International Football
Ballon d’Or shortlist; it’s Messi versus Man United and Liverpool stars
The full list of 30 names competing to win the Ballon d’Or has been published with Lionel Messi in contention to win his seventh crown.
The Paris Saint-Germain star, who left Barcelona this summer after 21 years at the club to join the Ligue 1 giants, has already won the award six times in his illustrious career.
But while the 34-year-old is the favourite to add to his collection, the Argentine magician could face competition from several Premier League stars.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who finished in fourth in the 2019 edition, has been tipped to rival Messi for the award.
The Egyptian is the sole member from Liverpool this year after Jurgen Klopp’s side put in a disappointing title defence.
Just under half of the nominees on the 30-man shortlist are playing in the Premier League, with Chelsea and Manchester City each having five players represented.
The Blues have had four members of their Champions League-winning squad nominated, with Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mason Mount making the cut.
Their £97.5million summer signing Romelu Lukaku has also made the list, having scored 24 goals in the Serie A last season to help Inter Milan win the Serie A for the first time in 10 years.
But there was no place for Edouard Mendy, despite keeping 10 clean sheets in his 12 Champions League matches, with Italy’s Euro 2020 winning stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma the only goalkeeper on the list.
Man City have continued their tradition with having a player nominated every year since Pep Guardiola took over.
Guardiola’s side won the Premier League for the third time in four years and reached the Champions League final before a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea.
Ruben Dias, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden have all been included after a strong year for the English champions.
Manchester United ’s Portuguese duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes have been recognised for their efforts.
nd Harry Kane, who scored 23 goals in the Premier League to win the Golden Boot last season, is the only other English player included along with Mount and Sterling.
Robert Lewandowski is also thought to be vying with his fellow attackers for the gong, after scoring an incredible 41 goals in the Bundesliga last season to break Gerd Muller’s record.
However, the award was not presented in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, meaning Lewandowski could miss out on his maiden Ballon d’Or trophy.
The full 30-man shortlist for the 2021 Ballon d’Or:
- Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain/Chelsea)
- Nicolo Barella (Italy/Inter Milan)
- Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
- Leonardo Bonucci (Italy/Juventus)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
- Giorgio Chiellini (Italy/Juventus)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United & Juventus)
- Ruben Dias (Portugal/Manchester City)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy/PSG)
- Bruno Fernandes (Portugal/Manchester United)
- Phil Foden (England/Manchester City)
- Erling Haaland (Norway/Borussia Dortmund)
- Harry Kane (England/Tottenham)
- Jorginho (Italy/Chelsea)
- N’Golo Kante (France/Chelsea)
- Simon Kjaer (Denmark/AC Milan)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
- Romelu Lukaku (Belgium/Chelsea & Inter Milan)
- Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City)
- Lautaro Martinez (Argentina/Inter Milan)
- Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina/PSG & Barcelona)
- Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid)
- Gerard Moreno (Spain/Villarreal)
- Mason Mount (England/Chelsea)
- Neymar (Brazil/PSG)
- Pedri (Spain/Barcelona)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
- Raheem Sterling (England/Manchester City)
- Luis Suarez (Uruguay/Atletico Madrid)
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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