The Goal of the Month (German: Tor des Monats) is, like the Goal of the Year, the ARD Goal of the Decade and Goal of the Century, an individual soccer award selected by viewers of Sportschau (German TV channel ARD). Honored are spectacular or important football goals mostly scored in or for Germany.
The Goal of the Month Award and the Goal of the Year Award were incepted in 1971 by the German TV station ARD, back then one of only two public broadcasting agencies in Germany, in its Saturday evening "Sportschau" report in the channel of Das Erste. Each month, the GotM is held, and five especially spectacular, unusual or important goals are shortlisted for the viewers to vote on. Initially in the 1970s, votes were cast per mail, but nowadays votes are commonly cast per telephone or per Internet. The winner receives a golden plaque.
Up to 12 winners (usually less due to breaks in winter and summer) are eligible for the big annual event, the GotY Award. Again, the goal with the most votes wins. Parallel to this, the 10 annual winners may participate in the Goal of the Decade Award, and in 1999, the three Goals of the Decade of the 70s, 80s and 90s squared off for the Goal of the Century Award, see above.
Fischer also holds the record for longest stretch between GotMs: 28 years, scoring in a "veterans match" between Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich on 30 July 2003, at age 53, in the 6th minute of the 0–1 (final 4–4) game, again with his trademark bicycle kick (awarded for the third time).
