Cristiano Ronaldo, Lucy Bronze and Elliot Embleton up for Uefa award but Gareth Bale Champions League goal snubbed
Bale’s acrobatic effort against Liverpool in the Champions League final has been overlooked in favour of Ronaldo’s strike
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Your support makes all the difference.England internationals Lucy Bronze and Elliot Embleton have been nominated for Uefa’s goal of the season award alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, but there is no place for Gareth Bale’s stunning bicycle kick on the shortlist of 11 goals.
Uefa’s ‘Technical Observers’ selected the goals but overlooked Bale’s strike against Liverpool in the Champions League final.
Bale’s acrobatic effort was discounted because only one nominee from each of the main Uefa competitions is allowed in the shortlist, and Ronaldo’s effort against Juventus was chosen as the superior goal from the Champions League.
The observers noted that Ronaldo’s effort was “an extraordinary display of technique and athleticism.”
The Portuguese, who has since left Madrid to join Juventus, acrobatically fired in a right-footed bicycle kick to beat Gianluigi Buffon in the semi-final clash, with Bale's effort coming a round later as Madrid beat Liverpool to win a third straight European crown.
England Women's international Bronze’s “superbly struck volley” for Lyon against Manchester City and Embleton’s “superb left-foot finish” for England’s Under-19s are also selected, with Christian Eriksen’s “powerful finish” against the Republic of Ireland for Denmark that sent them to the 2018 World Cup also among the 11 nominess..
The award is given to the goal which receives the most public votes, and fans can watch and vote for their favourite on Uefa’s website.
Mario Mandzukic’s bicycle kick for Juventus in the 2016-17 Champions League final against Real Madrid won the competition last year and ended a run of two wins for Lionel Messi.
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