Monday 23 September 2019, 18:21

FIFA Puskás Award

Daniel Zsori was just 18 years old, and waiting on the touchline to make his senior debut in the Hungarian top flight against Ferencvaros who were – at that time – top of the league. His manager Andras Herczeg gave him the nod, with less than ten minutes left on the clock and his side trailing 1-0. What happened next was the stuff of fairytale.

With the game heading into stoppage time and his side Debrecen level at 1-1, after team-mate Daniel Tozser had equalised shortly after his introduction, Zsori pulled a rabbit out of the hat.

Adam Bodi crossed the ball into the penalty box and I just thought: 'Why not have a go?' I’d practised the move plenty of times in my training sessions and copied it from my idol Cristiano Ronaldo. I held my breath for a moment as the ball flew towards the goal."

‘The move’ was a perfectly-executed and stunning bicycle kick in stoppage time, which flew towards goal, past the helpless Ferencvaros goalkeeper and into the net – securing three points for his side in the most dramatic of fashions. The fairytale’s finale has now seen Zsori claim the 2019 FIFA Puskás Award, after a fan vote shortlisted his goal into the top three of the year and a panel of legends elected him the award winner.