CELEBRITY
Messi headlines shortlist for FIFA Best Men’s Player award
Argentina featured heavily in shortlists for FIFA’s Best awards following their World Cup triumph, with forwards Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and coach Lionel Scaloni receiving nominations in their categories.
Messi, along with his Paris St Germain team mate Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, were among the 14 players shortlisted for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, the world governing body said on Thursday.
The trio are joined by last year’s winner Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona, Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and PSG’s Neymar and Achraf Hakimi.
Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who won the 2022 Ballon d’Or award, is also in the shortlist.
Barca and Arsenal dominate the women’s award with three players each including Alexia Putellas, Keira Walsh and Aitana Bonmati for the Spanish champions while the English side are represented by Leah Williamson, Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead.
Putellas makes it into the shortlist despite missing much of last year due to a knee ligament injury.
Chelsea duo Sam Kerr and Jessie Fleming and Olympique Lyonnais’ Ada Hegerberg and Wendie Renard also make the cut.
Sarina Wiegman, who led England to last year’s European Championship title, is joined on The Best FIFA Women’s Coach shortlist by Chelsea’s Emma Hayes and Germany manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola are nominated for the men’s award, along with Argentina’s Scaloni, France boss Didier Deschamps and Morocco manager Walid Regragui.
Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Aston Villa’s Martinez are among the nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award.
FIFA said it will announce the three finalists in each category in early February.
FIFA also announced an 11-player shortlist for this year’s Puskas Award for the “most beautiful” goal of the year, with Mbappe’s spectacular volley against Argentina in the World Cup final among the nominees.
The FIFA Puskas Award shortlist (all goals 2022):
- Mario Balotelli (ITA): Adana Demirspor v Goztepe [Super Lig] (May 22)
- Amandine Henry (FRA): FC Barcelona v Olympique Lyonnais [UEFA Women’s Champions League] (May 21)
- Theo Hernandez (FRA): AC Milan v Atalanta [Serie A] (May 15)
- Alou Kuol (AUS): Iraq U23 v Australia U23 [AFC U23 Asian Cup] (June 4)
- Kylian Mbappe (FRA): Argentina v France [FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022] (December 18)
- Francisco Gonzalez Metilli (ARG): Club Atletico Central Cordoba v Club Atletico Rosario Central [Primera Division] (Aug. 1)
- Marcin Oleksy (POL): Warta Poznan v Stal Rzeszow [Ekstraklasa] (November 6)
- Salma Paralluelo (ESP): FC Barcelona v Villarreal CF [Liga F] (April 2)
- Dimitri Payet (FRA): Olympique de Marseille v PAOK Thessaloniki FC [UEFA Europa Conference League] (April 7)
- Richarlison (BRA): Brazil v Serbia [FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022] (Nov. 24)
- Alessia Russo (ENG): England v Sweden [UEFA Women’s EURO 2022] (July 26)
-Reuters
CELEBRITY
Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ronaldo.png)
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
CELEBRITY
Lionel Messi set to hang boots
![Messi Sets Record Straight Over Hong Kong Absence -](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Messi-Sets-Record-Straight-Over-Hong-Kong-Absence.jpg)
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
CELEBRITY
Bidding opens for Messi napkin that defined soccer great’s career
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/messi-napkin.jpg)
Bidding began on Wednesday for a napkin on which soccer club Barcelona penned a promise to sign a 13-year-old Lionel Messi – who went on to become one of the game’s greatest players – with early bids reaching almost $300,000.
The napkin was signed in December 2000 when Carles Rexach, then Barcelona’s sporting director, agreed with agent Horacio Gaggioli to recruit the Argentine teenager who went on to become the club’s all-time top scorer.
Bidding for the document, described by auction house Bonhams as “blue ink on a standard Spanish waxy napkin,” was at 220,000 pounds ($274,824.00) shortly after the sale opened, according to the auctioneer’s website.
The online sale closes on May 17 and has a guide price of between 300,000 and 500,000 pounds.
“It was never legally binding, but emotionally it represents the deep link or the beginning of the deep link, that Messi had with Barcelona,” said Bonhams Chief Marketing Officer Marc Sands.
Messi helped Barcelona win 35 titles, making a record 782 appearances and scoring 674 goals. Messi left Barcelona in 2021 and now plays for Inter Miami.
“If you love football, you’ll know all about Lionel Messi and you will know that he defined football for generations. If you want a slice of that action, this is the thing to get,” Sands said.
-Reuters
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