Puskas Award: Has Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi ever won the FIFA honour for best goal?
The Puskas Award has quickly become a treasured individual prize in world football.
Awarded to the player that scores the best goal in a calendar year, the honour is not easy to come by with hundreds of spectacular strikes considered worthy winners each year.
Handed out since 2009, the Puskas Award has coincided with an era dominated by two players in particular — Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. With 12 Ballon d'Or wins between them among a host of team and individual honours, nobody has come close to these two when it comes to footballing achievements in the past 20 years.
Neither are strangers to finding the back of the net, but have either managed to pick up the honour of the best goal of the year? The Sporting News takes a look at how they've faired.
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As one of the most prolific forwards football has ever seen, Ronaldo fittingly took out the first ever Puskas Award in 2009.
The Portugal attacker received the honour for his Champions League strike against Porto while playing for Manchester United.
Ronaldo's goal came after six minutes of play from 40 yards out and found the top left corner in stunning fashion as the Red Devils won the match 1-0.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to win the Puskas award for this 40-yard goal against Porto in 2009
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