VfB Stuttgart’s Benjamin Pavard nominated for FIFA Puskas Award
VfB Stuttgart and France defender Benjamin Pavard has been nominated for the prestigious FIFA Puskas Award, which honours the best goal scored worldwide, thanks to his stunning strike against Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Click here to vote for Pavard's strike as the Puskas Award Goal of the Year!
The 22-year-old's delicious half-volley in Les Bleus' 4-3 Round of 16 win has already been voted as the official Goal of the Tournament after coming out on top in a vote of more than three million users on FIFA's website.
“The ball bounced up as it came to me. I didn’t even think about it. I just tried to get over it and keep it down," Pavard told FIFA.com after France's dramatic win in Kazan that kept them on course for their second World Cup final triumph.
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"I was trying to hit it in the direction it came from, which is what the strikers always tell me. I didn’t think it over, and when it went in I just felt so happy.”
It was Pavard's first goal for France, and just one of 169 served up across 64 matches in Russia.
Colombia's Juan Quintero came second thanks to his free-kick against Japan in the group stage, while Luka Modric's long-range effort for Croatia — against Argentina in the group stage — came third in the poll, which has been held since 2006.
Watch: What makes Pavard so good?