Masuluke up for football’s Oscars

Cape Town - After mysteriously losing out on the best goal of the season in the PSL awards, Oscarine Masuluke is hoping for better luck this time around.

In the PSL awards, Masuluke lost to Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala, whose goal was voted as last season’s best.

However, the spectacular goal he sore in dramatic fashion with a bicycle kick in the sixth minute of additional time against Orlando Pirates last year has now earned him a place in Fifa’s 10-man short list for the 2017 Puskás Award.

The Puskás Award is a Fifa award given to the player judged to have scored the best goal of the past year. For this year’s award, the period of eligibility is from October 1 2016 to July 2 2017.

The Baroka FC goalkeeper’s strike is one of 10 on the short list, which was announced by the world football governing body on Friday.

However, he faces stiff competition from the likes of Croatian striker Mario Mandžukic, Serbian ace Nemanja Matic and Arsenal and France frontman Olivier Giroud.

Yesterday, the goalkeeper said he was thrilled just to make the cut, saying it was a great achievement for him and the club.

He urged all South Africans to vote for him so that he can make the final list of three players.

Supporters have until October 9 to vote for their pick on the Fifa website.

Masuluke is the second South African to be nominated for the top gong in two years – Hlompho Kekana got the nod after his wonderful strike against Cameroon last year. Kekana missed out because he did not muster enough votes to make the top three.

“I am just happy to have made the cut,” Masuluke said.

The goal made international headlines and it was not surprising that the 24-year-old became an instant international hero after his extraordinary kick.

Footage of the goal went viral on social media and also featured on the websites of newspapers around the world‚ as well as in most of the UK’s major publications, such as The Guardian‚ The Telegraph‚ The Sun and the Daily Mail.

To vote for Masuluke’s goal, click here fifa.com