Wendell Lira arrives in Brazil after winning the Puskas Award
With the accreditation for the Ballon d'Or gala still on his wrist and not separating from the Puskas Award trophy, Wendell Lira landed in Brazil on Wednesday amidst great anticipation after beating Lionel Messi for the best goal of the year.
Less than 48 hours since this humble 27-year-old striker caused the surprise of the gala, Lira was received by a crowd of fans at the airport in Goiania (Midwest), attracted by the story of this footballer who was unemployed just over two months ago.
"I can only thank the people. Those who came to receive me and those who voted for me, showing that no dream is impossible," said the player to Globoesporte, referring to the 1.6 million internet users who chose his goal over Messi and Alessandro Florenzi, the other finalists.
"This is my story and also Joao's, Maria's and millions of other Brazilians," he added upon arrival.
However, the rain prevented him from parading on a fire truck as planned; on Thursday, he will be received by the governor of the state of Goiás.
This forward, seasoned in the humble stadiums of Brazil, who used to combine football with other jobs to make ends meet, scored the spectacular bicycle kick goal in March that changed his life when he was playing for the modest Goianesia in the regional league.
Shortly after, he was unemployed and only signed with Vilanova, from the second national division, when FIFA selected his goal as one of the top ten goals of the year in November.
A month later, he found out he was a finalist and on Monday he fulfilled his dream of meeting his idols Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, as well as his competitor and admired player, Lionel Messi, in Zurich.
"I didn't spend a second without the trophy. I didn't check it in, I was afraid. It has been very exhausting, I haven't slept for two days. I didn't want to sleep and end the moment," he said.
After it all, Lira achieved what neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Neymar could do: take an award away from Messi, who won his fifth Ballon d'Or but still doesn't have a Puskas on his shelf.