Latest news with #Cristiano Ronaldo
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🤔 CR7 mocks Ballon d'Or award as fictitious, do you agree? Have your say!
Cristiano Ronaldo mocked the list of nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, calling the award "fictitious." The Portuguese star was questioned in the mixed zone of the Estádio Algarve, after Al-Nassr's 4-0 win against Rio Ave last Thursday (7th), where he scored a hat-trick, about the presence of only three compatriots among the 30 nominees: João Neves, Vitinha, and Nuno Mendes. Cristiano Ronaldo competed for over a decade with Lionel Messi for the France Football honor, winning on five occasions (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017), but was left out of the list for the third consecutive year. The Al-Nassr forward accumulated 35 goals and four assists in 41 games last season, and also helped Portugal win the Nations League for the second time. The French magazine revealed the contenders on Thursday (7th), recognizing the highlights of the 2024/25 season in European football. The ceremony to determine the winner will take place on September 22, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Check out all the nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain) Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain) Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain) Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan) Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund) Haaland (Manchester City) Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting) Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain) Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain) Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan) Scott McTominay (Napoli) Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain) João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain) Pedri (Barcelona) Cole Palmer (Chelsea) Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) Raphinha (Barcelona) Declan Rice (Arsenal) Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain) Van Dijk (Liverpool) Vini Jr. (Real Madrid) Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 JOHANN GRODER
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Ballon d'Or 2025: Who's nominated for football's best player award?
The nominations for this year's men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards have been announced and there's a lot of big names in the Ballon d'Or means Golden Ball and is an award for the world's best of England's Euro 2025-winning squad have been nominated for the Women's Ballon d'Or - also known as the Ballon d'Or Fé the men's category, several Premier League players feature as well as other global superstars such as Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane take a closer look at the awards and who could win one of football's biggest prizes. What is the Ballon d'Or? The Ballon d'Or is an annual event where the famous golden trophy is given to the best footballer of the is voted for by football journalists from all around the Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d'Or wins - with five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo has the most nominations in the award's history with 18. Which Premier League stars have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or? Plenty of Premier League stars have made the shortlist for the men's Ballon d'Or include four Liverpool players - captain Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and new signing Florian Wirtz. Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice, Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland are also nominated. Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has also made the 30-man Scotland international signed for Italian side Napoli last summer, where he quickly settled in and became a firm fan won the league with Napoli, finished the season with 12 league goals and was named Serie A's player of the year. Which Lionesses have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or? Five of England's Euro 2025-winning squad have been nominated for the Women's Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best female footballer of the are captain Leah Williamson, defender Lucy Bronze, strikers Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly as well as goalkeeper Hannah has also made the shortlist for the women's Yachine trophy - which is the prize awarded to the best month the Lionesses successfully defended their European title in Switzerland, beating world champions Spain on penalties in the final. Who are the current holders of the men and women's Ballon d'Or awards? Last year, Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri picked up the men's became the first ever player in the north-west club's history to win the Ballon d'Or. The women's award also went to a Spanish midfielder in Aitana Bonmati - it was the second year in a row that the Barcelona star had won the award. What is the Kopa Trophy? The Kopa trophy is awarded to the best young player in the world, under the age of year, both the men and women's categories have an England star on the Myles Lewis-Skelly is among the names nominated for the men's Kopa left-back became a first-team regular with the Gunners in 2024-25 season, making 39 appearances in all March, the 18-year-old made his debut for the England senior side, scoring on his first appearance for the Three Lioness and Arsenal striker Michelle Agyemang has been shortlisted for the first-ever women's Kopa was the youngest Lioness at last month's Euros and the 19-year-old made a real impact on the was one of the standout players, scoring a number of important goals for England and her impressive performances meant she picked up the Young Player of the Tournament award. When and where will the Ballon d'Or 2025 be held? This year's Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on Monday 22 September huge event will take place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, which has hosted the awards since 2019.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Who should win the men's Ballon d'Or: Mohamed Salah, Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal?
The 30-man nominee list for the men's Ballon d'Or has been released. And, as ever, it is stacked with talent. Long gone are the days when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo used to dominate this award — neither of them features, in case you were wondering — and you could make a strong argument for any of the players listed. So, who should be named the Ballon d'Or at the ceremony in Paris on September 22? Here, our writers put forward their case for the players who they think deserve it. Have your say in the comments below. If you had told anyone at Barcelona that Ousmane Dembele would score 35 goals last season and lead Paris Saint-Germain to their first Champions League title, you would have received some questioning looks. Dembele was sometimes electric after joining Barca for a joint-club record €135million in 2017, but all too infrequently. He struggled with injuries and never reached 15 goals in a season, before his messy €50m exit to PSG two years ago. Advertisement Even in his first season, he scored just six times as Kylian Mbappe (understandably) took the limelight. But once he left, Dembele was a man transformed. He showed speed, trickery and a newfound ruthlessness in front of goal, also playing a key role in Luis Enrique's collective approach — as shown by this clip from the Champions League final. Ousmane Dembélé revient sur son pressing fou sur Sommer lors de la finale de la Ligue des Champions ! 🔥 — Onze Mondial (@OnzeMondial) July 5, 2025 He was serenaded with chants of 'Ousmane, Ballon d'Or' when PSG paraded the trophy at the Parc des Princes, the most cherished part of a treble. Nobody enjoyed a season quite like him — and for that reason, he deserves this award. Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero Being overlooked when it came to the Ballon d'Or used to drive Mohamed Salah to distraction. When you consider how he's rewritten the Anfield record books, it's crazy that fifth place (in both 2019 and 2022) is the highest he's ever finished. The Liverpool forward has become more philosophical over the years, but during an interview with Gary Neville for Sky Sports in May, he conceded: 'I'd love to win it one day, I won't lie.' If it's going to happen, then surely this is his year. The Egyptian's contribution to Liverpool's Premier League title triumph in 2024-25 was immense. He collected both the Premier League Golden Boot and Playmaker awards in recognition of his stunning return of 29 league goals and 18 assists. Not content with breaking the record for most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season, Salah also equalled the record of 47, jointly set by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole over a 42-match campaign. 'Ridiculous numbers,' was the assessment of his captain Virgil van Dijk. 'If he wins the Ballon d'Or, then I think no one could argue.' Advertisement It's about time that Salah got the wider appreciation his brilliance deserves. James Pearce I already know what readers will say before I even begin my argument: Lamine Yamal is 18 years old. Too young, perhaps. Maybe they're right. He hasn't won the Champions League either, so there's another point in their favour. But few would dispute that he is the most talented player in the world right now. You don't have to travel to many countries to see that shirts with his old No 19 and now 10 have flooded the streets of every city this holiday season. 'Yamal-mania' is a reality. His age undoubtedly attracts attention, but he has held his own against plenty of older players. How many youngsters his age have been on the front pages of newspapers in the run-up to a Champions League semi-final second leg? To then perform as he did against Inter was nothing short of remarkable. He unbalanced the Italians' defence, produced several moments of magic and often did the unthinkable — all with a smile and a flash of his braces. Lionel Messi, the player Yamal is often compared to by fans, didn't need to win a World Cup to be named best in the world in 2010. And I don't think Yamal needs the Champions League to already be considered the best in the world in 2025. Laia Cervello Herrero Ah, football: one day you're 20 and getting booed for passing backwards as your team beats Liverpool, the next they're building shrines to you in Naples. Well, OK, not quite the next day. There were, admittedly, seven years between that moment at Old Trafford, which once prompted Jose Mourinho to criticise a small section of Manchester United fans unhappy with Scott McTominay's ball retention, and the midfielder's astonishing title-winning season with Napoli. But his transformation from a United squad player sold last summer to someone reaching near-Diego Maradona status in Italy is now gilded with another eye-popping development: a nomination for the Ballon d'Or. In fairytale terms, there can't be a more deserving winner. The brave move away from everything he knew, the rapid adaptation to a different league, and then the 12 goals, six assists and so many artful appearances as Napoli clinched the Scudetto. He loves his new home (especially the tomatoes) and it loves him back. After goals at the San Siro, at the Stadio Olimpico, against Juventus, it's common to see Scottish flags at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium. Other nominees perhaps achieved greater things at mega-rich, juggernaut clubs, but McTominay's year at Napoli was a classic reminder of football's redemptive capacity for the gloriously unexpected. Greg O'Keeffe I'm here to hand-deliver Vitinha a fresh bouquet of flowers to make sure he doesn't miss out. Advertisement For me, the best player in the world is someone you want to watch over and over again. Vitinha, with poise and guile, definitely falls into that category. The silky midfielder makes the game look magical and fun — exactly how it should. I know this award usually comes down to what a player has won, and Vitinha did win the treble with Paris Saint-Germain and was integral to their first-ever Champions League win. He also won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal, if we are counting that. But maybe we should stop that kind of count. Let's give it to a player who, wearing his Nike hairband, flows up the pitch with such ease and pomp. He would be a deserving winner. Caoimhe O'Neill A left-back has never won the Ballon d'Or. But what more could Nuno Mendes have done? The 23-year-old played 53 times and scored five goals in PSG's (nearly) all-conquering season as they took Ligue 1 and the Champions League in an illustrious quadruple, while Portugal won the Nations League too. His outstanding dynamism and tactical awareness make him by far the best in his position in the world. Having Mendes is like having two players on the pitch at once. He will probably not win the Ballon d'Or, but there can be no fierce arguments if he does. Max Mathews Individual accolades should not be about raw statistics, but about trophies, moments, and emotions. Maybe that's not always fair, but when we're old, grey, and still moaning about VAR, it's those that are remembered. So that's where we get to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a footballer who makes people feel. He is part of a Paris Saint-Germain super-team, that's for sure, replete with the technical expertise of Joao Neves and Vitinha, fired by the goals and dynamism of Dembele. But Kvaratskhelia is so much of what makes this team different — it does not feel like a leap to call him the most terrifying dribbler in the world, each stride laden with end product. His wonder goal against Aston Villa, tormenting the poor Axel Disasi, was arguably the iconic moment of their Champions League victory. Trophies and goals? He has them too — picking up winners' medals for both Serie A and Ligue 1 and scoring in PSG's 5-0 Champions League final victory. Kvaratskhelia is no longer Kvaradona; he is his own player, and he is very special indeed. Jacob Whitehead I didn't think I'd be writing this at the start of the season, but Raphinha would be a worthy Ballon d'Or winner. Only Salah racked up more than the Brazilian's 56 combined goals and assists across all competitions last season, and there were some crucial ones too: five goals against Real Madrid, a last-gasp winner at Benfica, and a hat-trick against Bayern Munich all spring to mind. Advertisement No player in Europe's top five leagues made more runs in behind the defensive line, according to SkillCorner, pointing to his intensity without the ball. Relentless in his ability to repeat such bursts throughout the season, he constantly stretched defences and created space for team-mates such as Robert Lewandowski to flourish closer to goal. Barcelona would not have won La Liga without him, nor the Spanish Cup. And in a parallel universe, had they not fallen on the wrong side of a madcap, 7-6 aggregate defeat to Inter in the Champions League semi-final, he may have helped them to lift a European title too. Some turnaround for a player who, this time last year, looked certain to be out the door. Thom Harris How much do you really need to argue the case for the man who settled the biggest football match of 2025? That is what the Club World Cup final is — at least conceptually — and certainly in the mind of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Desire Doue may have something else to say as the hero of PSG's brilliant Champions League final rout of Inter in May, but Luis Enrique's team were every bit as humbled by Cole Palmer and Chelsea in New Jersey last month. Palmer has a habit of producing his best when it matters most. He followed up his spectacular equaliser for England in the Euro 2024 final last year with two assists to turn the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis on its head, then two goals and an assist to blow away PSG in the first half of the Club World Cup final in New Jersey. If there is a case against Palmer winning the Ballon d'Or this year, it lies in a run of one goal and three assists in 22 matches for Chelsea from mid-January to the end of the Premier League season. He has spent much of this year in a strange funk, but he relishes pressure and the big stage. A player of his quality and pedigree should always be in the conversation. Liam Twomey (Top photos: Salah and Yamal; Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
France 24
4 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
PSG dominate list of men's Ballon D'Or nominees
The Manchester City midfielder had already suffered a knee ligament injury ending his season by the time he won the 2024 award last October. Lionel Messi, who won the last of his eight awards in 2023, is not on the list, nor is five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. PSG, who claimed the Champions League in commanding fashion, have nine nominees. Barcelona, who won a Spanish league and cup double, are represented by four players including the youngest, Lamine Yamal, who has just turned 18, and the oldest, 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski. Real Madrid, who boycotted last year's ceremonies claiming to be outraged that Rodri was prefered to Vinicius, have three nominees, including the Brazilian. Napoli are rewarded for winning Italy's Serie A with one selection, Scott McTominay, who becomes the first Scottish nominee since Ally McCoist in 1987. Should he win he would become the first player from Diego Maradona's former club to win the award and only the second Scot, after Denis Law in 1964. The winner will be unveiled on September 22 at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. The complete list of 30 nominees: Ousmane Dembele (FRA/PSG), Gianluigi Donnarumma (ITA/PSG), Jude Bellingham (ENG/Real Madrid), Desire Doue (FRA/PSG), Denzel Dumfries (NED/Inter Milan), Serhou Guirassy (GUI/Dortmund), Erling Haaland (NOR/Manchester City), Viktor Gyokeres (SWE/Arsenal), Achraf Hakimi (MAR/PSG), Harry Kane (ENG/Bayern), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (GEO/PSG), Robert Lewandowski (POL/Barcelona), Alexis Mac Allister (ARG/Liverpool), Lautaro Martinez (ARG/Inter Milan), Scott McTominay (SCO/Naples), Kylian Mbappe (FRA/Real Madrid), Nuno Mendes (POR/PSG), Joao Neves (POR/PSG), Pedri (ESP/Barcelona), Cole Palmer (ENG/Chelsea), Michael Olise (FRA/Bayern), Raphinha (BRA/Barcelona), Declan Rice (ENG/Arsenal), Fabian Ruiz (SCO/PSG), Virgil van Dijk (NED/Liverpool), Vinicius (BRA/Real Madrid), Mohamed Salah (EGY/Liverpool), Florian Wirtz (GER/Liverpool), Vitinha (POR/PSG), Lamine Yamal (ESP/Barcelona).
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Ballon d'Or 2025 nomination - who dey di list
Dem don announce nominees for di 2025 Ballon d'Or and different players wey dey di list. Dem go announce di winners of di 2025 Ballon d'Or on 22 September 2025 during ceremony for di Theatre du Chatelet for central Paris. Only three players oda dan Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo don win di Ballon d'Or since 2008. Messi and Ronaldo win di award 14 times ova 16 years between 2008 and 2023. Luka Modric end dia dominance by winning di 2018 prize afta e guide Real Madrid to third successive Champions League title and Croatia to dia first World Cup final dat year. Karim Benzema earn di award for 2022 while for 2024, Rodri, wey lose just one game during di 2023-24 season for club and kontri, become di first Spanish player to win di men award since 1960 and di first Premier League player to win di award since Ronaldo for 2008. Rodri help Spain win Euro 2024 and also win di Premier League, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup wit Manchester City for 2023-24. Rodri claim di award ahead of Real Madrid and Brazil winger Vinicius Jr and im team-mate Jude Bellingham wey come third. Kopa Trophy nominees (Men) Hia na di full list of 2025 Kopa Trophy nominees, and some big names dey dia: PSG duo Desire Doue and Joao Neves dey joined by Barcelona Lamine Yamal, wey fit dey among di contenders for di main prize as well. Women Kopa Trophy nominees Here na di five nominees for di first-eva Women Kopa Trophy wey go crown di best under-21 women footballer for di world. Yachine Trophy nominees (Men) Di full list of 2025 Yachine Trophy nominees dey revealed and e include a names from di Premier League. Yachine Trophy nominees (Women)
