MASTER CHEF: LIONEL MESSI SHOWS OFF CULINARY SKILLS
PHOTO: MESSI, RONALDO&GIRLFRIENDS AT THE. 2013 BALLON D'OR AWARDS
FRANCK RIBERY, LIONEL MESSi&CRISTIANO RONALDO ON 2013 BALLON D'OR 3-MAN SHORTLIST
The original 23-man shortlist of players for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or award have been reduced to 3. (Messi, Ronaldo and Ribery). So, who takes away the prestigious gong? Is it Franck Ribery who inspired Bayern to the 2013 UEFA Champions League victory and recently helped the team to an emphatic 7-0 win away to Bremen; Barcelona’s Lionel Messi who although sidelined with injury and has won a couple of awards for himself this year (Pichichi and European Golden Shoe), or Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid hitmaker, who helped his country qualify for the 2014 World Cup finals last month? The winner will be announced in January 2014 at Zurich.
7 REASONS WHY CRISTIANO RONALDO SHOULD WIN 2013 FIFA BALLON D'OR
3 players are in contention for the 2013 Ballon d’Or award. (Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery). These are 7 reasons why CR7 fans think he should win this year’s award.
Club and Country records; Cristiano Ronaldo scored 67 goals, Messi 45, Ribery 21 goals.
If it hadn’t Portugal wouldn’t have made it to the World Cup. In 2013, CR7 scored 10 goals out of 9 appearances.
The Real Madrid forward finished the last Champions League campaign (2012-13) with 12 goals scored. Franck Ribery scored 1 goal despite Bayern Munich winning the CL trophy. Messi came 3rd.
This means the real chances each player has of winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or. On the day voting closed, Ronaldo odds to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or were stacked at 1.25, while Messi and Ribery both had a payout factor of 6.00. As at Dec 5, Ronaldo’s odds were set around 1.60 as of today.
FFIFA extending Ballon d’Or voting for two more weeks means Ronaldo’s performance during Portugal Vs Sweden could still weigh in the decision process. The deadline extension has undoubtedly benefitted Ronaldo, Ribery didn’t really influence France’s win against Ukraine and Messi didn’t even play during this period due to an injury.
No other player in football history has been voted the 2nd best player in the World (on a calendar year) for so many times as Ronaldo. CR7 has finished in 2nd place for 4 times already. If he finishes 2nd again after all he has done in 2013, then it seems safe to say that he will never win this award again.
After FIFA president Joseph Blatter’s disrespectful remark during the Oxford Union Society event on October 25, many people who had always been neutral towards Ronaldo’s claims about being treated unfairly by FIFA over the past years, suddenly decided to back up and side with Ronaldo. These people can actually include some who have already cast their votes for the upcoming 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or.
LIONEL MESSI BECOMES FIRST PLAYER EVER TO WIN THREE GOLDEN SHOE AWARDS
As usual, the currently injured player whilst receiving the award acknowledged the input of his Barca teammates.
awards. He won it 2010, 2012 and 2013.
BALLON D'OR SHORTLIST FOR WORLD'S BEST PLAYER AND COACH OF THE YEAR 2012/2013 UNVEILED
Another Ballon d’Or shortlist has been drawn up. Trust me, it’s going to be as fierce as ever. Unlike the past editions where few or no Premier League players get nominations, 5 EPL players are included in the 23-man shortlist. The Coach of the year category contains some really prominent names, the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Del Bosque are most people’s favourites.
Anyways, I see either Lionel Messi, who’s clinched the award four consecutive times winning the 5th or Frank Ribery who inspired his club, Bayern Munich to win the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup and was later named
UEFA’s best player in Europe for the
2012-13 season to nab it. The winner will be unveiled on January 13 in Zurich.
NOMINEES
(1) Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)
(2) Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich/Germany)
(3) Thomas Muller (B Munich/Germany)
(4) Manuel Neuer (B Munich/Germany)
(5) Bastian Schweinsteiger (B Munich/
Germany)
(6) Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/Germany)
(7) Robin van Persie (Man United/Netherlands)
(8) Arjen Robben (B Munich/Netherlands)
(9) Edinson Cavani (PSG/Uruguay)
(10) Luis Suarez (Liverpool/Uruguay)
(11) Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain)
(12) Xavi (Barcelona/Spain)
(13) Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil)
(14) Thiago Silva (PSG/Brazil)
(15) Radamel Falcao (Monaco/Colombia
(16) Andrea Pirlo (Juventus/Italy)
(17) Frank Ribery (B Munich/France)
(18) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal
(19) Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)
(20) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG/ Sweden)
(21) Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund/
Poland)
(22) Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ Argentina)
(23) Yaya Toure (Manchester City/Ivory
Coast)
COACH OF THE YEAR
(1) Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
(2) Rafael Benitez (Napoli),
(3) Antonio Conte (Juventus)
(4) Vicente Del Bosque (Spain)
(5) Sir Alex Ferguson (ex-Manchester United)
(6) Jupp Heynckes (ex-Bayern Munich) (7) Jurgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund)
(8) Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
(9) Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil)
(10) Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)
MESSI'S SON IS ALL GROWN UP
NEW VIDEO: MESSI, NEYMAR, PIQUE OTHERS TAKE UP INCREDIBLE ROLES IN NEW AD CAMPAIGN
Barcelona players: Messi, Neymar, Pique, were involved in an exciting ad campaign for Qatar Airways, the official airline for the spanish club.
I like Pique and Neymar’s part. He was really looking like an entry clearing officer. Stern look!
PHOTOS: SEE THE BARCELONA STARS WHO TURNED OUT FOR XAVI'S WEDDING
Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Barcelona and non-Barcelona stars as well as thousands of fans and well-wishers stormed the Convent de Blanes in the Catalan capital, venue of Xavi Hernandez and his wife Nuria’s wedding ceremony on saturday July 13, 2013.
The roll-call of football celebrities most of which are La-Liga stars at the event include Messi, Víctor Valdes, Cesc Fabregas, Javier Mascherano, Pedro Rodriguez, Jordi Alba, Andres Iniesta, Santi Ezquerro, Oleguer Presas, Gabri García, Pepe Reina, Albert Jorquera, Joseba Etxeberría and many more.
Absent at the star-studded event include some of his close friends, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Iker Casillas.
Photocredit: @barcastuff