Cabral's Goal Wins Best Goal Award at 2026 World Cup

Sidney Lopes Cabral, the star of the Cape Verde national team, scored a remarkable goal against Argentina, earning him the Best Goal award at the 2026 World Cup. His exceptional technical display during the Round of 32 match has etched his name in the record of the tournament's most memorable goals.

The goal came after Cabral skillfully dribbled past Argentine Alexis Mac Allister, before unleashing a powerful and precise shot that found the top corner of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's net, equalizing the score at 2-2 in a match filled with excitement that extended into extra time.

The goal from the Cape Verde international topped the voting, surpassing the goals of Uzbekistan's Eldor Shomurodov and Haiti's Wilson Isidor, who finished in second and third place respectively in the list of the most beautiful goals of the current World Cup edition.

With this achievement, Cabral has joined the list of players who have won the Best Goal award at the World Cup, following in the footsteps of Maxi Rodríguez, Diego Forlán, James Rodríguez, Benjamin Pavard, and Richarlison.

Kabras commented on his goal, saying: "After I got past the defender, I felt the opportunity was right, so I told myself: let's give it a try." He added: "I am good at shooting with both feet, and when I saw the space, I aimed for the top corner and struck the ball with power and precision."

Describing the moment of scoring the goal, he said: "When I lifted my head and saw the ball heading towards the top corner, I said to myself: what have I just done? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Then I looked at my teammates, and I found them screaming with their hands above their heads in sheer joy. I started running without thinking, and only then did I realize that I had scored a wonderful goal in the World Cup."

The player concluded his statements by saying: "Every player dreams of scoring in the World Cup, but netting a goal like this, at this level, and against a strong team like Argentina, was an indescribable feeling. I was extremely happy."

Despite the brilliance of the goal, it wasn't enough to spare Cape Verde from defeat, as the Argentine national team clinched the match with a score of 3-2 at the Miami stadium, in front of a crowd of 65,000 spectators.