It had to be his! Guilherme Madruga, formerly of Botafogo-SP, won the award for the most beautiful goal of the year, during The Best awards ceremony.
In June 2023, the midfielder, announced as Cuiabá’s new reinforcement, surprised everyone by scoring a brilliant goal from outside the area, covering Novorizontino’s goalkeeper in a 2-0 victory in Série B.
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“It was a very special year for me, not only because of the goals but it was the season with the highest number of games in my career. I competed in my first national championships and lived up to it. My goal was only to be bought by Botafogo, and it turned out better than I planned.”
“It was intentional; the bicycle kick is more difficult because I’m not seeing the goalkeeper; I needed exact precision and I was fortunate. The one from midfield, I control it, look up making the decision in milliseconds and hit it low without any chance for the goalkeeper. They were special days; I hope it happens again,” he said in an exclusive chat with Sambafoot.
Who is Guilherme Madruga, winner of the 2023 Puskás Prize?
Born in Campo Grande, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, 23-year-old Guilherme Madruga overtook Julio Enciso, from Brighton, and Nuno Santos, from Sporting, in the race for the prestigious Puskás Award.
Julio Enciso had scored a remarkable goal from outside the box against Manchester City, in the Premier League, while Nuno Santos impressed by converting perfectly against Boavista.
Madruga became the third Brazilian to receive the Puskás Prize. In 2015, Wendell Lira, then an athlete from Goianésia, won the award by also scoring a bicycle goal. Before him, Neymar had received this honor in 2011, when he played for Santos.
On that occasion, the Brazilian performed an incredible move, dribbling past several Flamengo players before finishing masterfully.
