Watch: Not even halfway through 2018 and we have a goal of the year candidate
2018 is set to be a huge year in soccer despite the fact that the United States Men’s National Team will be at home watching the World Cup after failing to qualify.
Russia 2018 will take place this summer, and we are guaranteed to see some of the greatest goals ever from the greatest players in the world.
But we still have a couple of months before the soccer world focuses in on Russia, and we have plenty of time for other candidates to stake a claim for the goal of the year.
An early nomination came Sunday from Hernan Novick, who plays for Cerro Porteno in the top division in Paraguay.
In a game against Sportivo Luqueno, Novick received a heel pass from a teammate and then executed a beautiful first touch that seamlessly set him up for a goal.
Hernán Novick: "Equal opportunity, in the end, is not about fair competition or risk mitigation; rather, it is fundamentally about freedom—the freedom 'to do and become things we otherwise could not.'" pic.twitter.com/RjwqR7GXYe
— Zito (@_Zeets) March 26, 2018
Novick nutmegged the defender, which left him with a tough angle as the keeper closed in. He then curled it around the keeper to the far post to give his team a 3-0 lead.
The incredible display of skill had many on Twitter already proclaiming it the goal of the year.
One person tweeted in Spanish that Novick was already preparing his acceptance speech for the award, which is handed out in December.
Another tweeter told FIFA to stop looking for other nominees as the 2018 winner is clearly Novick.
Just to give you an idea of what FIFA is looking for, here is the goal of the year winner for 2017.
Olivier Giroud's scorpion kick goal vs Crystal Palace wins the 2017 FIFA Puskas Award.
👏🏼🦂👑🔴⚪️pic.twitter.com/9rAl3oWpki— 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗬! (@the49Highbury) October 23, 2017
Olivier Giroud’s back-heel scorpion kick is just about as difficult a move as there is in soccer; most people don’t even possess the foot-eye coordination to make contact with the ball, much less direct it into the net.
Thankfully for Novick to win what Giroud won last year, the midfielder will only have to battle other professional soccer players and not random guys who show up on social media videos.
This is referring to a penalty kick goal that went viral last week. It didn’t take place in a game as the setting just appears to be a practice, but you still have to see it to believe it.
https://twitter.com/Mr_Hardey/status/977191891518263297
For that poor goalkeeper, that’s the equivalent of getting your ankles broken on the basketball court. But crossovers in basketball happen all the time; a spinning back-heel penalty kick isn’t something you see everyday.
The FIFA Puskas Award goes to the player who has the “most beautiful” goal of the year. It is handed out at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which also crowns the soccer player of the year.
Fans will be able to vote for a list of 10 nominees once those are made public later this year.
Other past winners of the award include Cristiano Ronaldo (2009) and Neymar (2011).
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