KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Penang footballer Mohd Faiz Subri’s physics-defying freekick against Pahang in the Super League yesterday has left football fans agape globally and pundits effusive with praise.
With a wicked curve not seen since Roberto Carlos’ thunderous banana kick left Fabian Barthez rooted to the spot in the 1997 Tournoi de France, Faiz’s freekick sent Pahang goalkeeper running this way and that as he struggled to decipher the trajectory of the ball.
So improbable was Faiz’s sidewinder that several international football and sports news sites have picked up on it effusively, with many calling it a contender for the 2016 Puskas Award for best goal while some also said its victory was a foregone conclusion.
Faiz’s goal was part of his team’s’ 4-1 rout of Pahang.
Fifa’s Puskas Award, named after Hungarian football legend Ferenc Puskas, celebrates the most “beautiful” goal scored in each year and is given out at the same time as the Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player of the year.
Previous winners of the Puskas Award include Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and James Rodriguez.
Despite his iconic goal, Roberto Carlos did not receive a Puskas as the award was only instituted in 2008, 10 years after his feat.
