Arsenal's Giroud highlights trio of Puskas Award finalists

Two weeks after notching his 100th goal for Arsenal, Olivier Giroud is in line for another accolade after being named one of the three finalists for the 2017 FIFA Puskas Award.

FIFA announced the shortlisted trio with a statement on its website Monday. Giroud is joined by Venezuelan international striker Deyna Castellanos and Baroka FC shot-stopper Oscarine Masuluke for the annual award that celebrates the best goal in club and international football.

Giroud, Castellanos and Masuluke were initially part of a list of ten nominees, including Kevin-Prince Boateng (Las Palmas), Alejandro Camargo (Universidad de Concepcion), Moussa Dembele (Celtic), Aviles Hurtado (Tijuana), Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) and Jordi Mboula (Barcelona).

The Premier League provided many great goals last season, including Matic’s strike from distance and Andy Carroll’s scissor kick. But Giroud’s bar-down scorpion kick versus Crystal Palace on Jan. 1, 2017 stands out as the best.

The French international will face stiff competition from Castellanos, 18, whose audacious goal from the halfway line against Cameroon in the Under-17 Women’s World Cup came seconds after the opponent bagged a stoppage-time equaliser.

If Castellanos’ effort is noteworthy, both for its boldness and context, Masuluke’s has become part of footballing lore for the uncommon nature of his strike. The Baroka ‘keeper fired home an obscene stoppage-time bicycle kick versus South African Premier League giant Orlando Pirates to snatch a point for his side. Bonus points for the celebratory dance.

The winner, and thus Mohd Faiz Subri’s successor, will be named at The Best FIFA Football Awards in London on Oct. 23. The award is determined by an online vote that can be found here.