‘Never seen a goal like it’: World reacts to McGree’s Puskas nomination

It’s one of the greatest goals in Hyundai A-League history and Riley McGree’s stunning ‘scorpion kick’ goal has received global recognition with his nomination for the 2018 FIFA Puskas Award.

The teenager, who was playing for the Newcastle Jets at the time, scored his freak goal in last season’s Semi-Final win over his current club Melbourne City.

CONFIRMED: McGree’s ‘scorpion kick’ nominated for 2018 Puskas Award

And his incredible strike will be going up against nine other cracking goals from around the world, including dazzling efforts from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah.

McGree’s goal and the nomination has generated plenty of buzz, not only in Australia but right around the world.

You can vote to determine the winner of the 2018 award (for the period 3 July 2017 to 15 July 2018), who will be revealed at The Best FIFA Football Awards show in London on 24 September.

While the sheer brilliance of McGree’s goal means we shouldn’t be surprised by his nomination in the prestigious award, it seems the man himself was taken aback by his selection alongside some of world football’s biggest names.

Alongside some illustrious company

McGree faces some pretty stiff competition to take out the award, with stunning overhead kicks by Real Madrid’s Ronaldo against Juventus, as well as his then-teammate Gareth Bale in the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool.

Barcelona superstar Messi also made the cut for his classy goal for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, while Egyptian whiz Salah is also there for his goal for Liverpool against city rivals Everton.

But there is plenty of support for the young Aussie to overcome some of world football’s biggest superstars.

Plenty of support for Riley’s stunner

While the calibre of goals for this year’s award are of the highest quality, McGree’s strike is fairly unique compared to the others.

But there may be an omen working in the Hyundai A-League star’s favour, with Frenchman Olivier Giroud’s scorpion kick against Crystal Palace winning the 2017 FIFA Puskas Award.

Regardless, there is plenty of support for McGree, even from fans of rival Hyundai A-League clubs.

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