South Africa midfielder Hlompho Kekana has been named by FIFA as one of the ten contenders for the 2016 Puskas Award for the goal of the year.
The 30-year-old got the nomination for a spectacular goal he scored against Cameroon during a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on March 26 in Limbe.
Kekana had spotted the goalkeeper off his line and beat him with a net-seeking long range missile from well inside his own half.
The Bafana Bafana star, who captained his club Mamelodi Sundowns to the Champions League title this year, faces stiff competition from global giants like Barcelona duo Neymar (Brazil) and Lionel Messi (Argentina).
To be eligible, the goals should have been scored between September 30 2015 and September 30 2016. The winner will be announced at a FIFA gala event in January 2017.
Kekana becomes the third from his country to have been nominated for the prize after striker Katlego Mphela's wonder strike against Spain at the 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup earned him a place for the maiden award, and winger Siphiwe Tshabalala got the honour in 2010 with another stupendous at the World Cup in the same year.
The only other Africans to have been nominated are Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) in 2009, Emmanuel Agyemang
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