What is the Marta Award? Four WSL stars nominated for prestigious FIFA prize | OneFootball

Four WSL stars have been nominated for the Marta Award, which celebrates the best goals scored in women’s football this year.

What is the Marta Award?

The Marta Award is essentially the women’s version of the Puskas Award. Although it is one of the most prestigious prizes in women’s football, the Marta Award was only launched last year in 2024.

The criteria set by FIFA for the award is the “most aesthetically significant” or “most beautiful” goal scored in the past year.

Of course the award gets its name from Brazilian superstar Marta, who has been no stranger to scoring a screamer throughout her career.

The Orlando Pride star is still playing football at 39-years-old and once again she has been nominated for her own award this season. 

Marta won the inaugural award in 2024 and is bidding for back to back successes this year. 

FIFA Marta Award nominees

WSL Stars nominated for Marta Award

There are four WSL stars who have been nominated for the prestigious award this year.

Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey has been nominated for her strike against Lyon in the Champions League last season. 

Her club teammate, Kyra Cooney-Cross, has also been nominated for the award. Cooney-Cross scored her nominated goal while on international duty for Australia with an audacious long-range chip against Germany.

Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw is on track for another Golden Boot in the WSL this season and she could also pick up the Marta Award for her match winner against Hammarby at the end of last year.

The final nominee who plays in the WSL is Vivianne Miedema although like Cooney-Cross, she also scored her goal on international duty with the Netherlands. 

Miedema scored one of the goals of the tournament at Euro 2025, with a beautiful strike from the edge of the box in the group stage.