The shortlist for the world’s most prestigious individual football award has been unveiled in anticipation of the ceremony scheduled for October 30 in Paris. Leading the pack are Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, two of the standout contenders for this coveted accolade.

Messi’s inclusion is especially significant as he was absent from the shortlist last year. If he secures the men’s Ballon d’Or this year, it would mark his eighth win of the award, with Cristiano Ronaldo closely following with five victories. Additionally, Messi earned the Best FIFA Men’s Player award for the second time in February.

The announcement of the winner is scheduled to take place during a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30.

Messi’s leadership was instrumental in Argentina’s triumph at the 2022 World Cup in December, a major achievement that had eluded him throughout his remarkable 21-year career until then.

Messi had a mixed year for his club. He struggled at Paris Saint-Germain, but he did help the team win its 11th Ligue 1 title as they were eliminated from the Champions League at the round of 16 stage for the second consecutive season.

He chose to join Inter Miami on a free transfer this summer instead of staying in Paris, and he immediately made a difference by helping them win the Leagues Cup and advance to the U.S. Open Cup final.

Erling Haaland, who was also nominated, could be Messi’s toughest rival for the honour. The Norwegian forward helped Manchester City win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League by tallying 52 goals in 53 games across all competitions.

In his first season in England, the 23-year-old shattered the Premier League’s single-season goal-scoring record with 36 goals.

The striker also took up a number of individual honours for his outstanding exploits, including PFA Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season, and Men’s Player of the Year from the Football Writers’ Association.

As expected, the list of nominees for this year’s award is heavily populated by players from Manchester City and Argentina.

Seven individuals who played pivotal roles in Manchester City’s triumphant treble-winning season, including Erling Haaland, have secured spots on the shortlist. Additionally, four Argentine players, including Lionel Messi, who contributed to their nation’s historic third World Cup victory, have also earned well-deserved nominations.

Full list of men’s Ballon d’Or nominees:
André Onana – Manchester United/Cameroon
Josko Gvardiol – Manchester City/Croatia
Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad
Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich/Germany
Mohamed Salah – Liverpool/Egypt
Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
Bukayo Saka – Arsenal/England
Randal Kolo Muani – Paris Saint-Germain/France
Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City/Belgium
Bernardo Silva – Manchester City/Portugal
Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa/Argentina
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli/Georgia
Rúben Dias – Manchester City/Portugal
Nicolo Barella – Inter Milan/Italy
Erling Haaland – Manchester City/Norway
Yassine Bounou – Al Hilal/Morocco
Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal/Norway
Julián Álvarez – Manchester City/Argentina
Ilkay Gündogan – Barcelona/Germany
Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid/Brazil
Lionel Messi – Inter Miami/Argentina
Rodri – Manchester City/Spain
Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan/Argentina
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid/France
Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona/Poland
Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain/France
Kim Min-jae – Napoli/South Korea
Victor Osimhen – Napoli/Nigeria
Luka Modric – Real Madrid/Croatia
Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/England

The nominees for the 2023 Men’s Ballon d’Or are here! 🤩🏆

Plenty of Premier League representation! 👊 pic.twitter.com/VplS8vkZGD

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 6, 2023

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Ballon d’Or 2023: All the men’s nominees.

Julian Alvarez has officially signed a new contract to extend his stay with Manchester City which will keep him at the Etihad until 2028.

Although Erling Haaland has taken the lead this season, the World Cup winner from Argentina has excelled when given the chance. He joined the Premier League winners from River Plate last July and has since scored 10 goals in 33 appearances.

Alvarez scored four goals for Argentina in Qatar as well, and he expresses excitement about continuing to develop under Pep Guardiola.

He told City’s website: “This is a very proud moment for me and my family. For a club like City to put their faith in me like this is amazing.

“I have been really pleased with my first season here, but I have plenty more I can do. I know I can be better, and City offer me everything I need to fulfil my potential.

RELATED:

• OFFICIAL: Crystal Palace sack Patrick Vieira as the manager
• England squad: Gareth Southgate names his first squad of 2023
• Karim Benzema to sign Real Madrid contract extension

“I want to thank the manager, the coaches and everyone at City who works behind the scenes for everything they have done for me since I joined in the summer. I could not have asked for more. This is a club that looks after its players, and I have felt so supported throughout my time here.

“I am now focused on getting better and helping City win trophies.”

Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain were all interested in Alvarez, according to reports, but City has moved to extend the terms of his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2027.

The 23-year-old has started six Premier League games as well as four in the Champions League. Late in February, he scored his most recent goal in a 4-1 drubbing of Bournemouth.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Julian Alvarez extends contract with Manchester City until 2028..

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has rejected criticism for not using a single substitution during his team’s 1-1 tie with RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

Despite having a complete 11-man reserve squad and seeking a winner until the final 20 minutes of the game, Guardiola, one of the fiercest supporters for more substitutes in English football, chose not to use his bench at all in Leipzig.

The two-star strikers on Guardiola’s bench, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden, neither saw action during the match and thereafter, the manager justified his selections.

“I have the opportunity as a rule to make five substitutions,” he began. “But I am the manager and I apply it and I take it if I want.

“So that doesn’t mean that because I have five substitutions I have to do five substitutions. And I am a so good manager to decide what I have to do or not.”

RELATED:

• Dejan Lovren announces his international retirement with Croatia.
• Man City rule out three players from squad to face RB Leipzig
• Pep Guardiola calls his tactics ‘awful’ following Man City’s win over Arsenal

Pushed for an actual explanation, Guardiola added: “I was really pleased with what I was seeing. So I thought of course with Phil to have this talent to do this. But after the goal I thought immediately to put Phil, but immediately we took again the game in our hands and then with this control that we had.

“Because they play with six up front, we play with the two-two plus the full-backs plus the wingers, four players, incredible runners, and in that position and the way they play you have to have a lot of control.

“That’s why the players that we had, like Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan], like Riyad [Mahrez], the extra passes they were doing are what we need, especially in the first leg. Maybe in the second leg I will decide to be crazy and play with nine strikers!

“But in this game I felt – I’ve been in this country, I’ve analysed as much as possible with my people – I needed this type of control because otherwise it becomes up-and-down and open.

“Of course it was open, there were one or two actions from Gundo to pass the ball to Erling [Haaland] that they blocked, but in these type of situations they are better. German teams they are better than us [in transition].”

The result leaves City needing a victory when Leipzig visits the Etihad on March 14, before which Guardiola’s side must face Bournemouth, Bristol City, Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Pep Guardiola justifies lack of substitutions in Leipzig draw.

Manchester City have announced and confirmed that 20-year-old midfielder Maximo Perrone has joined the club from Velez Sarsfield.

The youngster Perrone of Velez has been officially signed by Premier League champion Man City. The midfielder has agreed to join Pep Guardiola’s team on a five-and-a-half-year contract and will do so following the Under-20 South American Championship in Colombia.

Since Perrone had an impressive debut season with Velez Sarsfield’s first squad, Man City has kept tabs on him.

RELATED:

• Arsenal announce signing of defender Jakub Kiwior from Spezia
• Gareth Bale announces his PGA Tour debut as he’ll participate in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
• Everton releases statement to confirm exit of Frank Lampard

His services are believed to have cost Guardiola’s team approximately £8 million ($10 million), and he joins fellow countrymen Julian Alvarez and Sergio Aguero in moving to the Etihad Stadium.

Perrone is presently in Colombia with the Argentina squad for the Under-20 competition but will join his new teammates once he is released from international duty.

“We’re delighted to have completed the signing of Máximo Perrone from Vélez Sarsfield. The midfielder will join us after the U-20 South American Championship,” the club said in a statement confirming the transfer on its social media page.

We’re delighted to have completed the signing of Máximo Perrone from Vélez Sarsfield. The midfielder will join us after the U-20 South American Championship.

Welcome, Máximo! 💙🇦🇷#ManCity

— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 23, 2023

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Man City complete signing of Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield.

After having trouble containing Lionel Messi in the World Cup semifinals, Josko Gvardiol claims he will gain knowledge from the experience of playing against him.

Messi embarrassed the Croatian defence in the World Cup semifinal between the two sides by turning him inside-out and finding a way through him to set up Julian Alvarez for the third goal.

The centre-back, who believes he held his own against Messi for the full 90 minutes, asserted that the attacker is a different animal when representing his country.

RELATED:

• France virus crisis continues as five players fall ill before World Cup final
• FIFA confirms the host of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023.
• Josko Gvardiol breaks silence on Chelsea interest.

He told reporters: “It was a nice experience even though I played against him in the club last season. He is a completely different type of player in the club and in the national team, I am glad that I played against him even though we lost. But today and tomorrow I will be able to tell the children that I guarded Messi for 90 minutes. I guess we will beat him next time.”

Gvardiol’s reputation among the European elite is still improving despite Messi’s constant manipulation of him. The RB Leipzig defender, who will not be cheap after signing a contract extension with the club in the summer, is reportedly being pursued by Chelsea, Manchester City, and Real Madrid.

By eliminating Croatia, Argentina earned a spot in the national title game, where they will play France on Sunday. On Saturday, Croatia will compete against Morocco for third place.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Croatia’s Gvardiol discusses Messi’s drubbing of him in the 2022 World Cup semifinal..

Daniele Orsato, the official who officiated Croatia’s loss to Argentina, has come under fire from Luka Modric.

Tuesday night’s 3-0 loss to their South American opponents stopped Modric and his country from reaching their second consecutive World Cup final.

They got off to a good start and may have even had the advantage for the first 30 minutes, but shortly after that Lionel Messi handed Argentina the lead from the spot after goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was found to have fouled Julian Alvarez within the penalty box.

Whether it was a penalty or not was a matter of dispute, and Modric was adamant that the Italian referee had stirred up too much debate with his selections.

RELATED:

• Lionel Messi reveals final will be his last World Cup game
• Lionel Messi exposes Croatia weak spot before destroying them in World Cup
• Luis Suarez praise Messi after Argentina advanced to the World Cup final

“Argentina was a fair winner of the game, they were better, they deserved to win, but these things have to be mentioned, I generally don’t do them, but today they have to be done,” he said.

“I don’t like to talk about referees but this is one of the worst. I don’t have a good memory of him, he’s a disaster. For me it wasn’t a penalty.

“Despite this, I don’t want to detract from Argentina. The penalty killed us. We have to recover for the third place play-off and win that game.”

To add to the controversy, Croatia should have had a corner shortly before the penalty but a goal kick to Argentina was awarded instead.

Mateo Kovacic argued both decisions were big mistakes on the referee’s part.

“Both situations seem incredible to me, first that he did not give a corner and then that,” the Chelsea midfielder added. “I never talk about the referees, but they are huge errors and it cost us.” 

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Luka Modric slams ‘disaster’ referee in Argentina defeat.

Lionel Messi has declared that the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday at Lusail Stadium will be his final-ever match.

On Tuesday night, Messi’s Argentina defeated Croatia 3-0 to secure their spot in the title bout. Messi’s penalty kick and a brace from strike partner Julian Alvarez made the difference between the two teams.

The PSG star broke the record for most goals scored in a World Cup when he scored his 11th goal in the semifinal. Messi also tied German icon Lothar Matthaus for the joint-most appearances in the history of the event with 25 games played.

RELATED:

• Mikel Arteta provide update on Ben White after Arsenal return
• Gary Lineker gives answer to finally end Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate.
• Luis Suarez praise Messi after Argentina advanced to the World Cup final

Speaking to Diario Deportivo Ole, Messi confirmed that the final on Sunday will be his 26th and last game at World Cups, stating: “I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final.

“It’s many years for the next one and I don’t think I’ll be able to do it. And to finish like this, it’s the best. It’s all well and good [the records], but the important thing is to be able to achieve the group objective, which is the most beautiful thing of all.

“We’re just one step away, after fighting hard, and we’re going to give everything to try to make it happen this time.”

Argentina and Messi will face off against either Morocco or France in the final.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Lionel Messi reveals final will be his last World Cup game.

After an outstanding showing against Croatia in the World Cup semifinal, Luis Suarez praised his former teammate Lionel Messi, calling him “wonderful.”

On Tuesday night, Messi gave Argentina the lead with a first-half penalty, but he really stole the show with a stunning move that saw him sprint into the penalty area past a bewildered Josko Gvardiol and set up Julian Alvarez for his team’s third goal.

The 3-0 victory guarantees that Lionel Scaloni’s team will play either France or Morocco in the final on Sunday.

Suarez was keen to recognise Messi’s achievements, the pair played together at Barcelona for six years and are believed to be close, as he said via Instagram: ‘You Never get tired of showing that you are the best in the world.

‘The whole world stops to applaud this guy and what he’s given to football. Incredible my friend!’

RELATED:

• Lionel Messi exposes Croatia weak spot before destroying them in World Cup
• Gary Lineker gives answer to finally end Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate.
• Piers Morgan reveals four greatest footballers in history after Messi’s display vs Croatia

Messi surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup tournaments by opening the scoring against Croatia. With 25 games played at the World Cup finals, he also tied German legend Lothar Matthaus’ record.

Despite the milestones, he had reached and the prospect of an upcoming World Cup final, Messi seemed calm after the game, as he told reporters: ‘We were confident that this group was going to pull it off. We know what we are and we ask the people to believe in us.

‘We have been through tough situations, other very good ones. Today, we are living something spectacular.’

The 35-year-old won’t have another chance to win the World Cup once he departs Qatar, so Sunday’s match might be the pinnacle of his spectacular career.

It will confirm him as the greatest footballer of all time for many if he follows in the footsteps of Diego Maradona, another star of Argentina.

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Luis Suarez praise Messi after Argentina advanced to the World Cup final.

Former Barcelona star, Lionel Messi claims he knew that Argentina could hurt Croatia on the counter-attack in their World Cup semi-final clash.

A penalty from Messi and two goals from Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez helped the South American team win 3-0 and advance quickly to their sixth championship game.

Messi, who was awarded man of the match, said: “This is a very wise squad. We know what to do in every second of the game. We knew the Croatians would have the ball possession but we knew this could be our strength.

“Sometimes they are disordered when they lose the ball and they left many spaces.”

On what the victory means, he added: “To see these people, the family thought the World Cup was something incredible.

RELATED:

• Gary Lineker gives answer to finally end Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate.
• Emiliano Martinez gives reason for Argentina’s victory at the 2022 World Cup
• Kylian Mbappe discusses who he wants to emulate Messi or Ronaldo.

“And we are where we wanted to be. We started off losing but we asked the people to stay confident with us because we knew. “This group is crazy, we did it. It makes me think of my family.

“It’s the best for me. We had tough times but we got the chance to experience something spectacular tonight.”

Argentina have recovered from losing their opening match to Saudi Arabia to reach the final of the competition, and Messi says the defeat taught them a lesson.

“I would say the first match was a hard blow for all of us after being unbeaten for 26 matches,” he said.

“We didn’t think we would lose against Saudi Arabia so to start that way was an acid test for our squad but we have proved how strong we are.

“It has been very difficult because every game has been a final for us – there has been a mental load. But we’ve played five finals and luckily won them all. I hope we can win the sixth one.”

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Lionel Messi exposes Croatia weak spot before destroying them in World Cup.

Emiliano Martinez has stated that the Argentina fans in Qatar have made a huge difference for the nation in their run to the final stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Tuesday night’s semi-final between Argentina and Croatia was won by Argentina, with Lionel Messi’s penalty shot and a pair of goals from Julian Alvarez making the difference.

Speaking to beIN Sports after the win, the Aston Villa goalkeeper said: “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. We lost the first game, all of a sudden everything was upside down, people doubting us because obviously, we lost our unbeaten run of 36 games.

RELATED:

• Croatia’s manager criticizes the suspicious penalty decision vs Argentina.
• Messi Journey’s To The 2022 World Cup Final With New Record
• Argentina’s Lionel Messi on reaching the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.

“Against Mexico, we were a little bit sloppy in the first half. Everyone wanted us to lose so it’s us against the rest of the world.

“I’m so glad this group of 26 players are all fighters and we have 45 million Argentinians all behind us. We feel the crowd, the streets are full of Argentinians and every time we play we are at home. There’s always 40 or 50,000 Argentinians in every ground and we’re so happy to have them.”

When asked about Lionel Messi’s fitness and if there were any concerns after the forward was seen holding his hamstring, Martinez replied: “No, no. We played 120 minutes against Holland and it was a hard game for him but as you can see he wants to finish every game. Physically he’s really good and he’s getting man of the match in every game.”

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Emiliano Martinez gives reason for Argentina’s victory at the 2022 World Cup.

Zlatko Dalic, the manager of Croatia, has criticized the decision to award Argentina a penalty in their 3-0 defeat over La Albiceleste in Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal.

Argentina will now face either France or Morocco in the final on Sunday thanks to a brace from Julian Alvarez.

Alvarez, however, earned his side a penalty in the first half after making a quick move from back to front following a goal kick before recording a goal. The Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper took him down while attempting to make a save when he attempted to lob the ball over Dominik Livakovic.

RELATED:

• Argentina’s Lionel Messi on reaching the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.
• Argentina Vs Croatia: Messi, Alvarez, Early Goals Give Argentines An Edge
• Messi Journey’s To The 2022 World Cup Final With New Record

A penalty kick was thus granted, and Lionel Messi expertly converted it.

In his post-game press conference, Dalic stated that he felt his team had been wronged twice before the opener.

“The first goal as very suspicious, to be honest. First. we had the situation with the corner. Apparently [Croatia should have had] a corner, according to the reaction of our players. Then we had the situation with the penalty… It was a little bit too cheap and easy,” he said.

Dalic, a legend in Croatia after leading them to the 2018 World Cup final, was then asked if he would be staying on as manager.

“I will continue,” he confirmed. “My contract is to 2024, after the European Champions and in six months we have the Nations League and we have World Cup qualifiers. My plan is to take Croatia to Euro 2024.”

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Croatia’s manager criticizes the suspicious penalty decision vs Argentina..

Argentina has advanced to their sixth World Cup final, and Lionel Messi has spoken, saying the team is optimistic they can ‘pull it off’ and win the competition.

The Paris Saint-Germain star scored a penalty and assisted one of Julian Alvarez’s two goals during the 3-0 semi-final victory over Croatia. He was in outstanding form throughout the game.

With five goals and three assists, Messi is now both the top goal scorer and assist giver at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The forward set a new World Cup goalscoring record for Argentina with his five goals throughout this competition.

RELATED:

• Messi Journey’s To The 2022 World Cup Final With New Record
• Luka Modric discloses his “dream” retirement strategy
• Argentina Vs Croatia: Messi, Alvarez, Early Goals Give Argentines An Edge

Speaking after the game to the press, Messi gave his assessment of the game and his nation’s run to the final: “I don’t know if it’s my best World Cup or not. I’ve been enjoying this a lot for a long time. We were confident that this group was going to pull it off. We know what we are and we ask the people to believe in us.

“We have been through tough situations, other very good ones. Today, we are living something spectacular. I’m enjoying it with all of these people and all the Argentines that are in our country. I imagine it has to be crazy.

“We knew were not the top favourites but we were not going to gift anyone anything. We showed it match by match.”

This post appeared first on Mp3bullet.ng... Read Original post on Argentina’s Lionel Messi on reaching the 2022 FIFA World Cup final..