Lionel Messi beat his nearest competitor Cristiano Ronaldo by a clear 240 points to emerge as Europe’s finest player in 2009.
Messi who garnered an impressive 473 points out of the possible 480 became the first Argentine player to lift the coveted trophy that is awarded by France Football.
Messi will now be presented with the award in a fabulous gala on Sunday night. The Ballon d’or is considered to be the first among a host of awards that this sensational forward is expected to win – the others being the FIFA World Player of the year and the FIFPro award an award which he has already won for the past three consecutive years albeit in the young player of the year category. Read more... (333 words, 1 image, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)
After an amazing round of mid week Uefa champions leagues fixtures, Europe’s finest teams shift their focus to their respective leagues. Sunday is a big day in La Liga, Serie A and the Premier league. The onus will be on Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Fiorentina.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid
All these teams will be going for nothing other than a win. The match that has got everyone talking however is the clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. These two heavy weight will once again take to the pitch in a bid to cement their status as the world’s best football clubs. Read more... (564 words, 1 image, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)
Barcelona have tough assignments ahead of them in the next couple of days. First and foremost, the Catalans are facing an early exit from Europe’s lucrarive tournament – the Uefa Champions League if they do not beat an impressive Inter Milan on Tuesday night and only a few days later, they entertain los merengues in the el clasico on Sunday. Read more... (332 words, 2 images, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)
This week’s Champions League games could see several big names all but knocked out of the tournament, and leave several big name managers looking for new jobs.
Fresh from stunning holders Barcelona at the Nou Camp, Rubin Kazan have the chance to repeat the feat at the Centralniy Stadium, with a place in the knockout phase now a realistic ambition for the Russian champions. On their competition debut, Rubin surprisingly share top spot in Group F with Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev, who host an Inter Milan side that has not won in the UEFA Champions League for over a year following their 2-2 draw with the Ukrainian champions last time out. Anything less than a win in Russian soil will end Jose Mounrinho’s European dreams, as Inter might well not even qualify for the Europa league. Read more... (471 words, 2 images, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)
At some point, i actually believed that he was destined to become Brazil’s next biggest star after Pele. However, it seems like things are not working out for Robinho.
Since moving to Europe in 2005, Robinho has had both good and bad times. I remember his debut for Real Madrid like it was yesterday. His witty ’sombreros’ and his magical match up with Ronaldo heralded a new dawn for the ‘merengues’. Read more... (399 words, 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)
The rumor mill in Europe is working overtime on the rumor that Barcelona star Thierry Henry is coming to MLS next summer to play for the New York Red Bulls.
Today the Spanish newspaper AS reported that Henry, who is 32, would like to end his career in the U.S.
Henry is still part of the France national team that is expected to qualify for next summer’s World Cup in South Africa, which would delay Henry coming to MLS until late in July. Henry’s still has two years left on his contract at Barcelona at around $9.5 million a season. Since he will probably miss half the MLS season next year, a more likley solution is having him come to MLS in 2011. Read more... (216 words, 1 image, estimated 52 secs reading time)
The race for this year’s coveted ballon d’or award will be between two of football’s stellar stars. Messi and Ronaldo will again share a podium when the fabulous gala award ceremony takes place later on this year. The question on everyones mind however is which of these two players will be named Europe’s finest.
This is a debate that just never seems to end. On one hand you have Cristiano Ronaldo who is at the peak of his career and on the other you have Lionel Messi who is an amazing player. This time though, i have a gut feeling Messi will emerge victorious. Cristiano is a good player but Lio is better. Read more... (419 words, 1 image, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)
I am going through the Champions League games this week and I am amazed at the stars who will be missing because of injury. The Champions League is billed as the best club tournament in the world, but this years event so far has failed to live up to the hype. Whether it is familiarity because the same sides play each other every year, or a full schedule that leaves players vulnerable to injury, the Champions League group stages this year have been a major disappointment.
Here is a sample of the stars that will probably be missing from action this week: Read more... (194 words, 1 image, estimated 47 secs reading time)
#1: Barcelona
Lionel Messi & Company still have to be considered the favorites this season to take home the hardware. The treble winning club was shut out in one of their two group matches so far, but the squad has also allowed zero goals in those matches as well. With Messi, Ibrahimovic, and Henry up front how can Barca ever lose?
#2: Real Madrid
Real Madrid has shown off the offense early on in the year and there is no question that los galicticos are a much better squad then they were a year ago. With Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema, and Alonso all on board this could be the year that Real Madrid can seek revenge on their Spanish rivals. The club is 2-0 in their first two group matches. Read more... (309 words, 2 images, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)
It took four rounds of play but the 
