FIFA spoke to French players Sakina Karchaoui and Delphine Cascarino, whose goals have been nominated for the 2024 FIFA Marta Award.
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The nominees for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 have been announced
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French players Sakina Karchaoui and Delphine Cascarino have been nominated for the Marta Award for best goal
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They spoke to FIFA about their achievements and the importance of Marta to their careers
“Honestly, I think Sakina’s [should win]! It’s more spectacular than mine.”
Delphine Cascarino has made up her mind: she believes that Sakina Karchaoui’s goal for France against Sweden – a 25-yard strike that flew past Zecira Musovic and into the top corner – should win the FIFA Marta Award, the new all-female prize for the best goal of the season as part of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024™. But ultimately, fans will have the final say.
Last July, the Paris Saint-Germain player found the net for just the second time in her international career and sealed France’s qualification for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 following a 2-1 win.
“I am quite proud,” said Karchaoui, describing her achievement in an exclusive interview with FIFA. “But honestly, Delphine’s goal was amazing too.”
Indeed, her compatriot Cascarino has also been nominated in the same category for her strike from the edge of the area for former club Olympique Lyonnais in the return leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final against Benfica (4-1) back in March 2024.
Among other topics, the two Frenchwomen spoke to FIFA about their nominations, as well as that of Marta who has also been shortlisted for the award bearing her name.
FIFA: Sakina, Delphine, you have both been nominated for the Marta Award. Tell us a bit about your goals.
Sakina Karchaoui: I am quite proud of this goal. I noticed that the keeper was slightly off her line, I tried my luck and it ended up in the back of the net. It’s a reward for all the work we’ve done in training; we work on these plays from all sorts of positions. Sometimes from closer to the area, sometimes from a bit further out. This time it worked perfectly. It’s true, it’s a very beautiful goal (laughs). It’s always nice to score the winning goal, especially in a high-stakes match like this one.
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Delphine Cascarino: I watched my goal back the other day: I start on the left wing, dribble inside, go past one or two players and then just hit it spontaneously and quite hard. It goes in and I’m really pleased to score. I’m already happy just to be nominated [for the Marta Award] and why can’t I win it? That said, lots of the other goals are amazing! It’s already a great achievement just to be included.
Have either of you been nominated for the best goal award before? In the domestic league, for example?
SK: Yes, I’ve been nominated in the league before, but this is my first time at international level. It’s a new award too, so it’s also an honour for us women to be recognised on this shortlist on an equal footing with the men. It’s amazing.
DC: No, not that I’m aware of. It’s the first time that one of my goals has been shortlisted for an award.
Sakina, you have scored two goals in 80 appearances for Les Bleues. One was a penalty against Germany in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League (2-1), the other was against Sweden to help France qualify for EURO 2025. Where will you stop?
SK: (laughs) It’s good to know that you can contribute to the team in the key moments of a competition or the qualifiers. It’s always a pleasure to help the team. One day, maybe I’ll score and finally help the French team win a trophy! I hope so.
Sakina, did you see Delphine’s goal that has been nominated for the Marta Award and have you spoken about it?
SK: I remember watching this match [Lyon vs Benfica] and congratulating Delphine. We haven’t spoken much about being nominated for the Marta Award, but I will have a word with her!
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Delphine, you were on the pitch when Sakina scored against Sweden: what were your thoughts at the time? Did you think there was a chance that it might be nominated for best goal?
DC: She was really far out and the shot was travelling at an incredible speed; it was in all the way. No one could have stopped it. We said that it was a really nice goal but we never thought that it could be nominated for best goal. You just play and that’s that.
If you had to choose between your two goals, which one would win?
DC: Honestly, I think Sakina’s! It’s the more impressive of the two. It goes right into the top corner and it’s more spectacular.
SK: Honestly, Delphine’s goal was also amazing. She has great ability shooting from long range; she strikes the ball beautifully. I can’t decide which goal should win because she is a team-mate and a friend outside football. I hope she wins the award.
Marta herself is also nominated for her own award. What does Marta represent to you?
DC: She’s an icon of women’s football and women’s sport in general. She has had an incredible career. What’s more, she has just won the American national title at the age of 38. It’s incredible to keep making history at that age.
SK: When I started playing football, the only image I associated with women’s football was her. Marta is an icon in women’s football and it’s an honour to be a part of this award. She is also nominated, so maybe I will win against her! (laughs).
You also know some of the players nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award. Do you have anything you would like to say to them? And can you pick a favourite?
SK: All the women on the shortlist are of a really high standard. It’s hard to choose one. I’ve played with Tabitha [Chawinga] on the left wing [at Paris Saint-Germain], so I know all about her qualities. She’s a player who brings real drive and pace to the team and she is also adept in front of the opposition’s goal. Having pace like that is a real advantage in women’s football. The Barcelona players are always among the best, a good example being Aitana [Bonmati].
I love the wide players like Lauren Hemp. Khadija Shaw has played up front at Bordeaux and, even though I have never had to mark her, for me, she is without doubt the best striker in the world. She is a very difficult opponent according to the centre backs who have played against her. Caroline Graham-Hansen, I think that she has had a very, very strong season and is really an outstanding player. She is a bit underrated. She would be a deserving winner of this award.
DC: I play with Naomi Girma and she is a key player for the American team. She has already won the Olympics at a young age (24) and she had an excellent tournament. She has been recognised among the best players in the world. It’s always positive for her and for our team to have a player like that. She is really cool, very kind and very welcoming, as are all the Americans.
[A favourite?] That’s a tough question, but I would love for Lindsay Horan to win it. I’ve played with her and she’s an outstanding player. She’s a player with great vision of the game, with excellent technical ability and tactical knowledge. She is captain of the USA. She has just won the Olympics. On top of that, she is an exceptional person, both on the pitch and in day-to-day life. She’s really nice and a really cool person. I think she deserves to win.
