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Rizky Ridho celebrates his goal during the match between Persija Jakarta and Arema FC on March 9, 2025 at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi City, West Java, Indonesia. Photo by Persija Jakarta |
FIFA announced the 11 nominees on Nov. 13, covering goals scored from Aug. 11, 2024, to Aug. 2, 2025. Rizky Ridho is the first Indonesian player in history to be nominated.
The 23-year-old scored his nominated goal on March 9, 2025, for Persija Jakarta against Arema FC in Indonesia's Liga 1. During a counter-attack, Ridho advanced from his defensive position to receive a pass from Ryo Matsumura. He then struck a remarkable one-touch shot from near midfield, sending the ball over the goalkeeper and into the top corner.
Ridho will compete against other stunners, including a solo effort from Yamal against Espanyol and a Rice's free kick for Arsenal against Real Madrid.
The other nominees are Alerrandro Souza (Vitoria), Alessandro Deiola (Cagliari), Pedro de la Vega (Cruz Azul), Santiago Montiel (Independiente), Amr Nasser (Al Ahly), Carlos Orrantia (Queretaro), Lucas Ribeiro (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Kevin Rodrigues (Kasımpaşa).
The nominees are selected based on criteria such as technique, difficulty, creativity and influence.
The Puskas Award winner will be decided by a 50-50 split between votes from a panel of FIFA legends and a global fan poll. Fans can vote for their top three goals on the FIFA website until Dec. 3. The winner will be announced at the FIFA The Best awards ceremony in early 2026.
Ridho scored four goals in 50 appearances for the Indonesian national team, winning the 2023 SEA Games gold medal with the U22 team.
He is the second Southeast Asian player to be nominated for the award, following Malaysia's Mohd Faiz Subri, who won the Puskas in 2016, when the award was decided solely by fan votes.
The first Puskas was given to Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. The most recent winner was Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho for his stunning overhead kick against Everton. While Lionel Messi has been nominated a record seven times, he has never won the award.
The 11 nominees for FIFA Puskas Award 2025. Video by FIFA
