Amazing

The decision to describe a goal as a candidate for the Puskas Award is frequently abused. There can only be 10 nominees in a given year, so you should choose your moments to describe a goal as Puskas worthy very carefully.

I’m going to go ahead and play one of my Puskas cards for the year on this unbelievable solo effort from Colombian Juan David Valencia. It’s a great goal, and it’s a great goal with many different layers and subtleties — this goal could win an Oscar.

This video is dope. Barcelona, the Camp Nou, pregame warmups before a game against Sevilla featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez — this has all the right elements.

And then…absolutely nothing happens. But it’s still somehow really good. The slow motion, the song lyrics that match nicely with what’s going on (“reverse that!”) and three of the best players on the planet kicking a football. 

I don't even know the song, but it's stuck in my head now.

“When you’re lookin’ at me 

what you see is the best 

With Gianluigi Buffon’s place between the Juventus sticks unassailable for all eternity, deputy goalkeeper Neto gets to strut his stuff in the Coppa Italia. On Wednesday, Napoli substitute Dries Mertens took full advantage of that change.

The 29-year-old came on in the 61st-minute and immediately leveled the score at 2-2. Impact sub, super sub, managerial tactical masterstroke, insane goalkeeping blunder — whatever you want to call it, this was some heads-up hustle from Mertens.

After a sensational season with Nice last season, Hatem Ben Arfa earned his dream move to Paris Saint-Germain. That dream has since turned into a nightmare for the French dribbling wizard. His many brief cameos as a substitute in league play this season have resulted in none of the magic that typified his year with Nice.