Wins the FIFA World Player of the Year Award by a huge margin

After proving his mettle by a unanimous win in the European Footballer of the Year 2009 awards, Messi has done it yet again. The Barcelona start has drubbed rival Christiano Ronaldo to lift the FIFA World Player of the Year 2009 trophy.

Source (goal.com)

Messi, who described his presence at the FIFA Gala as “the culmination of a year that cannot be improved upon”, has managed to indeed go one better, sealing the only title still evading him.

The diminutive Argentine beat off competition from the a host of the world’s best including team-mates Andreas Iniesta and Xavi, as well as Real Madrid stars Kaka and Christiano Ronaldo, with the Portuguese having already admitted that “he [Messi] will probably win the award”.

The crown capped a quite incredible year for the 22-year-old Argentinian forward who, as a pivotal member of Pep Guardiola’s all conquering Barca squad, beat Estudiantes in FIFA’s Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to lift their sixth title in the last 12 months.

Messi will add FIFA’s prestigious title to pretty much every individual award in European football; having already been crowned UEFA Club Forward of the Year, UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and UEFA Champions League Top Scorer amongst a host of other individual titles.

Messi’s incredible achievements will go down as one of the most successful seasons ever endured by a single player in club football history.

Here’s a look at the previous award winners:

France’s Zidane and Brazil’s Ronaldo have won it thrice. Last year’s winner Christiano Ronaldo was the youngest player to have won it. FIFA’s World Cup of the Year Award is indeed the most anticipated soccer honors. Here’s a list of players who have won this award in the past:

1996 Ronaldo
1997 Ronaldo
1998 Zinedine Zidane
1999 Rivaldo
2000 Zinedine Zidane
2001 Luís Figo
2002 Ronaldo
2003 Zinedine Zidane
2004 Ronaldinho
2005 Ronaldinho
2006 Fabio Cannavaro
2007 Kaka
2008 Christiano Ronaldo
2009 Lionel Messi

The Barcelona star has been named the European Footballer of the Year. Beating last year’s winner Christiano Ronaldo, Messi claimed the title by the greatest margin ever recorded in the history of this august competition. Out of a possible 480 points, Lionel scored 473 – a new record, while Ronaldo managed only 233 points.

Messi wins the title by a record 473/480 points

Messi is the first registered Argentinean to have won the Ballon d’Or award. Buenos Aires-born Juventus legend Omar Sivori won the title in 1961, but at the time he was a registered Italian. The 22 year old soccer star is also the youngest player to have won the Ballon d’Or award after Michael Owen, who won this title at an age of 21 in the year 2001.

Messi will be presented with his award on Sunday, 6^th December at a gala event in Paris.

The victory also makes him a strong contender for the FIFA Footballer of the Year award to be announced later this month.

Messi’s Score Card:

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Despite great acumen, these talented footballers could never make it to the World Cup.

Playing at the World Cup is a dream that every soccer player cherishes. It is the pinnacle of their playing career and merits their playing profile. There have been players in soccer history who, despite being exceptionally talented, could not play a single World Cup match. Here is a list of some of the best soccer talent eluded by the World Cup.

Matt Le Tissier

Playing amidst exceptional English strikers and his unbeatable devotion to Southampton has probably kept Le Tissier away from the World Cup. First England failed to qualify in 1994, then in 1998, continual drubbings of Southampton stole the focus away from him to likes of Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham and Andrew Cole.

Basile Boli

A superb winning goal the inaugural Champions League Final and a hard hitting head butt to Stuart Pearce are the two primary highlights of Boli’s career. He played 45 times for France, but never in the World Cup.

Fredi Kanoute

Kanoute, the former West Ham and Spurs striker, scored goals at every club he played for. He chose to represent Mali instead of the senior France side and therefore remained away from the World Cup.

Johnny Giles

Despite playing 60 times for his country Giles failed to grace a World Cup as either a player or a manager.

Ian Rush

Rush played with Liverpool in the 80’s and 90’s. With an impressive international record of scoring 28 goals in 73 games for Wales, with a superb winning goal during the European Qualifier against Germany, Wales narrowly missed out on qualification for the 1992 European Championship.

George Weah

Weah was voted African Player of the Year in 1989, 1994 and 1995 and European and World Footballer of the Year in 1995. Unfortunately, he came from Liberia, another football team who is yet to qualify for the World Cup.

Yossi Benayoun

Benayoun is the player  who can change a game at will for Liverpool but again, Israel haven’t qualified for the World Cup ever since 1970 – 10 years before he was born.

Eidur Gudjohnsen

Premier League winner with Chelsea, Champions League winner with Barcelona, Eidur has been kept away from the World Cup because Iceland has never qualified.

Eric Cantona

Another Manchester United legend, Cantona made his France debut in 1987. However, he fell out with the French coach and failed to make the squad for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In 1994France failed to qualify and Cantona then retired in 1997, aged 31 to pursue a career as an actor.

Duncan Edwards

Edwards was considered one of the greatest of his generation. He failed to play at a World Cup for England, but probably would have played for them in 1966, when they won the tournament for the one and only time in their history.

Ryan Giggs

Giggs made his debut in 1991, and to this day remains with the same club Manchester United. During his time he has won 11 English Premierships and 2 European Cups. Giggs comes from Wales who have only ever qualified for 1 World Cup in 1958.

All is fair in love and war and in football too. Take a look at these top 10 world cup ‘unjustified’ goals and judgments that made some heroes and won some matches! (Ref: The Telegrapgh)

1. Diego Maradona: The Hand of God 1986

Probably the most controversial movement in the history of World Cup soccer, Diego Maradona’s hand of God goal controversy lasted for over 20 years! Maradona apparently raised his left hand above Peter Shilton’s head to punch the ball into the net during Argentina’s quarter-final win over England.
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2. Joe Jordan – Scotland v Wales, World Cup qualifier 1977

Striker Joe Jordan rose with defender Dave Jones to challenge Asa Hartford’s throw into the box. To the surprise of the Welsh fans and players, referee Robert Wurtz pointed to the spot believing Jones to have flicked on the ball with his hand while TV replays showed otherwise. Scotland duly scored to book their place at the 1978 World Cup Finals in Argentina.
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3. Geoff Hurst – England v Germany World Cup final 1966

Geoff Hurst’s hit’ during extra time at Wembley remains the most hotly-debated controversy at a World Cup tournament to date. Enhanced technology has fuelled the fire as the footage shows the ball did not cross the line.
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4. Brazil v Sweden, 1978 World Cup

Welsh referee Clive Thomas annoyed the whole of Brazil by blowing the full-time whistle milliseconds before Zico’s header crossed the line to deny the Brazilians a 2-1 first-round win over Sweden.
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5. Kuwait v France, 1982 World Cup

Kuwait’s Alain Giresse scored a rightful fourth goal for the French team. The Kuwaiti players claimed they had heard the referee Miroslav Stupar blow the whistle in the build up, and hence stopped playing. Kuwait FA president Sheikh Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah demanded the referee to disallow the goal and he did! France still went on to win 4-1, even though Stupar disallowed five France goals during the match.
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6. South Korea v Spain, 2002 World Cup

Two legitimate goals scored by Spain were disallowed in their quarter-final contest against South Korea. Referee Gamal Ghandour ruled out Kim Tae-Young’s own goal seemingly for an infringement in the buildup – although TV replays are inconclusive. Fernando Morientes’ golden goal in extra-time was ruled out too South Korea progressed to the semi-finals on penalties.
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7. West Germany v Austria, 1982 World Cup

This was the historical match that forced FIFA to schedule final group matches at the same time following this shameful carve-up. Both the teams were placed in for the final Group Two match. A 1-0 or 2-0 win for West Germany would have secured their places in the knock-out stages at Algeria’s expense. West Germany won the game 1-0 and Algeria’s protests fell on deaf ears and the result stood.
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8. Argentina v Peru, 1978 World Cup

Argentina’s first World Cup success on home was clouded in controversy on and off the field. The hosts had to win their final game against Peru by four clear goals to restrict Brazil’s goal difference and reach the final. Argentina rose to the challenge, knocking six past Peru goalkeeper Ramón Quiroga, who was ‘coincidentally’ born in Argentina.
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9. Haiti v Italy, 1974 World Cup

At their first World Cup Finals appearance, Haiti’s creditable showing in their opening match against Italy, which they lost 3-1, was overshadowed afterwards when defender Ernst Jean-Joseph failed a dope test. He was subsequently beaten up by his own officials and flown home.
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10. Croatia v Australia, 2006 World Cup

English referee Graham Poll put his hopes of officiating the World Cup final in Germany with a series of errors in Australia’s crucial final group match. The official’s biggest error saw him dish out three yellow cards to Croatia’s Josip Simunic before finally sending him off. He also awarded a first-half penalty to Australia for Stjepan Tomas’ handball, but failed to spot an even more blatant handball by the same offender later in the match.
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Will it be Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kaka or Fernando Torres?

As the World Cup draws close, the speculations on who will be the champ of the reason get rifer.  Undoubtedly, 2009 has witnessed some of the exceptional talent on football fields, but who would be the World Cup Prince, only time would tell. Here’s our pick on the players who best fit to be the best soccer player for World Cup 2010:

Christiano Ronaldo

As the most expensive player and the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year (2008), Cristiano Ronaldo is a front runner to be the best soccer player for World Cup 2010.

Along with Cristiano, watch out for the following players. With their consistent performance and accurate tactics, these players have won matches for their teams, and according to us they are a hot favorite to be the best soccer player for the World Cup 2010.

Lionel Messi

Fernando Torres

David Villa

Kaka

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Wayne Rooney

Ronaldinho

Is he the next Kaka in making?

He is just 7 years old, but plays football like an expert. Kalani, a Brazilian kid from Rio de Janerio is gaining quick attention due to his extraordinary soccer skills.

Kalani’s exceptional talent first came to light when he was 5 years old:

Now, at 7, Kalani has already mastered multiple dribbling tactics and scores goals with perfection. He undergoes grilling practice sessions everyday to fine tune his acumen further.

With expert guidance his skill is all set to make him a future soccer champ. Ifotbol.com wishes the best to the little wonder.

Surprises are an integral part of soccer World Cups. In the past World Cups there have been non favorite teams which sprung huge surprises and left the fans baffled with their extraordinary performance. Croatia in 1998, Bulgary in 1994, Cameroon in 1990, Turkey in 2002 – who would be the surprise element in 2010?  Here is our pick of four teams to watch out for:

1- Chile

Pitted against soccer giants like Brazil and Argentina in the South American qualifying section, Chile managed to book its World Cup berth with ease. Chile won 10 of their matches in the qualification rounds and Humberto Suazo remained the top scorer for them.

2- Cameroon

Cameroon topped their qualifying group with 13 points. Matching up against Gabon, Togo and Morroco, Cameroon started slowly in the qualification round, losing to Togo and drawing with Morocco, but later they went on to win the rest of their matches. Captain and star player Samuel Eto’o remained Cameroon’s top scorer with 8 goals, and the Inter Milan striker will be their player to watch out in the World Cup.

3- USA

In the fourth and final round of qualifying, six nations were battling it out for the three automatic 2010 World Cup spots. USA finished top of the group, thanks to 6 superb goals from their top scorer and Hull City striker Jozy Altidore.

4- Uruguay

The might be the last one to qualify for the World Cup, but their acumen cannot be doubted. Uruguay missed the 2006, but this time they are back with a bang. 1-1 home draw with Costa Rica booked Uruguay a ticket to South Africa with a 2-1 aggregate win.

Who out of this would be the 2010 surprise element? Share your views on ‘The Wall’ of ifotbol.com

With his breathtaking moves, swift dribbling and first-rate score card, Ronaldo is one of the best soccer players we have ever had.

As the winger of Spanish club Real Madrid and captain of the Portuguese national team, Cristiano Ronaldo has made and broken numerous soccer records. Time and again compared to the Brazilian legend Pele, Ronaldo is often touted as the best soccer player ever.

Ronaldo also holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after his transfer to Real Madrid from Manchester United for £80 million. His contract with Real Madrid has made him the highest-paid soccer player in the world.

Ronaldo’s impeccable talent was first spotted by Manchester United’s manager Alex Ferguson who then signed him for £12.24 million in 2003. Ronaldo proved his worth in the very next season. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honor, the FA Cup, and also reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with the Portugal team.

In 2008, Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 40 years. This year again, Ronaldo is a front runner for the prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year Award.

Presently recuperating from a menacing ankle injury, Ronaldo remains the most popular player to watch out for in the World Cup 2010. Though he has been temporarily forced out of the qualifiers due to the injury, fans eagerly await his return to the field with a bang in the South Africa gala. Football fraternity is confident that the injury, in no way, can mar the Ronaldo’s soccer acumen and the player will continue to entertain the fans with his skill for years to come.

Here’s a list of individual honors received by Ronaldo till date:

1. UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament
2. FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06
3. Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 2006–07
4. UEFA Team of the Year: 2003–2004, 2006–07, 2007–08
5. FIFPro World XI: 2006–07, 2007–08
6. PFA Young Player of the Year: 2006–07
7. PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
8. PFA Fans’ Player of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
9. PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
10. FWA Footballer of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
11. Barclays Player of the Season: 2006–07, 2007–08
12. Barclays Player of the Month: November 2006, December 2006, January 2008, March 2008
13. Barclays Golden Boot: 2007–08
14. Barclays Merit Award: 2007–08
15. European Golden Shoe: 2007–08
16. UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2007–08
17. UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2007–08
18. FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007–08
19. Ballon d’Or: 2008
20. FIFA World Player of the Year: 2008
21. FIFA Team of the Year: 2008

(Ref: BBC News)

Tributes have been placed at the scene of Robert Enke’s death.

Germany and Hannover 96 goalkeeper Robert Enke has died after being hit by a train in an apparent suicide on Tuesday, police have confirmed. Enke, 32, was fatally injured at a level crossing north west of Hanover.

The German football federation (DFB) said in a statement: “The German team has learned of the death of Robert Enke with great shock.”

A statement released by the German indicates a suicide- “The victim is apparently national team goalkeeper Robert Enke from Hannover 96. The first police indications are that it was a suicide.”

Enke was reportedly struck by a regional train travelling between Norddeich and Hannover at a railway crossing in Neustadt am Rubenberge and died on the spot.

Enke had played eight times for Germany and also for clubs Carl Zeiss Jena, Borussia Monchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Tenerife, before returning to the Bundesliga with Hannover in 2004. He made his international debut aged 29 and became Germany’s number one keeper after Jens Lehmann retired from internationals at the end of Euro 2008.

Robert Enke

Born: 24/8/77, Jena, East Germany
Debut: 1995-96
Clubs: Carl Zeiss Jena, Borussia Monchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce, Tenerife, Hannover 96
Germany debut: 27/3/07 versus Denmark Caps: 8

Happy, sad, funny, weird- call them whatever you want, but these are some of the most striking soccer moments that you should not miss. Here’s some soccer action at its best, take a look.