Hlompho Kekana says he’s seen the rest of the goals nominated for the Fifa Puskas Award, but his is more deserving. Given the push to vote for the Mamelodi Sundowns captain’s halfway line wonder strike for Bafana Bafana against Cameroon eight months ago to make the final top three by December 2, the midfield workhorse can afford to be a little less humble.
Kekana’s goal is in the top 10 list along with some stunning ones, including those from the Barcelona duo of Lionel Messi and Neymar. World football governing body confirmed the candidates late Monday, with Kekana being the third South African to see his goal being up for a Puskas Award, the Goal of the Year accolade named after Ferenc Puskas, who was a striker for Real Madrid in the late 1960s. The other two South Africans are Katlego Mphela and Siphiwe Tshabalala for their goals at the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup respectively.
“I’ve seen the goals. Good goals, but having watched the quality of mine, I think it deserves to win the award. It’s an unbelievable goal,” said a giggling Kekana earlier today. “This doesn’t happen a lot, seeing African players being nominated for Fifa awards. I am the only African on this current list and I am hoping the entire continent votes for me. When I scored, it was during a tense game against Cameroon in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, so I didn’t even think it would be nominated for Goal of the Year. But I always try them at training and they come off nicely. So, it was nice to get one in a real match.”
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Follow Mazola Molefe on Twitter@superjourno
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