I was so nervous, says Faiz

PETALING JAYA: FIFA Puskas Award winner Faiz Subri (pic) has thanked Malaysians for their prayers and support following his victory in Zurich, Switzerland, adding that he was a little nervous when his name was called out.

"I was a bit nervous at first but now I feel elated," he said when interviewed by FIFATV on Tuesday on the award which is handed out for the most beautiful goal in the world.

Faiz spoke in Bahasa Malaysia during the interview, with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Datuk Seri Afandi Hamzah acting as the interpreter.

On Twitter, Faiz also shared a snap of his acceptance speech with the caption: "I'm so nervous, lucky I can find this on my cellphone."

The player had made the audience in Zurich wait as he searched for the prepared speech on his phone.

In his acceptance speech, the footballer said it had never crossed his mind that he would arrive at this level and "be able to stand tall amongst the world class footballers in this amazing place".

In another tweet, Faiz posted a selfie with Portugal and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo with the caption: "Finally, another dream come true, with THE BEST @Cristiano".

He also shared photos with Germany captain Manuel Neuer and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Faiz scored a spellbinding goal against Pahang in a Malaysian Super League match on Feb 16.

The ball was heading towards one corner but ended up deceptively in the other, leaving the Pahang goalkeeper - and football fans around the world - dumbfounded.

Faiz garnered 59.46% of the votes for the Puskas Award to pip Brazil's Johnath Marlone Azevedo da Silva (22.86%) and Venezuela's woman player Daniuska Rodriguez (10.01%) to the award, first won by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

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