Alright, it may only be January, and this will almost definitely not be the last time we tout an effort as a Puskas contender, but my god this is good.
It came courtesy of Fabio Martins, who is currently plying his trade with Saudi Arabian club, Al-Shabab FC, who he joined on loan from Braga back in September.
The Portuguese winger picked up the ball on the halfway line, producing a lovely turn which left his marker for dead and then driving forward with the ball.
After finding a teammate, Martins continues his run into the box where he’s picked out with a neat cutback, but one that was bobbling and left the 27-year-old with plenty to do.
What followed was a wonderful piece of ingenuity, a split-second reaction that captures exactly why we love this game so bloody much.
Instead of trying to get his foot over the ball, Martins catches the ball perfectly with a sort of mid-air backheel that’s pulled off with such nonchalance, it’s almost easy to not even realise what he had just done.
Fabio Martins with a serious Puskas contender ?
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 20, 2021
(via @riyadiyatv) pic.twitter.com/UPTseStn15
The Puskas award was created to celebrate the “most beautiful” goal scored that year, by that description, surely this stands a pretty good chance.
Son Heung-min beat out stiff competition to take home the latest award, for his sublime solo effort against Burnley in December 2019.
Surely this is could be in with a shout this time round?
Featured image credit: Riyadyatv