The Puskas Award, the only individual award that Lionel Messi has not won in his career

Lionel Messi came out on top at The Best Awards in London on Monday, beating Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé for his performances in 2023. Messi has yet to comment on winning the award as he continues to prepare for the start of the new MLS season with Inter Miami.

Messi has won all kinds of individual awards throughout his glittering career, however, there is still one award that he has yet to get his hands on. The Puskas Award recognises the best goal of the year in the world of soccer, and despite being nominated down through the years after scoring some wonderful goals, the Argentine magician has never won it.

In total, Messi has been nominated for the Puskas Award seven times and it has been five years since his last nomination, which came when he was still wearing the colours of Barcelona.

Messi’s seven Puskas Award nominations

Barcelona vs Arsenal - Champions League round of 16 2010-11

The season in which Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona won their second Champions League title was one of Messi’s best with the Blaugrana and an example of this was the goal he scored against Arsenal in the round of 16, which was nominated for the Puskas Award, but was third in the voting behind the goals scored by Neymar with Santos against Flamengo and Wayne Rooney’s bicycle kick against Manchester City.

Barcelona vs Athletic - Copa del Rey final 2014-15

It took three editions for Messi to be nominated again for the Puskas Award. His second nomination came after his goal in the final of the Copa del Rey in which Barcelona beat Athletic Club. On that occasion, not even 33.3% of the votes gave the victory to Messi who was surpassed by the Brazilian Wendell Lira for his goal with Golanesia against Atlético Golaniense.

Messi’s other nominated goals

Messi’s other appearances among the Puskas Award nominees include a goal against Valencia in 2010, a goal in a friendly match against Brazil in the United States in 2012, which Argentina won 4-3, a free-kick against the USA at the Copa América Centenario and a goal against Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Messi has another couple of years left in him with club and country and therefore still has the opportunity to conjure up more magic in front of goal to win the Puskas Award. You can never rule him out.