KUALA LUMPUR // Malaysian midfielder Mohammed Faiz Subri said on Thursday that he was surprised and happy after being shortlisted for Fifa’s goal of the year following an extraordinary swerving free-kick.
Faiz’s goal for Penang state in the Malaysian Super League in February was reminiscent of Roberto Carlos’s swerving thunderbolt for Brazil against France in 1997.
Footage of the 29-year-old midfielder scoring a viciously swerving free-kick from 35 metres out have gone viral and made him a sensation in football-crazy Malaysia.
The 10 Fifa Puskas Award 2016 finalists include Barcelona superstars Neymar and Lionel Messi and were chosen from thousands of goals scored around the world between September 2015 and September 2016.
“I thank god for being selected by Fifa. Being in the top 10 along with Messi and Neymar for Fifa’s goal of the year award by itself is a victory for me,” he told Agence France-Presse. “If I don’t win, its OK. If it happens it is a bonus.”
The final three will be announced by Fifa on December 3.
Lim Guan Eng, Penang’s chief minister, described Faiz’s goal as “best in the world”.
“Definitely the best Malaysia free-kick goal ever and best in the world so far for 2016,” he said on Twitter.
* Agence France-Presse
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