Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal for Manchester United against Porto was struck from 39.6 yards out and travelled at an astonishing average speed of 103 kilometres per hour – both records for FIFA Puskás Award winners.

per cent of the Puskás Award-winning goals will have helped their scorers’ sides to victory after De Arrascaeta, Son or Suarez is crowned. Funnily, the exception, Neymar’s in 2011, seemed all but certain to push Santos to three points. It put them 3-0 up, at home, only for a Ronaldinho hat-trick to inspire Flamengo to an implausible 5-4 win.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was 31 in 2013, is the oldest-ever recipient of the honour. Suarez, who turns 34 in January, would eclipse the Swede if he triumphs.

Daniel Zsori was just 18 years old – and making his professional debut – when he scored the bicycle-kick which made him the youngest-ever FIFA Puskás winner, outranking Neymar, who was 19. The Hungarian wasn’t even born when his rival for the 2019 prize, Ibrahimovic, had begun scoring goals for Malmo and turned down a trial at Arsenal because “Zlatan doesn’t do auditions”.

uninterrupted touches is what Son took to score against Burnley. The record for a winner is five by Neymar, although he took 11 touches in a move that was momentarily interrupted by a one-two. Seven of the 11 Puskás Award winners were first-touch goals. De Arrascaeta and Suarez both scored their goals with first touches.

Neymar, Wendell Lira and Mohamed Salah have ensured that an unparalleled three FIFA Puskás Award winners have been registered by a No11. Two were scored by No10s, with no other shirt number having multiple winners. De Arrascaeta, Son and Suarez scored their contenders in the No14, No7 and No9 jerseys respectively.

Argentina and Brazil continue to boast the most all-time nominations – 11 apiece from 121 – despite this year’s 11-name shortlist being without an Argentinian or Brazilian player for the first time ever. Andre-Pierre Gignac moved France on to nine, with Spain (6), Mexico (5), Sweden (5) and Uruguay (5), whose count jumped two thanks to Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Luis Suarez, follow. Surprisingly, no German has ever been nominated.

nominations for the FIFA Puskás Award is the unprecedented total Messi has received, despite having never emerged triumphant. The only other players to have received multiple nominations are Neymar (five), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (four), Nemanja Matic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Hlompho Kekana and De Arrascaeta (all two).

straight Puskás Award winners will have been scored inside the area after this year’s is crowned. Five of the first six were netted from outside the box.

consecutive Puskás Award-winning goals were left-footers, courtesy of Olivier Giroud, Salah and Zsori – a run which will end given that De Arrascaeta, Son and Suarez all scored their contenders with their right. This year’s result will see the overall score become right 8-4 left.