Gunmen invade church, kill three, injure others (Guardian) Two persons have been reportedly killed, while three others sustained injuries when unknown gunmen attacked a Celestial Church located in Felele, Lokoja, Kogi State. The Guardian gathered that the incident happened late…
Messi tips Benzema for ‘deserved’ Ballon d’Or
Real Madrid’s France star Karim Benezema deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, according to seven-time laureate Lionel Messi. Benzema was crucial in Madrid’s Champions League victory this season, culminating with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris on Saturday. Although…
Mane ‘sad’ no African has won Ballon d’Or since Weah
Sadio Mane admits he is ‘sad’ that George Weah’s 1995 Ballon d’Or win remains the last time an African player won the award – and says he’d be the happiest man on the planet if he were to bag this…
Playing against Messi would be a dream come true – Greenwood
Manchester United youngster Mason Greenwood would relish having Lionel Messi in the Premier League – even if that means facing the six-time Ballon d’Or winner in Manchester City colours. City are viewed as the frontrunners for Messi’s signature after the…
Bayern’s Lewandowski says he deserves Ballon d’Or after stellar season
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski believes he would deserve the Ballon d’Or if the award had not been cancelled for 2020. France Football confirmed in July that the prize would not be awarded due to the disruption of the 2019-20…
Ronaldo not interested in coaching (Nation)
Cristiano Ronaldo says he does not expect to become a coach after he retires, but is not ready to rule it out entirely. The Portugal international is still going strong at 34 years, scoring 12 goals in 21 appearances for…
Why Neymar didn’t make Ballon d’or 30-man shortlist (Punch)
Neymar’s absence from the list of 30 Ballon d’Or candidates was explained Tuesday by France Football magazine which organises the prestigious award. The magazine said events in what it called Neymar’s “année noire” (black year) justified his failure to be…
Liverpool dominate Ballon d’Or shortlist with seven names (DailyTrust)
Dutch centre back Virgil van Dijk is one of seven Liverpool players on the 30-man shortlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or, with the Champions League winners dominating the nominations for France Football magazine’s prestigious award. Van Dijk’s club teammates Sadio…
Rapinoe named but Modric, Neymar miss out on Ballon D’Or shortlist (Guardian)
While Megan Rapinoe is the leading candidate for the second-ever women’s Ballon D’Or, the holder of the men’s award, Luka Modric, and the world’s most expensive player, Neymar, missed out as France Football unveiled the nominees on Monday. Rapinoe dominated…
Messi’s fifth place in Ballon d’Or ‘absurd’, declares Barca boss (Guardian)
Lionel Messi finishing fifth in this year’s Ballon d’Or vote was “absurd”, says Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric won the prize, awarded by France Football and voted for by 180 journalists. Barcelona and Argentina forward Messi,…