Ballon d'Or Brazilian lands best goal of 2015 ahead of the Argentine and Florenzi
Brazilian Wendell Lira landed this year's Puskas Award for goal of the year at the FIFA Ballon d'Or gala at Zurich's Kongresshaus.
Wendell Lira pips Messi to Puskas Award
Wendell Lira's acrobatic effort for Goianesia, during a Brazilian second division game, got the nod ahead of Barcelona striker Lionel Messi's winding run and near-post finish against Athletic Bilbao in last season's Spanish Cup final and Roma's Alessandro Florenzi's 50-metre cannonball in last year's Champions League, coincidentally against Barça.
Messi Goal
Florenzi Goal
The winner of the Puskas Award for goal of the year is voted for by fans via fifa.com.
, a Brazilian , won the 2015  in Zürich on Monday. The Puskás Award is given to the football player voted by the public to have scored the best goal of the year.

Lira's goal was a , in a 2–1 victory for  on March 11; he has since moved to . His goal won 46.7% of the vote, with about 1.6 million people voting. He won the award ahead of five-time  winner Lionel Messi, whose solo goal against  in the  final won 33.3% of the vote. , who plays for AS Roma, scored a 50 long-range goal against FC Barcelona in a  group stage match and came third with 7.1% of the vote.

When Lira's name was announced he broke into tears. He said "It honestly feels like a dream." Only 297 spectators were present in the stadium, Lira said, when he scored the goal in a regional championship of the second division. He added "I could never have guessed that it would change my life so much".

This was his first time in Europe. As a player of a second division football club, he said "I've been struggling to get my head around meeting so many stars, let alone being up for the award with Messi and then having my goal beat his in the vote." Lira also thanked "my family and all those who voted for me."

Messi praised the goal. "The fact is it's a great goal and he deserved it. The award is in good hands".