Go home everyone – Bristol City striker has already won this year’s Puskas Award | OneFootball

Life is all about finding beauty in unexpected places and Bristol City’s Dom Ballard may have won this year’s Puskas Award with a sensational backheel in Saturday’s match at Birmingham.

Part of maturing is realising the obvious isn’t always the answer. The most attractive-looking people aren’t always the sexiest, food slop on Instagram isn’t always the tastiest and quality isn’t exclusively the preserve of elite football.

Sure, the chances of seeing ridiculously good goals are higher in the Premier League, Champions League and World Cup than the Dog & Duck.

But how many goals have you ever seen better than the one Ballard scored at St Andrew’s on Saturday?

Bristol City were minutes away from a respectable away point when Rio Cardines whipped a cross into the Birmingham penalty area.

Now, most strikers would’ve attempted to control the ball before laying it off to a team-mate. Play it safe, open that packet of crisps with scissors, avoid the manager b*llocking you afterwards.

Ballard’s synapses worked differently here. There are few better feelings than surrendering rationality to pure instinct, releasing the body from the imprisonment of overthinking and just going for it.

So, as Cardines’ cross flew towards him, the 21-year-old took advantage of Birmingham’s less-than-watertight marking by turning his back to goal and backflicking the ball towards it.

Sensationally, it flew into the top corner. With an added chef’s kiss of grazing the crossbar before nestling in the net. Behind the goal, the travelling section of cider-guzzling City fans had a collective orgasm.

Birmingham did score a late, late equaliser through Demari Gray’s penalty, but the day belonged to Ballard, who had a moment to cherish on his death bed.

“The fans were amazing and I ran straight to them when I scored which was an incredible feeling,” the Bristol City striker said.

“I won’t score many better than that.”

Despite the stunning effort, Ballard said he was disappointed with the result.

“We are disappointed with the result in the end as I thought we were the better team,” he said.

“But everyone played their role well today and when you come to a new club, you want to hit the ground running so to get the goal today against a good Birmingham City side is great.”

There have been several more high-profile goals scored in 2026, but surely few match the criteria for the Puskas Award quite like this one.

Ballard’s backheel was a combination of jaw-dropping and life-affirming. Any Bristol City fan born after 1980 have never seen their team in the Premier League, but this goal belonged at the top level.

It was also unique; watch any top-flight goal compilation these days and it’s a glut of forwards cutting inside onto their stronger foot and curling a shot home. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.

That Ballard’s moment of instinctive brilliance came in a second-tier match with a lunchtime kick-off is even more stupendous. Give him the award.