticism after Liverpool's Mohamed Salah won the award.
Now the winner is determined by an equal 50% split between fan votes and a panel of legends.
Women could win the Puskas Award until a separate Marta Award was established in 2024 to recognise the best goal in women's football. The inaugural prize was won by the Brazil legend herself and she has also been nominated for the award in 2025.
Only goals scored between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025 are eligibile for the next prize.
When will the winner be announced?
The winners will be announced at the Fifa Best Awards, but the date for the ceremony has not yet been publicly announced.
Rice, Yamal and Brentford women's goal among Puskas & Marta nominees
- Published10 hours ago
Who are the previous winners?
The inaugural Marta Award was won by the Brazil legend herself
Puskas Award:
2024 - Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
2023 - Guilherme Madruga (Botafogo)
2022 – Marcin Oleksy (Warta Poznan)
2021 – Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur)
2020 – Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
2019 – Daniel Zsori (Debrecen)
2018 – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
2017 – Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
2016 – Mohd Faiz Subri (Penang)
2015 - Wendell Lira (Goianesia)
2014 - James Rodriguez (Colombia)
2013 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
2012 - Miroslav Stoch (Fenerbahce)
2011 - Neymar (Santos)
2010 - Hamit Altintop (Turkey)
2009 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Marta Award:
2024 - Marta (Brazil)
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