IFC is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries creates jobs and improves the lives of people IFC advances economic development and improves the lives of people by encouraging the growth of the private sector in developing countries We achieve this by investing in impactful projects As the largest global development institution focused on the private sector IFC operates in more than 100 countries around the globe We apply lessons learned in one region to solve problems in another IFC brings a clear set of advantages to the world’s most challenging markets and a determination to achieve measurable development impact Owned by 186 member countries and consistently rated AAA/Aaa IFC aims to achieve our mission of promoting development by providing debt and equity to the private sector through a range of benchmark and bespoke products Goianésia is a small agricultural town in the countryside of the state of Goiás The basis of its economy was once the plantation of rice and coffee and then it diversified into milk production Goianésia played a prominent role in providing the country with two key items to protect the population from the new coronavirus: rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer The production of the sanitizing products came from Jalles Machado agribusiness company founded in 1983 and responsible for more than 3.700 direct jobs in the region amidst the outbreak of the pandemic in Brazil Jalles Machado received a $27.5 million loan from IFC to increase their production of sanitizers and thus meet the strong demand for rubbing alcohol in the regions of Goiás and São Paulo The loan was part of IFC's $8 billion fast-track program to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and optimizing processes to operate 24 hours a day We contacted IFC to help us with the financing as we see them as a reliable partner that offers good terms and competitive costs as well as support with experience and knowledge” The sanitizing unit sold more than 3.4 million boxes of rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizers to hospitals Despite demand pressure and limited supply in the market the company decided to maintain the initial consumer price of the inputs making a crucial contribution during a period of economic and health crisis in the country “Agribusiness is an important sector of the Brazilian economy and IFC's investment in Jalles Machado was key to give the company a relevant role during the pandemic,” says Luiz Daniel de Campos Jalles Machado also supported the local community with donations The Organização das Voluntárias de Goiás (OVG) - Goiás Volunteer Organization in English - was one of the entities chosen by the company To reinforce social assistance and reach the 246 municipalities in the state OVG launched a campaign to combat the propagation of the pandemic OVG’s donation baskets for vulnerable families in Goiás included rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizers from Jalles Machado which were also important to protect the 4.900 volunteers and 500 employees who did not stop working during the crisis “Jalles Machado was already involved with our volunteer work and when it became evident that our activity was even more necessary the company collaborated with the donation of sanitizing products especially at a time when it was difficult to find them on the market” Jalles Machado's hand sanitizer was sold to hospitals Jalles Machado's impact started long before the pandemic the city is now proud of being a prominent sugar and ethanol hub in the center of the state the few jobs available in livestock were not enough to accommodate all the workers from Goianésia “The industries were installed in the capital and the countryside was left with no option for development Our desire was to create good jobs right here” the federal government created the Proálcool (National Alcohol Program) to stimulate sugarcane-based production and reduce dependence on oil Jalles Machado then opened its doors as a small alcohol distillery and taking advantage of the national demand and the international market prices sanitizing products and high added value products such as organic products and dry yeast The company has two production units (including a distribution center) and 60.000 hectares of sugarcane plantations Jalles Machado registered a record 5.3 million tons of processed sugarcane the company signed its first project with IFC in a $55 million long-term financing ($30 million from IFC's own account and $25 million mobilized with Rabobank and ABN Amro) Encouraged by the appreciation of sugar in the Brazilian market Jalles Machado invested in modern equipment expansion of its irrigation system and sugarcane plantations in addition to completing the construction of their sugar processing plant The partnership was fundamental to implement some improvements in areas such as occupational safety and corporate management which took place in March 2021 at the Brazilian Stock Market One of the main points that Jalles Machado focused on was developing gender equality by creating jobs for women in the operation of machines and tractors and in the harvesting and planting at night The numbers show that there is still a long way to go but the female presence in the 2020/2021 harvest reached 20.1 percent among employees - one of the highest rates in the sector - with 26.7 percent of them in management positions The female participation rate at Jalles Machado reached 20.1% in the 2020/21 harvest is part of this new generation of female leaders at Jalles Machado she was responsible for structuring the company's logistics sector portfolio and cost indicators monitoring and customer satisfaction Anny was invited to take over the management of the Distribution and Storage Center (CDA for its initial in Portuguese) of the Jalles Machado Unit and Otávio Lage Unit Anny is now leading a team of 296 employees Not even in an agribusiness company: “Here at Jalles Machado there is a lot of freedom of expression and employee appreciation It's common to see that the leadership team respects our opinions and has a high level of trust,” she adds Anny is doing her part to create more opportunities for women on the team seeking technology and development for her employees the female participation rate reached 36 percent among assistants the company can attract labor supply from the city "In addition to supporting the growth of the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors IFC's investment in Jalles Machado is also intended to encourage improvements in the social sustainability standards of the country's sugar and ethanol industry," adds Luiz Daniel 1) 0ms;transition:background-color 150ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}.css-v4v4rs{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 1) 0ms;font-size:inherit;}@media (min-width:0px){.css-v4v4rs{display:block;}}@media (min-width:1100px){.css-v4v4rs{display:none;}}.css-mps3fk{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 120ms cubic-bezier(0.4 they may have hung up their boots for good knowing things wouldn’t get much better than that moment It’s an action the man himself is set to follow as he seeks to recreate similar remarkable moments in the FIFA video-game series the Brazilian is set to embark on a new challenge as he seeks to conquer the world of virtual football after rubbing shoulders with the stars at the Ballon d'Or ceremony earlier this year I’ve always seen videogames as something important My dream now is to become world FIFA champion and I want to dedicate myself to getting that title The forward also cited problems with injuries as well as the “lies and dirtiness” of the game as motivating factors for calling time on his professional career Lira shot to prominence when he beat Lionel Messi and Alessandro Florenzi in the FIFA poll to determine the best goal of the last calendar year .css-az13ih{width:100%;aspect-ratio:3/2;border:none;}The 27-year-old scored the goal for Brazilian side Goianesia in a 2-1 win over Atletico-Go as he had spells at Tombense and Vila Nova before deciding to end his playing days While a future career playing video games may not sound the most stable way to make a living Lira has a strong track record when it comes to the FIFA series he’s been top of the South America leaderboard for the game and is the champion in his region of Goias Lara also has a win secured against the 2015 FIFA world champion Wendell Lira won the 2015 FIFA Puskas Award for his spinning bicycle kick while playing for Goianesia in the Brazilian Goias state championship Lira, 27, upset the favoured Lionel Messi, who was a finalist for his goal for Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao in May's Copa del Rey final The Brazilian was honoured at the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday in Zurich, where Messi later took the top honour as World Player of the Year "It is an honour to be here to get know famous players I've only seen on the screen before," Lira said in accepting the award "I thank my family and all those who voted for me I should like to thank my wife and my daughter." Wendell Lira received the Puskas Award for the best goal of the year. GettyLira received 46.7 percent of the vote, well ahead of Messi's 33.3 percent and 7.1 percent for Alessandro Florenzi of Roma for his goal against Barcelona in the Champions League Messi's goal opened the scoring in the 2014-15 Copa del Rey final when he received the ball just inside Athletic's half and went on to beat four men before smashing a shot into the near corner FIFA has narrowed down the 10 nominees for the Puskas Award, with Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Roma's Alessandro Florenzi and Wendell Lira making up the final three for the best goal of the year Here are the three strikes that could take this coveted award: Support non-profit journalism and perspectives from around the world. See all those languages? The Lingua project at Global Voices works to bring down barriers to understanding through translation. Wendell Lira never wore Corinthians’ colours. Nor São Paulo’s, Internacional, Flamengo, Cruzeiro, Grêmio or any other big league Brazilian team with a world title on the shelf During his nine-year career as a professional football player Wendell played for teams such as Goiás and Fortaleza and though he had a chance at the Brazil’s Under-20 National Team it was never enough to make a name for himself When news came in November that he was in the Top 10 nominees for the Puskás Wendell's contract with the Tombense team had ended and he was living with his mother-in-law For Brazilians, still traumatized by the 7-1 loss to Germany during the World Cup hosted in their country, Wendell's win was a needed reminder of the spirit that made the world first regard their country as “the Football Nation”. As FIFA described on its official page: but Brazilian football genuinely does combine technique Wendell Lira proved that once again last year with a breathtaking bicycle-kick which has been voted by users of FIFA.com and francefootball.fr as the best goal of 2015 The Puskás were voted through an open online poll Wendell’s bicycle kick received 46.7% of the 1.6 million votes And here is where the Internet enters the story: the unknown Wendell Lira had the help of a handful of Brazilian sites to get the trophy A screenshot of a FIFA video showing Wendell's goal for Goianésia that earned him the Puskás The site is known for its humorous content, but also for being a master prankster. In 2014, during the World Cup in Brazil, a mocking video created by Não Salvo went viral and was republished as real news by several news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal North Korea’s government was supposedly editing images and telling its citizens the national team was heading to the World Cup finals against Portugal But this time, it wasn’t a prank. Cid — Não Salvo’s creator — sent his followers an actual, serious call to arms to help Wendell Lira to win the FIFA’s Puskás Award and defeat football's “consecrated” giants such as Messi the campaign was embraced by other sports and comedy websites in Brazil A screenshot of a YouTube video of Neymar and Wendell during the ceremony Brazilians voted tirelessly to carry Wendell from the Top 10 nominees to the three Puskás’ finalists Wendell’s sudden fame even guaranteed him a proper suit to go to the award’s ceremony offered by a tailor from his hometown Goiânia Barcelona’s Neymar, who also won a Puskás while playing for Santos FC in 2011, praised Wendell’s accomplishment: Falei que era meio “karatê kid” (o estilo do gol) I said it was like a “karate kid” kind of thing (the goal style) I don’t know where he got that maneuver from The commentators broadcasting the ceremony live immediately remarked that “his bank account wouldn't ever be the same.” You see Wendell doesn't exactly fit the mold of the multimillionaire society that attends FIFA’s events During his speech he remembered the Biblical passage of David facing the giant Goliath and joked: Queria primeiramente agradecer a Deus por este momento único na minha vida E poder estar aqui conhecendo grande jogadores I’d like to thank God for this unique moment in my life And for being able to be here and to meet great players https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y2GkTMWgYI was the typical Brazilian kid who dreams about playing football and becoming one of the idols they impersonate on PlayStation is that the large majority of these kids end up enduring poor working conditions “to not give up on the dream” — as Wendell did While playing for Goianésia, the team he was with when he scored the Puskás goal, Wendell received 3,000 reais a month (close to 750 US dollars) to support his family. Almost three times the minimum wage in the Brazil, but less than Brazilian football star Neymar’s one-hour payment when he arrived in Barcelona in 2014 His path to the Puskas award wasn't exactly easy-going. Earlier in his career, he suffered major injuries while playing, and at one point had to spend 10 months away from the pitch to recover from a knee lesion. In 2012, his contract with the Goiás team wasn't renewed and Wendell had to work as a waiter at his mother’s diner to pay the bills but friends and family encouraged him not to lose hope He played for different teams in the years afterward, and had received offers from low-level local teams before his Puskás nomination. But his win has pushed his career to new heights — he has received an offer from a new club If an offer from a European team comes his way In an interview for a local newspaper from Goiânia Wendell explained how difficult it can be to make a living off of football: Eu sempre falei que se eu tivesse uma profissão que eu tivesse a certeza de que todo final do mês eu ia ter o meu salário I’ve always said that if I had a profession that could guarantee my wage at the end of every month “I am the real Brazilian player: I earn little but I struggle a lot.” Image tweeted by @BomSensoFC The majority of professional football players in Brazil find themselves in this same situation This is one of the causes that athletes movement Bom Senso FC has highlighted for the last two years, as Global Voices reported in 2013 But there's been little to no change so far têm dificuldades para pagar as contas.” Wendell Lira — Bom Senso F.C. (@BomSensoFC) January 11, 2016 I’m like 90% of the country’s players who have to train in bad fields struggle to pay the bills” – Wendell Lira In a time where billionaire transactions, corruption and merchandising steal attention, Wendell’s underdog, Rocky Balboa-like victory helps remind football fans what the game is about, as football commentator Douglas Ceconello wrote on his blog: da hipnose quando toca a música da Champions League nós não vivemos o futebol pela final da Copa do Mundo não vivemos nem para ver Messi e nem para ter a sorte de torcer pelo maior esquadrão de todos os tempos nós vivemos o futebol esperando por um Wendell Lira of the hypnosis for when the Champions League theme plays we do not live football for the World Cup final we don’t even live it to see Messi or for the luck of cheering on the best squad ever we live football waiting for a Wendell Lira ERROR: SECURITY TIMEOUT - Please copy your message to a backup location Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work Donate now Authors, please log in » Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Stay up to date about Global Voices and our mission. See our Privacy Policy for details. Newsletter powered by Mailchimp (Privacy Policy and Terms) Global Voices is supported by the efforts of our volunteer contributors, foundations, donors and mission-related services. For more information please read our Fundraising Ethics Policy Special thanks to our many sponsors and funders GOIANESIA DO PARA, Brazil, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- A man known as the "Snake Ninja" in Brazil placed the heads of four live snakes in his mouth for several seconds to protest deforestation Duarte places the snakes' heads in his mouth and holds them there for several seconds Duarte, an anti-deforestation activist, has previously performed attention-grabbing stunts including wrapping a venomous snake around a poison toad and holding both creatures in his mouth. When Wendell Lira soared through a rainy night sky to score the opening goal of a mid-season match in a Brazilian regional football league, there were 342 people in the stands. None of them could have imagined that the unknown forward, who was released by his club, Goianesia, several months later, would end up competing with Lionel Messi for the Puskas Award, FIFA's prize for the best goal of the year. Lira, 26, was startled when he found out -- quite literally. He had just left his house in Goiania, in the heart of Brazil, on Monday morning when a car suddenly pulled up and blocked his path. But the driver got out, asked him for a photo, and told him his stunning bicycle kick against defending champions Atletico Goianiense eight months back had returned from the past to change his life. "When I got the news, I didn't believe it at first. Then my wife called me, crying, and I started crying with her. I couldn't believe it. It was very emotional," Lira told AFP, still dazed by the news. Lira, a journeyman footballer schooled in the humble stadiums of Brazil's lesser leagues, will share the stage on January 11 in Zurich with Barcelona superstar Messi and Roma's Alessandro Florenzi, the other two finalists for the coveted award. The prize, whose past winners include Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar and James Rodriguez, will be awarded during the Ballon d'Or ceremony for best player of the year -- a star-studded, red-carpet gala watched in millions of homes around the world. The journey since that rain-drenched March night led first to the opening round of the contest. Lira learned on November 6 that world football's governing body had shortlisted his goal as one of the 10 best scored and captured on video in official tournaments worldwide in the past year. At the time, Lira -- who earned about $1,300 a month when he scored the goal of his life -- had been unemployed for three months, since the end of his season with Goianesia and a brief stint at third-tier side Tombense. He was in the process of searching for a new club to continue making a living from the game he loves -- like many of the working-class players who scrape by in football-crazed Brazil's lower leagues. An estimated 20,000 professional footballers in Brazil go unemployed each year when the regional leagues end in May. "Life is complicated for a footballer who's not in the first division. You go through a lot. A lot of times you don't receive your paycheck, and we have to support our families," said Lira, who has had to find odd jobs to pay the bills in the past. When Lira's nomination started generating buzz, a leading club in his hometown, Vila Nova, signed him as its star recruit for its return to Brazil's second-tier league next year. "It's changed my life. People know me, they want to take photos with me, they ask for my autograph and I've had new job offers. But thank God, now I've got a job. It's crazy," he said. Lira still doesn't know how his goal traveled some 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) from Goiania to FIFA headquarters in Zurich. On January 11, he and his family will make the same trip -- their first to Europe -- thanks to online voters who chose him as a finalist and will now decide the final winner. Lira plans to take a few pictures himself that day. "The one I want to meet the most is Neymar, because he's a Brazilian idol. But I would really like to greet Cristiano Ronaldo, too. I love the way he plays, he's a phenomenon," Lira said. Neymar, a first-time finalist for the Ballon d'Or this year, is also the only Brazilian to win the Puskas Award since it was launched in 2009. He won four years ago with a goal scored for Brazilian side Santos. His would-be heir says he's not just going to Zurich as a tourist. "Messi is a football genius, everything he does has a touch of genius. He's surely the huge favorite to win this award. But I'm not going to make it easy for him!" said Lira, grinning. Messi has won the Ballon d'Or four times, has seven La Liga titles and four Champions League triumphs -- but, like Lira, he has never won the prize for the best goal of the year. This is the repulsive moment a man puts a live tarantula and a bat in his mouth at the same time. Arteval Duarte performed the spectacle in Goianésia do Pará, Brazil. He shows the creatures to the camera to fully emphasize their gruesomeness. He then lets the furry spider crawl around the table and even extends the bat's leathery-looking wings. He narrates his actions in Portuguese throughout.  With a slight look of fear in his eyes, Duarte places the spider briefly in his mouth, removes it... and then fully inserts it. His faces crumples into a grimace as he makes sure the arachnid is fully in, his teeth locked so it can't escape. Painstakingly Duarte then tries to fold the bat into an edible shape before putting that too inside his mouth. He certainly doesn't seem to be enjoying the experience.  He then tilts his head back and open his mouth and lets the bat clamber out then fly off. The spider too crawls out and continues up over his face to his eyes. No doubt grateful the ordeal is over, Duarte gives the camera a thumbs up. Other clips of the daredevil show him inserting four snakes at the same time. He has been nicknamed the ‘Ninja of Serpents’ thanks to his snake antics, all of which he finds in the wild. On one occasion he has put three tarantulas in simultaneously and on another a poisonous frog and venomous snake. He has also been known to insert scorpions and centipedes. 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Brazilian man puts a LIVE tarantula and bat in his mouthCommenting on this article has endedNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}} over 1.6 million people voted for the winner and the majority voted for spectacular overhead kick from the little-known Lira—even though Messi's long run against Athletic Bilbao was the favourite to win The Dirty Tackle's Brooks Peck did not see that coming: beating the offside trap in the match against Atletico-Go before blasting the ball past the goalkeeper with a sensational overhead kick in the driving rain Here's a look at his fantastic effort: .css-az13ih{width:100%;aspect-ratio:3/2;border:none;}Voters valued his moment of brilliance over Florenzi's long-range strike against Barcelona—where he caught goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen off his line—and Messi's solo run during the Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao Here's a look at the other finalists for the 2015 Puskas Award: Lira isn't a well-known international star as the 27-year-old has been a bit of a career journeyman in Brazil This award just goes to show everyone can score wonder goals with a moment of brilliance―and a lot of skill as Lira's effort was incredibly hard to pull off The Brazilian may not have a ton of Brazilian titles or individual awards on his mantelpiece but this is one award they'll never be able to take from him Winning the Puskas Award is undoubtedly the highlight of his career Follow @ReverschPass  GOIANESIA, Brazil, July 6 (UPI) -- A Brazilian activist famed for his bizarre stunts was filmed putting his head inside a plastic container filled with snakes and tarantulas Duarte then places his head inside the container of snakes and spiders and holds it there for several seconds Duarte's previous stunts include having vampire bats fly out of his mouth and kneeling on glass in a flaming box with a snake .css-1xiyrl{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;aspect-ratio:unset;}Marlone's incredible scissor-volley for Corinthians in their Copa Libertadores match against Cobresal made the cut, as did Subri's bizarre, swerving free-kick for Penang in the Malaysia Super League and Rodriguez's solo effort for Venezuela under-17s. .css-az13ih{width:100%;aspect-ratio:3/2;border:none;}The original shortlist of 10 included goals from Lionel Messi and Neymar as well as Hal Robson-Kanu's Cruyff-turn goal for Wales against Belgium at Euro 2016 but none of the big-name players made it through This is only the second time in six years that neither Neymar nor Messi have appeared in the top three Subri's free-kick went viral last February his shot appeared to be heading towards the near post before swinging dramatically into the opposite corner "It's the best free-kick I've ever witnessed," Penang defender Brent Griffiths said, as per John Duerden for FourFourTwo ".css-14rpnn4{margin:0;font-size:1.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:2.6rem;white-space:normal;word-break:break-word;}My initial reaction was 'why's Faiz shooting from that angle But seeing the swerve on the ball shut me up quick!" The acrobatic effort from Marlone is the sixth time a Brazilian has featured in the final three despite the Puskas Award only having come into existence in 2009 The 24-year-old chested the ball up into the air before swivelling his body and nestling the ball into the bottom corner Venezuela's 17-year-old starlet Rodriguez became the second female player to reach the final three with her powerful strike in the Women's Under-17 Sudamericano Championship She muscled her way past two defenders before thumping the ball into the net Highlights of the original 10 nominated goals for 2016 can be seen here: The Puskas Award has celebrated some extraordinary goals over the years considering strikes from all levels of football was scored in a local football league in Goiana the Puskas was awarded to James Rodriguez for his volley in the World Cup round of 16 The three nominations do not feature a player from Spain or England for only the second time since its inception Linus Hallenius and Matty Burrows made the top three—has the final list failed to include a single world star Whichever footballer wins the prize this year it will almost certainly be the biggest achievement of his or her career Lionel Messi can be defeated All it takes is a once-in-a-lifetime spinning bicycle kick Brazilian Wendell Lira upset the Barcelona star at Monday's Ballon d'Or gala and surprised much of the football world in the process by capturing the FIFA Puskas Award for scoring the best goal of 2015 The tally, scored while the 27-year-old was playing with Goianesia in March of last year, beat out Messi's mind-bending solo goal against Athletic Bilbao as well as Alessandro Florenzi's Champions League tally from midfield against Barcelona FIFA Puskas Award: 1.6 million fans voted! Wendell Lira 46.7%, Lionel Messi 33.3%, Alessandro Florenzi 7.1% of all votes. #BallondOr "It is an honour to be here to get know famous players I've only seen on the screen before," Lira said while accepting the award. "I thank my family and all those who voted for me. I should like to thank my wife and my daughter." Just wide of the mark. Unfortunately, what you're looking for isn't here... View this post on Instagram A post shared by Soccer Laduma (@soccer_laduma) Local International Off The Pitch Podcasts & Videos Messi-Ronaldo-Neymar-Mbappe-watch Click through the mini-gallery above to see the past five winners of the FIFA Puskas Award The FC Barcelona captain is yet to win a FIFA Puskas Award finishing in second place in 2015 and 2019 while also being among the final nominees in 2010 He was recently asked about his failure to win the award thus far but he insisted team trophies are more important Download The Soccer Laduma Social Media App Earn Airtime for Selfies!  "I always say that individual awards are not my targets," he told Marca the Ballon d'Or or the Golden Boot are not (my targets) The Argentine superstar was then asked about this year's winner Daniel Zsori "Impressive; a bicycle kick from far out and high in the air Read: Messi Responds To CR7's Claims He Should Leave Barca Do you think Messi will lift the Puskas Award before retiring Have your say in the comments section below Hardware’s become synonymous with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi’s career so it seems only fitting that the 28-year-old superstar could be the first player in history to collect both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s Puskas Award in the same year As he contests with Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Catalans teammate Neymar for the sport’s highest individual honor and the fourth of his stellar career Messi’s simultaneously trying to fend off Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi and Goianesia’s Wendell Lira for the year's best goal award and Lira learned they made the shortlist of Puskas contenders after the field was whittled down from 10 and the winner will be announced at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich on Jan That night Messi could take to the podium twice the first for his leadership and 58 goals across all competitions during Barcelona’s rush for the treble last season and secondly for his incredible strike against Athletic Bilbao in the Catalans 3-1 Copa del Rey final victory in May But Florenzi and Lira beat out the rest of the field and made the shortlist for a reason and their goals could very well leave Messi with at least one empty hand next month Here’s a look back at the short and long list of nominees for this year’s Puskas Nominated and named to the shortlist not only for Lira’s breathtaking precision and accuracy but this stands as the only team goal in contention Lira’s bicycle kick helped Goianesia secure the Goiano title by cutting through the defense and maintaining his concentration for one of the best goals of this or any other year This strike may serve as Messi’s case to win both awards He singlehandedly tore through five Bilbao defenders and knifed a left-footed strike into the bottom right corner of the net to secure one of Barcelona’s three titles last season Florenzi kept his Serie A side level and pulled off a draw by making Catalans keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen pay for jumping out of position during Champions League play Amazingly taking his shot just a few steps into Barcelona’s midfield the Italian careened his beautiful strike over Ter Stegen’s head and banged it off the left post and into the net The Argentine first shoved away one defender then split two more before capping his blistering run with a right-footed ground shot that could not be contained It was a marvelous display from a player who still has something left in the tank Ramirez swiped away a loose ball from a Saprissa defender in the air and then kept the ball in play with a touch header before volleying into the back of the net It's a goal that might have been overlooked because it happened over a year ago but Ramirez’s craft deserves more praise except this one began all the way back inside Bolton’s midfield and the 33-year-old Ndjeng showed exceptional precision with his strike Corralling Giacoma Bonaventura’s pinpoint cross with a move that’s typically found in a “Mortal Kombat” video game Mexes’ scissor-kick volley proved the difference in AC Milan’s ICC victory over their crosstown rival The decorated American secured a hat trick with her 54-yard right-footed power shot 16 minutes into the 5-2 victory over Japan to secure the FIFA Women’s World Cup title An important goal for both Lloyd and her country's new reign atop the sport he likely would’ve brought Real Sociedad teammate and midfielder Sergio Canales to the ceremony for his stunning cross you can see Castro’s eyes sizing up the ball until he unleashes a devastating side-winding volley into the back of the net The 25-year-old Fleetwood Town striker effortlessly shook his defender and created space for a softly touched chip that caught Preston North End’s backline and keeper completely off guard