Mo Salah edges Riley McGree’s stunning scorpion goal to win Puskas Award

LIVERPOOL star Mohamed Salah’s strike in last season’s Merseyside derby has won the goal of the season, edging Riley McGree’s incredible scorpion strike for the FIFA Puskas Award.

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LIVERPOOL star Mohamed Salah’s strike in last season’s Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield has won the FIFA Puskas Award for the goal of the season.

Ten goals were shortlisted for the award, with many pundits predicting a win for Gareth Bale’s acrobatic volley in the Champions League final for Real Madrid against Liverpool.

But the Egyptian star’s effort, which saw him spin past two Everton players before curling a left-foot shot into the far corner, gained 38 per cent of the more than 500,000 votes cast.

Salah’s derby goal drew more votes than Melbourne City midfielder Riley McGree’s stunning scorpion-kick strike despite the great Peter Schmeichel endorsing the A-League star’s worldie.

“If I was voting, I wouldn’t vote them [Ronaldo or Bale]. I really love Riley McGree’s goal. That is extraordinary that,” Schmeichel said.

“Just thinking about doing that; the ball is behind you, and flicking it with your heel. You see the goalkeeper stranded in the middle there. He’s got everything covered. The one thing he didn’t cover was that. I think it was brilliant”.

The award, which is named after Hungary and Real Madrid great Ferenc Puskas, was the first announced at the Best FIFA Football Awards in London. Salah, 26, has also been shortlisted for men’s player of the year.

He told the audience at the Royal Festival Hall that he hoped to win another prize later in the evening.

WORLD CUP HERO BEATS CR7, MESSIE

LUKA Modric has won the FIFA men’s player of the year award, beating Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo.

For the 33-year-old midfielder, the prize caps a remarkable 12 months which saw him play an integral role in Real Madrid’s third straight Champions League victory and then lead Croatia to their first ever World Cup final.

Luka Modric with the World Cup Golden Ball. Picture: AFP

In his speech, the former Tottenham Hotspur maestro thanked his teammates and family in English, Spanish and Croatian, and said he was proud to receive this prize in front of FIFA’s deputy general secretary Zvonimir Boban, a star of Croatia’s 1998 World Cup side.

Modric’s win breaks the Lionel Messi-Ronaldo duopoly of the last 10 years and it follows his player of the tournament prize at Russia 2018 and UEFA player of the year accolade last month.

Congratulations, Luka Modric 👑
Winner of #TheBest FIFA Men's Player 2018 🏆#FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/D489MswXug

— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 24, 2018

“It’s a great honour and a beautiful feeling to stand here with this amazing trophy,” he said.

“First of all, I would like to give congratulations to Mohamed [Salah] and Cristiano [Ronaldo] for the great season that they’ve had and I’m sure in the future they will have another opportunity to fight for this trophy. Modric added: “This trophy is not just mine, it’s for all my Real Madrid team- mates, for all my teammates from the Croatia national team, for all the coaches that I have played for.

“Without them, this would not be possible and thank you a lot to them. “This trophy is also for my family, without whom I would not be the player and person that I am. They are my ‘the best’.”

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Originally published as Mo Salah edges Riley McGree’s stunning scorpion goal to win Puskas Award