On Monday in London, the FIFA best football awards saw Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud come away with the PUSKAS award for best goal of the year, but it was second place that had most people talking. Not only was Oscarine Masuluke's wonder strike the first time an African had been in contention for the prize, but it also marked the first occasion a goalkeeper had been nominated for his goalscoring abilities. Sias du Plessis has the details.

 

It was a moment of brilliance by the 24-year-old goalkeeper; his goal proceeded to go viral on social media and subsequently saw him nominated for the prestigious Puskas Award, something the lanky stopper never dreamed of until he was told he had made the FIFA shortlist for the best goals of the year.

 

OSCARINE MASULUKE BAROKA GOALKEEPER "At the camp I said tomorrow I am going to score, they said no, we will see, so I said no, I told my team mate I am going to score, they said I must come and go there because it is the last minutes, it is the last corner, when the ball go outside the box that means the game is finished so I was supposed to go there, so I show my teammate that I score for true that day."

 

The 2m tall goalkeeper jokes that he is yet to get a call from National coach Stuart Baxter but says he remains focused on doing well for the Polokwane outfit.

 

OSCARINE MASULUKE BAROKA GOALKEEPER "No to tell you the truth I am not going anywhere in this team, I will fight for this team, anything that is happening I must make this team get something this season, so that means we are working hard as a team and we must get something for the team even a trophy so that the team can see that we are working."

 

It is incredible to think that the man who spends day in and day out preventing goals for a living is now on FIFA's shortlist for world goal of the year. Sias du Plessis, CGTN, Polokwane.