Uzbek captain Eldor Shomurodov is regarded as one of his nation’s finest players and the 31-year-old has now claimed top honours in the first phase of voting for the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament award.
Born in the tiny rural town of Jarkurgan, Shomurodov told FIFA in the build-up to the World Cup that he wanted to ‘shatter perceptions’ in North America.
On an individual level he has done just that, finishing ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Vinicius Junior to top the top the initial stage of voting.
Shomurodov claimed 36 per centof the vote for his inch-perfect lob from a tight angle against Congo DR in Uzbekistan’s final group stage outing in Atlanta on 27 June.
Haiti’s Wilson Isidor came in second, with 26.5 per cent, ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Kerim Alajbegovic, with 24.9 per cent of the total tally.
This is the first step in the process towards deciding the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament, with the first voting window of the tournament having given users 48 hours to place their vote.
There will be four subsequent votes, following the same process after the Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals (combined), and then a final vote at the end of the tournament.
