Sporting’s Portuguese footballer Nuno Santos said he is confident and optimistic about winning the 2023 FIFA Puskas Award, which recognizes the best goal, which will be presented this Monday in London.
“Of course, I am confident and optimistic, I want to win since I am here. But the other two goals are also beautiful. We’ll see,” he told reporters today in the British capital, where he is already attending the gala ceremony for presenting trophies this evening. . Monday.
The Portuguese striker said finishing in the final three was good for him, as well as for Portugal and Sporting.
“It is a special moment for me, the highlight of my career, to be nominated for the Puskás Prize,” he emphasized.
On matchday 24 of last season’s League One in Alvalad, the Lions left-back opened the scoring against Boavista (3-0) with a stunning shot from outside the area that hit the post before going in.
The other two finalists are Paraguayan Julio Enciso of Brighton for his kick from outside the box against Manchester City and Brazilian Guilherme Madruga of Botafogo for his bicycle kick from outside the box against Novorizontino.
Nuno Santos said the kick is a move he usually performs several times during training and crosses during games.
“People say I don’t use my right foot, but the truth is I do and I’ve already scored a few goals with my right foot. It was a moment of inspiration, I saw that the ball was there and I tried to do it and I managed to pot the ball where no one expected it, he described.
The 28-year-old player does not hide his dream of representing the Portuguese national team, but is currently committed to the club, which is leading the I League.
This Monday, however, your thoughts will mostly be on The Best Awards, where you’ll find yourself in the same room as many of the world’s best footballers.
“It’s without a doubt a special moment to be with all these players, I’m a big fan of them. I have to enjoy it and hope to win,” he said.
The Best Awards are presented annually by FIFA to the best male and female players, goalkeepers and coaches, among other categories.
Striker Erling Haaland is today the heavy favorite to win the FIFA Best Award against Lionel Messi, the trophy’s winner, and Kylian Mbappe.
The gala will also see the announcement of the top eleven players for 2023, which will include a list of 23 names including three Portugal internationals: Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The nomination evaluation period for women’s football categories ran from 1 August 2022 to 20 August 2023, and for men’s football the nomination period ran from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.