Mohd Faiz an inspiration to football players in the country: Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Faiz Subri's Fifa Puskas Award 2016 would serve as an inspiration to football players in the country, said Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

The Prime Minister said the Penang attacking midfielder's achievement through his unique free kick, in Zurich on Monday (Tuesday in Malaysia), also made Malaysia proud.

"Congratulations Faiz Subri! Your achievement in #FIFAPuskasAward 2016 will be an inspiration to football players in Malaysia and is a pride to the country," he said on Facebook and Twitter today.

Mohd Faiz's stunning performance earned him 59.46% of the votes, staving off the challenge for the award from two others, Johnath Marlone Azevedo da Silva from Brazil who obtained 22.86% and female footballer Daniuska Rodriguez from Venezuela, who received 10.01%.

Donning a dapper, black tuxedo, the diminutive winger received the award from former Brazilian star Ronaldo in a glittering ceremony in Zurich on Monday night with the who's who of world football present.
Mohd Faiz said he is extremely happy to win it for Malaysia and dedicated the win to everyone in the country who had voted and supported him in his career.
"It was a great feeling to win the accolade for Malaysia, and it is even better to become the first Malaysian and Asian to win it," he said when contacted by theSun.
The 29-year-old attacker also thanked theSun for promoting him and asking the public to vote for him.
His physics-defying strike was executed through a free kick in a Super League match between Penang and Pahang on Feb 16, 2016.
Penang won the match 4-1.
The award is named after legendary Hungarian player Ferenc Puskas, a striker for Real Madrid in the late 50s and 60s, and captain of the "Magnificent Magyars", as the highly successful Hungarian national team of that era was known.
WHAT OTHERS SAY:
"Congratulations Faiz Subri on winning the FIFA PUSKAS Award 2016. Thank God, your hard work has paid off and brought glory for Malaysia," Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a Twitter feed.
"I am overwhelmed with his success and it is a gift for Kedah and Malaysia." — Subri Kader, father of Mohd Faiz.
"This is a good individual achievement, but we must ask, where does our national football stand in terms of corruption, international standing, and team management in comparison to teams like Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines or Indonesia that are on a constant and rapid rise." — Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
"Congratulations on being the first Asian to win the title. Your unique achievement brought honour and glory to Malaysia. Mohd Faiz has worked hard for his success and there is no substitute for hard work. When he was nominated, we gave him a token award of RM10,000. With this success, that is something that we will discuss further.” — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng