Kemar Roofe is up against some of the biggest names in European football to win the UEFA goal of the season award.
The Rangers striker’s opportunistic wonder strike away to Standard Liege is one of ten nominated strikes from all UEFA competitions over the last season, including Euro 2020, the Champions League, Europa League, Womens’ Champions League, The U21 European Championships and the Futsal Champions League.
Roofe ’s effort helped get Steven Gerrard ’s team off to the perfect start in Group D back in October last year.
James Tavernier’s early penalty had the visitors a goal up in stoppage time as the hosts pushed for an equaliser.
Roofe had other ideas though, battling to win possession virtually on the edge of his own box before slaloming his way to the half-way line.
The former Leeds United front man then looked up, spotted the ‘keeper off his line and sent a wonderful strike from his own half sailing over his head and into the net to seal the win.
His competition includes the likes of Paul Pogba and Dele Ali, who scored impressively for France and Tottenham respectively.
But his biggest competition is likely to be the Czech Republic’s Patrick Schick.
He stunned Hampden into silence when he exploited David Marshall’s advanced position to send a similar shot over the Scotland stopper and in to put his country 2-0 up in their Euro 2020 opener.
The Czechs eventually went out on the quarter-finals to Denmark, with Rangers reaching the last 16 stage of the Europa League, losing a bad tempered tie to Slavia Prague which was marred by the sickening racism of Ondrej Kudela towards Glenn Kamara.
Voting closes on 30 July and fans can cast theirs here.
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