Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robin van Persie, Diego Costa, James Rodríguez – millionaire superstars you might expect to find in the running for Fifa’s Puskas Award for the most sublime goal of the year. But one surprise contender looks set to take them all on: the Republic of Ireland women’s international Stephanie Roche.
Support is growing for Roche, the only woman in the running for the yearly award, after a video of her strike for Peamount United against Wexford Youths women side in the women’s National League went viral, attracting more than three million hits and counting.
Roche – who, with her back to goal, controls the ball with her first touch, dinks it over the head of her marker with the second and blasts a volley into the net with the third – has spoken of her bemused delight at being in the company of such illustrious names. “The reaction was incredible,” she said. “And all the attention the goal got at the time really helped promote the women’s game, which I was delighted about. And now this is a great boost too, so it’s brilliant.”
While the video of Ibrahimovic’s sensational back-heel volley against Bastia captures the roar of more than 40,000 fans at the Parc de Princes, and can be watched again and again from a multitude of camera angles, Roche’s wonder goal can be admired only thanks to the shaky camera skills of her then manager, Eileen Gleeson. Without a spectator in sight to cheer the spectacular strike, the dugout goes crazy, while her team-mates pile on top of the 25-year-old, who now plays for Albi in France’s women’s Ligue 1.
Roche faces stiff competition – Rodríguez’s dipping volley against Uruguay in the World Cup finals and Van Persie’s eye-popping diving header in Holland’s 5-1 win over Spain among them – but Irish politicians, celebrities and sports heroes have taken to Twitter to encourage fans of the goal to vote for the strike, while, when footage emerged, Gary Lineker declared it to be the “goal of the season”.
Voting, which is open to the public, closes on 1 December and the winner will be announced in January.
Roche is the fifth favourite to win, according to Paddy Power but a concerted campaign is gathering pace and the odds are shortening – she’s gone from being 12-1 to 9-1 to win.
