The Offside 17 November @ 03:30 PM EST
With December fast-approaching, The Season is in the air. Christmas? Absolutely not. It's awards
season. The Argentine sensation known as Lionel Messi has already nabbed the Onze d'Or, a precursor
to the Ballon d'Or (with a heft more patriotism) which has predicted the BdO three times in the
last four years.
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The Offside 06 November @ 08:00 PM EST
Seven stories from The Offside and World Cup Blog this week: Nominate your player/manager football
ubermen Gigi's Buffon's incredible Champions League save Ballon d'Or or FIFA World Player of the
Year: Which is shinier? Norwegian homage to Brazilian airport ad The return of Johan Cruyff. To
Catalonia.
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Gunners Today 05 November @ 03:27 PM EST
I understand that FIFA have other priorities, you know, the small matter of the World Cup in
June next year. Surely though, they have a dedicated team that watch as many as matches of clubs
from around the globe. Looking at the current list of nominees however, leads me to question
whether FIFA has actually watched domestic football since 2006.
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The Offside 04 November @ 09:58 AM EST
Most would agree that the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards are the two
biggest individual honours a footballer can win. Bigger even than my Netherton Colts East U-14
Manager's Player of the Year Runner-Up trophy (pictured?). But which award is really the one to
win? The Ballon d'Or has the [.
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The 23 member shortlist for the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award has been announced. The
winner will be announced on December 21, 2009. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres,
who finished first, second and third respectively last year, are also in the running for this
year's award.
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The Offside 30 October @ 06:36 PM EST
Something to read while you enjoy the Top 30 A-League Goals of All Time (so far)... English
football 1991-92 season in review (EPL Talk) FM2010: Digital Sunderland is the new digital
Newcastle (Football Manager Offside) End of an era at Pro Vercelli (Run of Play) Ten players who
played into their 40s (Podcast Offside) An alternative take on the Ballon [.
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The Offside 30 October @ 06:36 PM EST
Something to read while you enjoy the Top 30 A-League Goals of All Time (so far)... English
football 1991-92 season in review (EPL Talk) FM2010: Digital Sunderland is the new digital
Newcastle (Football Manager Offside) End of an era at Pro Vercelli (Run of Play) Ten players who
played into their 40s (Podcast Offside) An alternative take on the Ballon [.
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Anfield Talk 27 October @ 03:12 PM EST
Legendary French striker Jean-Pierre Papin has tipped Liverpool striker Fernando Torres to push
Barcelona duo Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi as the race for the Ballon d'Or heats up.
The Spaniard has been in tremendous form at both domestic and international level since leaving
Atletico Madrid, sealing himself a reputation as one of the world's most deadly strikers.
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At the Euro 2008 Semi Final, I love this picture! Thanks to whoever who took it.
Two of Arsenal's holy trinity have been nominated for this prestigious award. The third
component of this trinity, Robin van Persie  curiously has been ignored. Since November 2008,Â
Robin has been the most consistent Gooner full stop.
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Europa sucht wieder einmal, sucht nach dem Ballon d'Or, dem besten Fussballer 2009. Wie jedes Jahr
geht die Wahl von der französischen Sportzeitung „France Football" aus und wie jedes Jahr gibt
es im Vorfeld der Wahl eine Liste der Nominierten. Deutsche Spieler sind dieses Jahr nicht mit
dabei, dafür aber zwei aktuelle Bundesligaspieler.
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Vintage, in this context, means 1970s and brilliant. Borussia Mönchengladbach were the league's
most dominant club during that decade and won a then record five Bundesliga titles. Moreover they
were also the ambassadors of style, with inspirational midfield and attacking talent in players
like Jupp Heynckes, Günter Netzer (Ballon d'Or runner up 1972) or Allan SImonsen (Ballon d'Or
1977).
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KICKETTE 20 October @ 09:09 AM EST
Cristiano Ronaldo may have a Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball), but his boyfriend Kaka is the proud
recipient of the Marca Golden Newspaper Boy award. Wonder how many newspapers he delivered to the
many residents of Madrid to take home the prize? Fascinating.
No, wait. That's not factually correct.
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KICKETTE 20 October @ 09:09 AM EST
Cristiano Ronaldo may have a Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball), but his boyfriend Kaka is the proud
recipient of the Marca Golden Newspaper Boy award. Wonder how many newspapers he delivered to the
many residents of Madrid to take home the prize? Fascinating.
No, wait. That's not factually correct.
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This is the 30-man list of nominees competing for the 2009 Ballon d'Or. This award is given to the
best player playing for an European club. The winner will be announced on December 1st.Premier
League:Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal)Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)Didier Drogba (Chelsea)Frank Lampard
(Chelsea)John Terry (Chelsea)Fernando Torres (Liverpool)Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)Ryan Giggs
(Manchester United)
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This is the 30-man list of nominees competing for the 2009 Ballon d'Or. This award is given to the
best player playing for an European club. The winner will be announced on December 1st.Premier
League:Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal)Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)Didier Drogba (Chelsea)Frank Lampard
(Chelsea)John Terry (Chelsea)Fernando Torres (Liverpool)Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)Ryan Giggs
(Manchester United)
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With the Ballon d'Or nominations finally releasing this weekend, the headlines have mostly been
devoted to the fact that world champions Italy have no representation whatsoever. But why blame the
press for paying excessive attention to an irrelevant detail? After all, the award itself is
destined to be heading Lionel Messi's way, which means very little is there to be talked about in
terms of debating the winner, right?
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You heard it here first! Unless you have been on the dailymail site prior to this
which would make us second. But a worthy second I reckon.
And I hear you saying HOW? How could Ronaldo, the current World player of the year, be retiring
in four months time. Well apparently a witch has placed a hex on the former Man Utd man after a
former girlfriend hired him (lol, a man witch, gay).
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The Offside 18 October @ 04:52 PM EST
So who's going to win it? Lionel Messi? Cristiano Ronaldo? Or a dark horse like, say, Edin Dzeko of
VfL Wolfsburg? The short list for the 2009 Player of the Year (aka the Ballon d'Or) is in, and it
contains all the usual suspects: Messi, Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres, [...]
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The nominations are out for this year's Ballon d'Or, last years winner Cristiano Ronaldo is one of
the favourites to win. The European champions Spain are the best represented nation with six
players listed, whilst the La Liga boasts the most players from a single league with twelve. The
Premier League is next best with ten [.
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Soccerblog 18 October @ 05:23 AM EST
Will be awarded to the player who scores the best goal off a balloon lying on the pitch.A lot of
painstaking research on the net over a period of five whole minutes has turned up two
candidates.One is Darren Bent.His sublime effort is on view in the last post.This second candidate
is a player from Sheffield United who also used a balloon to good effect.
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SoccerLens 15 October @ 12:35 PM EST
Considered the pinnacle of personal awards in Football, the Ballon d'Or has had a rich history
through out the last quarter of a century, indeed no other award can lay claim to the influence the
Ballon d'Or has had. Be it the transformation of great players into legendary players or
influencing the transfer policies of some of the world's biggest club.
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The Offside 29 September @ 04:00 AM EST
Lionel Messi gets kicked. We know this. Some are even trying to earn the Hack-A-Messi term global
acceptance and use. Didn't really work out all that spectacularly last year though, did it? Nay. A
historic treble in the rear-view mirror and a jaunt to the podium for his first Ballon d'Or in
short time.
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Serie A Talk 20 September @ 09:30 AM EST
AC Milan boss Leonardo has admitted Brazilian Ronaldino is not the player he once was, but
insists the former Barcelona man is still very much in his plans.
The 29-year-old won the Ballon d'Or back in 2005 but has yet to match the standards he set in
his early years at the Nou Camp in his time in Milan.
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SoccerLens 18 September @ 05:37 AM EST
The clock is ticking down to the start of the most talked about Manchester derby in years.
A resurgent city have emerged like a phoenix from the flames when compared to the club of five
years ago that looked as if fate would retire the blue half of Manchester to a Leeds like
spiralling demise into the lower divisions.
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Futbolita 28 July @ 11:59 PM EST
These transfers are becoming complicated!!! All of a sudden, Eto'o is a
Nerazzurra and rather ironically, has assumed Ibrahimovic's number in the team. Talk about
a swap!
"I want to write history with Inter," he said. "I won almost everything with Barça, I hope to
do so also here.
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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez claims he is ready to walk away from his summer-long pursuit
of Xabi Alonso – because Liverpool won't play ball!
Reds boss Rafa Benitez has refused to budge from his £30million valuation of the Spanish
international.
But that is way above Real's estimation and Perez insists that despite his club's massive outlay on
the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka this summer, they will not pay over the odds for any
remaining targets.
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The Offside 09 July @ 01:00 PM EST
This had the potential to be one of those epic quotes shoved in the faces of Barcelona's most
despised Clasico rivals for years and years on end. Joan Laporta so swiftly hurtling the gavel down
and declaring his Cules the superior. "We make Ballon d'Or winners and others have to buy them." It
even sounds sexier in [.
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A few weeks ago I posted a tribute to former Lazio and Juventus ace Pavel Nedved who had announced
his retirement from the game. Nedved has always been an exciting talent even at the grand old age
of 36 and his performances for Juve last season were still top class, indeed he often covered more
ground than players well over five years his junior.
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Languagecaster's season may have come to an end but football continues and this week has been a
busy one with lots of World Cup Qualifiers, the Confederations Cup in South Africa and Real Madrid
signing Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. The fact that these two players have won the last two Ballon
d'Or awards means that on this week's featured podcast from our back catalogue, we take a look at
the European Player of the Year Award.
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Soccer Pie 14 May @ 02:05 AM EST
These are the two arguably most exciting players of football at the moment and they have a lot
in common. Both are very young and exciting to watch, while at the same time they
have quickly become key players in their respective teams. They will meet in
Champions League final this season but these meetings could become more frequent
if Ronaldo leaves Manchester United for Real Madrid at the end of the season.
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Who else could it be for this week except for Cristiano Ronaldo?The World Player of the Year, and
Ballon d'Or winner has been criticized for not playing defense, not always trying, and complaining
for calls after every play, but you know what......when he scores goals like this nothing else
matters..
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Goal.com's Subhankar Mondal charts the fall from grace of Andriy Shevchenko and asks what next for
the former Ballon d'Or winner...
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Firstly, let me make one thing clear. Ryan Giggs is a fantastic player. He's a credit to his club
and to the game. If anyone deserves a player of the year award, it's the Welshman. You could
definitely argue that there were other nominees that have played much better this season. However,
as I suggested on the Onion Bag this week, you get the feeling that, like John Wayne in True Grit
and Paul Newman in The Colour Of Money, it was quite simply Giggs' turn and that is good enough for
me.
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Spain and Liverpool star Fernando Torres is considered one of the best strikers in the world as he
finished third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the battle for last year's Ballon
d'Or.
He has also been a dream target for many top-drawer Italian clubs, with Milan in particular being
hot on his heels before he joined Liverpool from Atletico Madrid.
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Milan star player Kaka has recently returned from an injury and is hoping to be a major player for
his side in the final stages of the season as they look to secure Champions League
qualification.
The Rossoneri have struggled to find consistency over the past two seasons and the former Ballon
d'Or winner has suggested it is the end of an era at the club.
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