It's official: Benjamin Pavard scored the best goal of the 2018 World Cup
The 22-year-old Stuttgart full-back struck a stunning equaliser for France in their last-16 meeting with Argentina in Kazan, helping them on their way to a 4-3 victory over the South Americans.
France went on to knock out Uruguay in the quarter-finals and Belgium in the semi-finals before getting the better of Croatia in the final to win their second World Cup title.
A tweet from FIFA's official World Cup Twitter account has now confirmed that Pavard's goal racked up the most votes in an online poll, which had over three million participants.
https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1022128313131659264
Pavard's effort was voted ahead of Juan Quintero's free-kick for Colombia against Japan in the group stages, which finished second. Golden Ball winner Luka Modric finished third, thanks to his goal against Argentina.
The Frenchman becomes the first European player to win FIFA's award for goal of the tournament since it was created in 2006. Previous winners include Maxi Rodriguez for Argentina in 2006, Diego Forlan for Uruguay in 2010 and James Rodriguez for Colombia in 2014.
Following the World Cup, Pavard has been linked with moves to several of the continent's top clubs. Stuttgart's Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich are said to be keen to take him to the Allianz Arena in time for the new season.
Who saw that coming… Ashley Cole has landed his first role in management over in Italy after the club announced his hiring today. Rumour had been swirling in the last 24 hours that the former Arsenal, Chelsea and, of course, Roma player was set for his first taste of management. Now, it has been confirmed […]
It’s back! Fear not, the Premier League is back in action this weekend, as Arsenal look to increase their lead over Manchester City in the title race. Mikel Arteta’s side face Everton on Saturday Night Football at 5.30pm, before City go to West Ham on Saturday evening at 8pm. On Sunday, Manchester United host Aston […]
A real test for the memory! It’s time to test your knowledge of Liverpool F.C. during the 2010s, with this bumper quiz. All you’ll need to do is name ten players who represented the Reds from 2010-2019, a real rollercoaster of a decade at Anfield. Beginning with the tumultuous reign of Roy Hodgson, and ending […]