People's Puskas Award: Watch nominees for year's best amateur goal

With past winners including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Mohamed Salah, FIFA's Puskas Award for the world's "most beautiful" goal of the year generally tends to be won by players at or near the elite level of the game.

Technically speaking, entrants for the prize are meant to be considered "without distinction of championship." Indeed, FIFA's stipulations are only that the goal must not be a result of misfortune or mistakes, must uphold sporting values and must have been captured on camera.

And yet, since its inception in 2009, the Puskas Award short lists have routinely been populated by professionals in prominent leagues and competitions, with the most notable exception being the 2022 winner, Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksy.

And so, in a bid to help shine a light on the array of equally beautiful goals hitting the back of the net at the grassroots and amateur level, Danish sport-tech company Veo launched the People's Puskas Award. Last year, Welsh amateur player Mason Evans won the 2023 prize for his incredible volley for Ynyshir Albions.

This year, more than 2,000 goals scored and captured by Veo users in 2024 were submitted, and those were whittled down to 100 of the best. That long list was then put to a public vote on social media, with the eight most popular efforts -- scored in nonleague and amateur games in such places as Canada and Kenya -- forming the short list for the People's Puskas Award 2024.

Here we can reveal the eight finalists; the crème de la crème of the more than 7 million goals recorded with Veo over the course of 2024. The choice of winner, as ever, is yours -- but your decision might take a while given the skill and quality on display here.

Check out all the goals below, then vote for your favourite on the @veotechnologies Instagram account's stories. The winner will be crowned at the end of the month.

1. Ardi Canolli (Northside River FC, England)

London's Islington Midweek Football League witnessed a moment of true dead-ball perfection when Canolli painted his masterpiece in Northside River's 8-1 demolition of Barnet Deaf FC. Canolli casually shaped up as if preparing to send a diagonal ball into the opposing penalty area only to catch the goalkeeper off guard with a rasping, knuckleball-style shot that flew into the top corner from 35 yards out.

"The second the ball left my foot, I knew it was going in," Canolli said. "That specific moment on the pitch is something I'll remember forever."

2. Jake Hill (Colliers Wood Town, England)

The London clash between Colliers Wood Town and Old Rutlishians ended in a relatively high-scoring 3-3 draw, but one goal stood out. In a moment of sheer magic, The Woods' left-back Hill rocketed home an unstoppable volley from an acute angle that nestled gorgeously in the stanchion of the far top corner.

Hill said: "I'm just grateful the goal was caught on camera! The moment itself was special, and watching it back still amazes me. With my daughter arriving in April, this would be quite the story to tell her someday."

3. James Meadows (Milton Keynes Irish, England)

MK Irish scored two goals in the final 15 minutes to seize a dramatic 3-1 win over Potton United in the Spartan South Midlands Football League -- a result capped by a stunning 88th-minute strike from Meadows. The forward controlled a cross into the box with his chest, only to find the ball dangling invitingly above his head. Naturally, the only thing left to do was to power it into the net with an emphatic, acrobatic volley.

"I hit that shot, everything just felt right," the 19-year-old said. "I'm thankful for everyone who has supported me throughout my football journey, and hope this is just the beginning."

4. Jonathan Le Ner (Avenir Sport Saint Pierre Montrevault, France)

Despite playing in the regional fourth tier of the French system, Le Ner scored a goal worthy of a Ligue 1 audience when he netted for Saint Pierre Montrevault against France d'Aizenay in the Loire Countries Cup round of 16. A direct attacking move saw a cross slung into the box from the righthand side. The ball arrived slightly behind Le Ner on the edge of the box, though the Montrevault captain was able to nimbly adjust his body shape and execute a truly majestic overhead volley.

"When I struck that ball, I had no idea it would take me this far," Le Ner said. "I think the goal resonated with football fans because it represents the beauty of the game at any level."

5. Nahia Jaime (Mulier FCN, Spain)

The future of the only all-women's team in Navarre looks bright if this golazo scored by under-16 midfielder Jaime is anything to go by. After some tireless work from her teammates, the ball broke loose and was just begging for Jaime to unleash a powerful 30-yard torpedo into the far top corner.

"The moment that goal went in, I was just focused on the game," Jaime said. "Looking back at it now as one of the top eight, I'm especially proud to represent women's soccer on this stage."

6. Samuel Karanja (True Talents of Africa, Kenya)

Stationed in midfield, Karanja improvised a couple of quick touches to control a clearance out of defence. With the ball finally under his command, the midfielder swivelled before launching an arching long-range shot beyond the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper.

"That goal was a gift from God," Karanja said. "The feeling when the ball hit the net was indescribable. Being recognised among the world's best goals is beyond what I could have imagined, and I'm hopeful it opens doors for my professional career."

7. Thibaut Loubier (Etoile Sportive Trouy, France)

After play was swept from one side of the pitch to the other, Loubier set himself up with a smart first touch before deftly switching feet and then sending a long, looping shot over the top of the stranded goalkeeper.

"That goal was the product of beautiful collective play -- without my teammates, it wouldn't have happened," Loubier said. "My grandfather, who recently passed away, was the one who gave me my love for football, so this recognition holds special meaning."

8. Zackarya Oumamass (AS Blainville, Canada)

Receiving a corner on the edge of the box, Oumamass is momentarily halted when his first touch bobbled the ball up above head height. The Blainville midfielder was able to improvise and caught everybody on the hop with an incredible overhead kick from the edge of the area. If that doesn't rank as the greatest goal ever witnessed in the Quebec Ligue 1, we'd like to see the one that beat it.

"When I scored that goal, I knew it was special, but I never imagined it would reach the top eight of the People's Puskas," Oumamass said. "That moment on the pitch, everything just came together perfectly. The recognition means so much, especially for my community in Montreal who have supported me every step of the way."