I should have won Puskas, says Bale

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, whose overhead kick settled May's Champions League final against Liverpool, was expected to scoop the Puskas awarded -- given for the best goal of the year -- and many eyebrows, including Bale's, were raised when Mohamed Salah topped the public vote for his solo effort against Everton.

"Yeah, I was surprised by that, to be honest. What can you say? It makes the award look a little diminished, although it was obviously a great goal by Salah," Bale told FourFourTwo magazine.

Bale had been on the pitch for only three minutes when he converted Marcelo's cross, capturing his and Los Blancos' fourth European crown in five years.

“It was instinctive,. I got my body positioned correctly, got my footwork right, and caught it perfectly. When you catch the ball perfectly, you know it's on target."