All hail the King.
Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez has won the 2022 AT&T 5G MLS Goal of the Year award for his stunning bicycle kick against the New England Revolution on Oct. 1, Major League Soccer announced Thursday.
Martinez's moment of magic came in the 81st minute of a 2-1 road defeat, with the Venezuelan international acrobatically volleying home Brooks Lennon's cross to the far post. Not even 2022 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year runner-up Djordje Petrović could stop the brilliant strike.
Martinez's bicycle kick was his final tally of the 2022 campaign, giving him nine goals and four assists on the year. The Five Stripes legend is now two goals shy of joining the 100-goal club in MLS.
An Atlanta United player has won Goal of the Year three times, with Martinez (2019) and Héctor Villalba (2017) being the previous honorees.
The 2022 AT&T 5G MLS Goal of the Year was determined by fan votes on MLSsoccer.com and has been awarded since the league’s inaugural 1996 season.
MLS Goal of the Year winners:
- 2022: Josef Martinez - Atlanta United | 10/1/22 vs. New England Revolution, 81st minute
- 2021: Rubio Rubin – Real Salt Lake | 5/7/21 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 43rd minute
- 2020: Darlington Nagbe – Columbus Crew SC | 8/20/20 vs. Chicago Fire FC, 81st minute
- 2019: Josef Martínez – Atlanta United | 9/18/19 vs. FC Cincinnati, 65th minute
- 2018: Zlatan Ibrahimović – LA Galaxy | 3/31/18 vs. Los Angeles Football Club, 77th minute
- 2017: Héctor Villalba – Atlanta United | 7/21/17 vs. Orlando City SC, 86th minute
- 2016: Shkëlzen Gashi – Colorado Rapids | 9/24/16 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 75th minute
- 2015: Krisztián Németh – Sporting Kansas City | 10/4/15 vs. Portland Timbers, 83rd minute
- 2014: Obafemi Martins – Seattle Sounders FC | 5/23/14 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 8th minute
- 2013: Camilo Sanvezzo – Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 10/6/13 vs. Portland Timbers, 78th minute
- 2012: Patrick Ianni – Seattle Sounders FC | 6/20/12 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 15th minute
- 2011: Darlington Nagbe – Portland Timbers | 7/2/11 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 45th minute
- 2010: Marco Pappa – Chicago Fire | 4/10/10 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 52nd minute
- 2009: Landon Donovan – LA Galaxy | 8/8/09 vs. New England Revolution, 21st minute
- 2008: Will Johnson – Real Salt Lake | 10/18/08 vs. FC Dallas, 54th minute
- 2007: Cuauhtémoc Blanco – Chicago Fire | 8/18/07 vs. Real Salt Lake, 43rd minute
- 2006: Brian Ching – Houston Dynamo | 9/30/06 v D.C. United, 86th minute
- 2005: Dwayne De Rosario – San Jose Earthquakes | 10/15/05 vs. LA Galaxy, 45th minute
- 2004: Dwayne De Rosario – San Jose Earthquakes | 8/7/04 vs. D.C. United, 82nd minute
- 2003: Damani Ralph – Chicago Fire | 8/13/03 vs. Columbus Crew SC, 90th minute
- 2002: Carlos Ruiz – LA Galaxy | 7/27/02 vs. Columbus Crew SC, 75th minute
- 2001: Clint Mathis – MetroStars | 4/28/01 vs. Dallas Burn, 60th minute
- 2000: Marcelo Balboa – Colorado Rapids | 4/22/00 vs. Columbus Crew SC, 55th minute
- 1999: Marco Etcheverry – D.C. United | 5/22/99 vs. Miami Fusion, 90th minute
- 1998: Brian McBride – Columbus Crew | 7/9/98 vs. Chicago Fire, 68th minute
- 1997: Marco Etcheverry – D.C. United | 8/27/97 vs. New England Revolution, 39th minute
- 1996: Eric Wynalda – San Jose Clash | 4/6/96 vs. D.C. United, 88th minute
