The amputee football player triumphs in the voting for Richarlison and Payet. This moment underscores a remarkable chapter in adaptive sport where passion meets resilience, capturing the attention of fans across North America and beyond.
The gala took place on Monday, February 27, 2023, during The Best FIFA Awards, the event where the world’s premier football federation honors top performers of 2022. While the ceremony celebrated many achievements, the standout moment was the award for The Best Player of the Year, paired with recognition for the year’s finest goal. The trophy for Best Player went to Marcin Olesky, who accepted the honor from Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero, symbolizing a bridge between courage, skill, and milestone performances.
Best: marcin oleski wins the Puskas Award for the most beautiful goal of 2022
The 2022 Puskas Award at The Best gala honors the year’s most spectacular goal. The voting was open to the public, inviting fans to cast their vote on the FIFA website. Marcin Olesky’s name rose to the top after a viral moment that showcased his extraordinary technique and willingness to push the boundaries of what is possible in amputee football.
Olesky gained global attention for scoring a stunning scissors-kick goal during a Polish amputee football competition, a match played on crutches. His achievement resonated far beyond the stadium walls, illustrating how talent can shine through adversity and redefine the limits of the sport.
Earlier in life, Olesky served as a goalkeeper. An accident in November 2010, at age 23, changed everything when a machine collapsed, resulting in the amputation of his left leg below the knee. Recovery followed, including two years in a wheelchair, after which he returned to the pitch with a prosthesis, switching roles from shot-stopper to striker and embracing a new path in football on crutches.
Since 2019, the athlete has competed in Poland’s amputee league and earned a call-up to the World Cup with his national team. Although their run ended in the round of 16 at that tournament against Brazil, the journey continued to culminate in FIFA’s Puskas Award victory fourteen years after the life-altering accident, a testament to perseverance and talent.
Overwrites Richarlison and Payet
For the year 2022, FIFA released an initial finalists list featuring eleven contenders, from which the final three emerged to vie for the Puskas Award: Richarlison, Dimitri Payet, and Marcin Olesky. The other eight shortlisted players included notable names such as Mario Balotelli, Amandine Henry, Theo Hernández, Alou Kuol, Salma Paralluelo, Alessia Russo, Kylian Mbappé, and Francisco González Metilli, each representing a unique blend of prowess and style.
The narrative around the finalists highlighted the diversity of modern football, where celebrated stars share the stage with inspiring stories from the amputee and para-football communities, demonstrating the sport’s inclusive reach and the universal language of a spectacular goal.
Players who have already won the FIFA Puskas Award
Richarlison’s target candidate for the 2022 Puskas Award
Payet’s target candidate for the 2022 Puskas Award
The goal of Marcin Olek’s candidate for the Puskas Award 2022
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This event marks a milestone that blends human stories with outstanding athletic achievement. The Puskas Award, alongside The Best trophy, spotlights how soccer can serve as a platform for resilience, community pride, and global inspiration. The celebration not only honors a spectacular goal but also acknowledges the remarkable journeys of players who adapt, improvise, and elevate the game under extraordinary circumstances.