It’s official: Benjamin Pavard scored the best goal of the 2018 World Cup
The 22-year-old Stuttgart full-back struck a stunning equaliser for France in their last-16 meeting with Argentina in Kazan, helping them on their way to a 4-3 victory over the South Americans.
France went on to knock out Uruguay in the quarter-finals and Belgium in the semi-finals before getting the better of Croatia in the final to win their second World Cup title.
A tweet from FIFA’s official World Cup Twitter account has now confirmed that Pavard’s goal racked up the most votes in an online poll, which had over three million participants.
🚀🇫🇷OFFICIAL: @BenPavard28's stunning goal for @FrenchTeam v Argentina has been chosen as the @Hyundai_Global #WorldCup Goal of the Tournament!https://t.co/U0WEmz7dOM pic.twitter.com/BnsbNWoCKI
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 25, 2018
Pavard’s effort was voted ahead of Juan Quintero’s free-kick for Colombia against Japan in the group stages, which finished second. Golden Ball winner Luka Modric finished third, thanks to his goal against Argentina.
The Frenchman becomes the first European player to win FIFA’s award for goal of the tournament since it was created in 2006. Previous winners include Maxi Rodriguez for Argentina in 2006, Diego Forlan for Uruguay in 2010 and James Rodriguez for Colombia in 2014.
Following the World Cup, Pavard has been linked with moves to several of the continent’s top clubs. Stuttgart’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich are said to be keen to take him to the Allianz Arena in time for the new season.
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