Following his latest Ballon d’Or win, Cristiano Ronaldo has been honoured with a pair of special golden boots by footwear manufacturing company, Nike. The Nike Mercurial Superfly CR7 ‘Vitorias’ – Portugese for ‘victories’ – feature metallic gold soles and the CR7 logo. Only 777 pairs of the boots have been produced and they will be available for purchase in early 2017.
Christmas came early! Rio Ferdinand donates £500,000 toy sack to underprivileged children.
Rio Ferdinand is set to put smiles on faces this December as the Manchester United legend donates £500,000 worth of toys & 11,500 sleeping bags to to underprivileged children in Manchester this Christmas. The gesture was part of Manchester radio station Key 103’s ‘Cash for Kids’ campaign.
The former England centre-half who didn’t want to be appreciated for the donation said
”As a father myself I couldn’t see children going without opening a present this Christmas Day – the work that Cash For Kids at Key 103 do is truly amazing.”
Real Madrid reach the Club World Cup final.
Real Madrid beat Club America in the Club World Cup on Thursday to qualify for the Club World Cup final. The European Champions have extended their unbeaten streak to 36 matches. The Zinedine-led men have now scored 100 goals, recorded 27 wins and 9 draws, won 2 trophies and have not lost a game since April. Goals from Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the victory for the Los Blancos.
Boy who became an internet sensation for wearing a plastic-bag Lionel Messi jersey meets his hero
Remember that boy who became a viral star after wearing a . Read it here here and here. Murtaza Ahmadi met the Argentine in Doha where Barcelona played a friendly match against Saudi Arabian club, Al-Ahli.
‘I’m very happy to meet my hero. It is a dream for me.’ The 6 year-old said.
Riyad Mahrez named BBC African Footballer of the Year 2016
Algeria midfielder, Riyad Mahrez has been named BBC African Footballer of the Year. He won it ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andre Ayew, Sadio Mane and Yaya Toure.
The 25 year-old told BBC Sport: “It means a lot, it’s something big for African players so I am very happy, I am very proud.
It’s always good to receive awards and for African players it’s a huge honour. To all the fans, thank you very much.”
“Also I want to thank the Algeria fans and dedicate this to them as well and for my family. I just have to carry on and keep going with my football and see what I can do.”
Riyad Mahrez in 2016:
– African Player of the Year
– Premier League Winner
– PFA Player of the Year
– 7th place in the Ballon d’Or
Ronaldo wins 4th Ballon d'Or
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or for the fourth time ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann.
The 31 year-old scored 51 goals in 54 game in 2016, winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and the European Championship with Portugal in the process.
Reacting to the honour, the Portuguese who was unavoidably absent at the ceremony which took place today in Zurich as his side travelled to Japan to prepare for the Club World Cup said, “It is a special moment. It means that all my sacrifice was worth it. I feel very happy to win this. I worked very hard,” Ronaldo said in accepting the award.
“A lot of people helped me get here, and it is not easy to get here. You can count on one hand players who maintain this level year after year. I am one of them, and that is a source of pride for me.”
He continued, “This has been the best year of my career from both a team and individual level. “To win the title for Portugal was what was left to achieve on my résumé, and it was one of the most important moments. But to win Champions League as well with Real Madrid was huge.
“It is a huge honour to win the Ballon d’Or. I am very happy. This is a dream come true, and it is the fourth time. I feel very proud. This win is for my teammates in both the club and the national team. It is incredible to earn this trophy again.”
Up Blues! Chelsea stars claim Premier League prizes for November
Top of the log, back to back wins; Chelsea are definitely not joking this season.
And this scintillating form has earned three key players of the team accolades. The Blues coach, Antonio Conte beat David Moyes, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola to win the Manager of the Month Award for November; Diego Costa; the league’s joint-top scorer on 11 goals was named Player of the Month, edging put teammate Pedro, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sergio Aguero, Jordan Pickford and Matt Phillips to the honour. And lastly, Pedro’s strike against Tottenham was voted the goal of the month.
Atletico Madrid unveil new stadium and club badge design.
Atletico Madrid have unveiled their new 67,000-seater stadium and a new club badge.
The club which will be ready for the summer of 2017 will be named Wanda Metropolitano.The new stadium takes its name from the Wanda Group, an international real estate company, and is planned to accommodate 67,000 fans.
A club statement read, “The club has decided to prioritize the spaciousness, the comfort and the safety of the supporters before the option of a having a larger capacity.
“However, it is not yet a final number since it will depend on the final choice of the seat models.”
Real Madrid issue statement on Ronaldo's tax evasion allegations
Real Madrid have issued a statement in the wake of tax evasion allegations levelled against Cristiano Ronaldo. A German newspaper, Der Spiegel had claimed that leaked documents show that the Portuguese may have ‘hidden 150 million euros in tax havens in Switzerland and the British Virgin Islands’.
Shortly after the accusations were made, Jorge Mendes’ agency, Gestifute, who represent Ronaldo, released a statement along with a letter from the Spanish tax authority ‘confirming that Cristiano Ronaldo is up to date on his obligations’.
Real Madrid have also reacted to the allegations, “In view of the stories published over recent days and in consideration of the certificate issued by the Spanish Tax Agency which confirms that our player Cristiano Ronaldo is up to date with all of his tax obligations, Real Madrid C. F. call for the utmost respect to be shown towards Cristiano Ronaldo, whose conduct has been absolutely exemplary throughout all of his time at our club.
Rigobert Song pictured for the first time after suffering stroke.
Cameroon legend, Rigobert Song is recovering well in France hospital two months after suffering stroke. The former Liverpool player was erroneously dead after he slipped into a two-day coma at Yaounde Emergency Centre on Tuesday, October 4, 2016. He has since been at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (Groupe hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière) a teaching hospital in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, France.
“I’m grateful to God for another chance, appreciate the love from all.” The African legend said.