It might not be quite as prestigious as the coveted WAB Goal of the Season Award, but Julio Enciso has racked up another accolade for his stunning strike as Brighton drew 1-1 with Manchester City at the Amex back in May – runner up in the Puskas Award 2023.
Named after legendary Hungarian striker and scorer of some pretty decent efforts Ferenc Puskas, the award celebrates the most spectacular goal in men and women’s football across a set period.
In the case of 2023, it covered the day after the World Cup final (Monday 19th December 2022) through to August 20th 2023.
A public vote whittled down an 11-goal shortlist to just three. The final order was then decided by a selection of pundits.
Enciso finished second behind Guilherme Madruga of Brazilian second tier side Botafogo. Madruga scored a pretty outrageous overhead kick from 25 yards with back to goal which looped miles into the air before dropping over the Novorizontino goalkeeper and into the net.
🇧🇷 Guilherme Madruga
⚽ Botafogo FC-SP v Novorizontino
📆 June 2023Footage courtesy of Campeonato Brasileiro Série B & Brax Sports Assets pic.twitter.com/UMt6fS772T
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 14, 2023
Nuno Santos was third for a rabona with an insane amount of power into the top corer from just inside the box for Sporting CP against Boavista.
Enciso was in attendance for the unveiling of the Puskas Award winner at the star-studded Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony held in London.
He arrived looking very sweet in a delightful maroon smoking jacket and bow tie combo, appearing a little shy like a teenager turning up to their end of school prom without a date.
Looks like me when I rocked up to Year 11 prom without a date #BHAFC https://t.co/SDcsyAJj8n
— We Are Brighton (@wearebrighton) January 15, 2024
Many Brighton fans expected Enciso to win. Rumours had been swirling for a couple of weeks that the award was going to be his.
The Paraguayan Football Association even posted an article on their website several hours before the ceremony announcing Enciso the winner.
A lot of Albion supporters have subsequently complained that Enciso was robbed of the award. Maybe it is the egg on face from all the social media posts and Photoshops hailing him the winner?
But take off the blue and white tinted spectacles and the overhead from Madruga is a more spectacular effort. Even Santos’ rabona better fits the spectacular criteria of the Puskas Awars than Enciso.
In terms of a brilliantly worked team goal rounded off by a special strike, however, you would be hard pushed to find many better in 2023 than Enciso against City.
38 minutes had elapsed of the penultimate game of the season at the Amex when Enciso struck. City led 1-0 at the time, Phil Foden scoring his traditional goal against Brighton as the champions looked to extend their winning run to 13 straight Premier League matches.
The Enciso goal came from the Albion stringing together 11 passes, gliding around one of the finest teams English football has ever seen with ease.
Possession flowed from the Brighton box to the edge of the City area through Jason Steele, Moises Caicedo, Enciso, Facundo Buonanotte and Joel Veltman.
When there was no opening to be found, Buonanotte, Billy Gilmour Jan Paul van Hecke and Pascal Gross worked the ball all the way back to Steele in goal.
Steele waited and waited and waited, inviting City to press. The visitors took the bait and Steele released Levi Colwill with space now in front of the Chelsea loanee into which he could carry the ball.
There was still a lot for Enciso to do once he received possession from Colwill some 35 yards out. Even after a couple of touches took Enciso closer towards the City goal, nobody in their right mind was expecting him to shoot.
And yet that is exactly what happened. With remarkable power and unerring accuracy, Enciso picked out a postage stamp sized spot in the very top corner. Citizens goalkeeper Stefan Ortega had no chance.
🇵🇾 Julio Enciso
⚽ Brighton v Manchester City
📆 May 2023Footage courtesy of the Premier League pic.twitter.com/R3NFcdP9le
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 14, 2023
The Amex exploded, the noise not so much being a cry of celebration but 30,000 people shouting a shocked and surprised “OOOOOOOH” in unison.
More telling was the response of City fans immediately behind the strike – easily the best part of the whole goal. If they ran a separate Puskas Award for causing the best reaction amongst opposition supporters, Julio Enciso would have been a worthy and unbeatable winner.
The slow-motion replay taken from behind Enciso showed people in the away end with hands on heads and mouths wide open in shock and awe. One bloke even started clapping before the ball had crashed into the back of the net.
City fans are treated to the magic Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland serve up on a weekly basis. To see them react like that tells you that Enciso delivered a truly special moment.
Enciso’s goal ensured that Brighton became the first team to take a point off City for three months. Within three weeks of being held at the Amex, Pep Guardiola’s side had completed a treble by adding the FA Cup and the Champions League to their already secured Premier League title.
Julio Enciso might have had to settle for second in the Puskas Award 2023, but his strike won a glut of gongs otherwise.
As well as the aforementioned and much more important WAB Goal of the Season, Enciso also claimed the Premier League Goal of the Season and BBC Match of the Day Goal of the Season awards.
