Ex-Sundowns Star Ribeiro Nominated For Puskas Award

Lucas Ribeiro Costa is up for the 2025 FIFA Puskas Award. (Photo: Chris Brunskill/Gallo Images)

Former Mamelodi Sundowns star Lucas Ribeiro Costa has been named as a nominee for FIFA’s Best Goal Award for 2025.

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The Brazilian star is regarded as one of the best foreign signings to have arrived in the South African topflight in recent memory. Since joining Chloorkop in 2023, the versatile attacker enjoyed his most efficient campaign in front of goal, scoring 21 goals and providing 14 assists in all competitions last season.

His performances for the reigning Betway Premiership champions earned him a multitude of domestic individual honours at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. He was crowned PSL Footballer of the Season, Betway Premiership Players’ Player of the Season, Betway Premiership Top Goal Scorer, as well as winning the Betway Premiership Goal of the Season.

The latter came against Orlando Pirates, where he dribbled from his own half, glided past three opposition players, and slotted the ball past Sipho Chaine in a crucial league encounter at Loftus Versfeld. The 26-year-old later replicated a similar solo effort on an even bigger stage at the FIFA Club World Cup against Borussia Dortmund.

Costa received the ball in his own half, skipped past two players, and calmly put the ball beyond Gregor Kobel to give the 2016 African champions a 1–0 lead at the time. Sundowns would go on to lose the match 4–3, but Ribeiro was awarded the tournament’s Best Goal. He will now be hoping to add the 2025 Puskás Award to his growing list of accolades.

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The attacker is up against Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, among others, for the illustrious gong.

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