Hlompho Kekana believes the country let down Oscarine Masuluke after the goalkeeper was overlooked for the Fifa Puskas Award for best goal of the year.

The Baroka stopper was pipped to the gong by Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud at the glitzy ceremony in London on Monday.

Masuluke became the first African and the first goalkeeper to become a top-three finalist for the award.

The Mamelodi Sundowns skipper is Masuluke's homeboy from Limpopo. Kekana made the top 10 last year for his strike from the halfway line for Bafana Bafana.

"It goes down to votes. You won't stand a chance if you don't get those votes. The sooner we realise that as a country, the better," Kekana told Sowetan. "We should have voted to make sure our very own wins. We should take the blame ourselves as a nation."

Masuluke, 24, was unlucky not to clinch the award for his stunning overhead bicycle kick against Orlando Pirates last year.

Overall, it was the fourth time a South African was nominated for the award after Katlego Mphela in 2009, Siphiwe Tshabalala in 2010 and Kekana last year.

Kekana teased that boys from his province know how to put their foot through the ball.

"For the past six years we should be proud as a country because we have had players representing the nation at the awards," the Bafana international added.