Yamal up for Puskas Award as best men's goal. Marta on list for award FIFA named after her

ZURICH (AP) — Lamine Yamal was nominated Thursday for the FIFA Puskas Award as the best men’s goal of last season, with Brazil great Marta shortlisted for the FIFA Marta Award, the women's award named after her.

Barcelona teenager Yamal’s goal was scored against Espanyol in May — a trademark curling left-foot shot after running across the defense from the right flank.

Marta got the ball in the center circle then sprinted and dribbled past two defenders, rounded the goalkeeper and scored into an empty net playing for Orlando Pride against Kansas City Current.

FIFA picked 11 nominees for each award which is voted for in equal blocs by fans online and a group of former international players.

The deadline for voting is Dec. 3. It is unclear if FIFA will present the award two days later at the men’s World Cup tournament draw being held in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington D.C.

Nominees for the men’s award include Arsenal’s Declan Rice for his free kick against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals and Lucas Ribeiro running solo from the center spot to score for Mamelodi Sundowns against Borussia Dortmund at the Club World Cup.

Ally Sentnor’s swerving shot for the United States against Colombia at the SheBelieves Cup is nominated for the Marta Award. So is Vivianne Miedema’s floated shot for the Netherlands against Wales at the Women’s European Championship.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema scores his side's opening goal during the Euro 2025 group D soccer match between Wales and the Netherlands at Allmend Stadion Luzern in Lucerne, Switzerland, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - Orlando Pride forward Marta, center, is interviewed after their NWSL championship win over the Washington Spirit at CPKC Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

FILE - Barcelona's Lamine Yamal reacts after scoring during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Espanyol and Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton, File)

SEATTLE (AP) — All Vinnie Pasquantino needed was a few days of rest, a morning walk around Seattle and a warm, sunny day at T-Mobile Park to get back on track for the Kansas City Royals.

Pasquantino had two hits — including a solo homer — two RBIs and two runs in his return to Kansas City’s lineup against the Seattle Mariners after sitting out the previous two games because of lower back tightness. He batted third and played first base in the Royals' 7-6 win.

“I told them yesterday, I want in,” Pasquantino said. “And I’ll let them know if anything changes.”

His single to right field drove in Kansas City’s opening run in the first inning. He then belted his fourth home run of the season in the sixth off Bryan Woo on a 2-0 count, a Statcast-projected 404-foot blast into the second deck in right. It gave the Royals a 5-3 lead before Jac Caglianone followed with a solo home run to right.

Pasquantino said it has been an issue he has dealt with for a while after he was removed in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game. He also appeared in the ninth inning and hit a game-ending flyout in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Athletics.

“We hope that he’s not going to have to deal with it the whole season,” manager Matt Quatraro said before Friday’s game. “But he’ll probably feel it for a handful of days before it resolves.”

But it felt good in Friday’s win.

“We’ll see how it feels in about an hour when all the adrenaline comes down,” Pasquantino said.

Pasquantino, 28, is off to a slow start this season for Kansas City, batting .176 with three doubles, 16 RBIs and 25 strikeouts in 30 games.

Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino hits an RBI single to score Maikel Garcia against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)