Amputee wins Puskas award for best goal of 2022

Amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy saw disconnected contention from Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison and Marseille's Dimitri Payet to triumph the FIFA Puskas Award for champion extremity connected Monday.

Oleksy, 36, scored a stunning overhead footwear for Warta Poznan successful November against Stal Rzeszow, planting 1 of his crutches into the crushed portion turning mid-air to occurrence into the net.

His extremity trumped Richarlison's acrobatic volley for Brazil against Serbia and Payet's sublime, long-range onslaught to triumph the grant and go the archetypal amputee to ever triumph the award. Goals from Paris Saint-Germain guardant Kylian Mbappe and Manchester United striker Alessia Russo were nominated successful the archetypal shortlist earlier it was whittled down to a last three.

"It's been hard for maine to adjacent imagination astir an grant similar this," Oleksy said. "I americium lasting earlier you contiguous receiving the grant for the champion extremity successful the world.

- Olesky tells ESPN astir wonderment extremity that won Puskas Award

"I americium dedicating this grant to Ewelina, Tomek, Tosia -- due to the fact that it was acknowledgment to them that I was capable to prime myself up aft the mishap and americium present now, and tin people specified beauteous goals.

"I besides privation to convey the full shot assemblage due to the fact that idiosyncratic has created this beauteous athletics that makes it imaginable for america to find fulfilment. Thank you precise much!"

Oleksky aboriginal added astatine a quality conference: "I looked astatine the assemblage and thought: 'So you tin vie with Mbappe? Yes you can! It is imaginable to triumph against him? It is!'"

Speaking to ESPN earlier this month, Puskas victor Oleksy said scoring his award-winning extremity "felt similar magic," adding that helium did not expect it to person worldwide plaudits.

"When I saw however the shot was played toward me, astatine the tallness it was, I thought 'this could beryllium thing beautiful,'" helium said. "So I conscionable deed it. I was pursuing it with my eyes, and erstwhile I saw it successful the nett it conscionable felt similar magic.

"During practice, we don't truly often effort to bash these kinds of shots. But erstwhile I started playing amputee football, I ever wanted to bash thing special."

"I recovered retired the adjacent day, due to the fact that the large TV stations and sports outlets started to amusement it. I knew past that it was going to beryllium thing large successful Poland, but not crossed the full world."

Oleksy, who made 5 appearances for Poland astatine the WAFF Amputee Football World Cup successful Turkey past year, joins names specified arsenic Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min connected the database of Puskas winners.

"It was an honour to beryllium nominated for Puskas Award. Congratulations @airoleksy, your extremity is simply a masterpiece and you are an inspiration for each of us!," Richarlison wrote connected Instagram, alongside his representation with Oleksy.

Oleksy combines shot with a full-time occupation arsenic an excavator operator.

"I invitation Robert Lewandowski to a grooming session. I'll amusement him however to people bully goals," helium joked.

He was awarded the honour connected the nighttime of FIFA The Best awards. Lionel Messi won Best FIFA Men's Player portion Barcelona's Alexia Putellas won Best FIFA Women's Player.

Information from Reuters was utilized successful this report,