Messi gets Wenger Ballon d’Or backing

Messi gets Wenger Ballon d’Or backing

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Barcelona forward Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or for his ‘outrageous’ exploits in front of goal.

Messi, his Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo are all in with a chance to win this year's Balloon d'Or prize.
The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player who is judged to have performed the best in the previous season and takes into account the votes of coaches, international captains and journalists worldwide.
Many have touted Messi, winner of the past three Ballon d'Or awards, to win it once again this year following an incredible season with the Blaugrana which saw him net an incredible 76 goals in 60 appearances.
And Wenger claims that despite facing strong competition from Ronaldo and Iniesta, Messi should bag the award once again after his record-breaking season with Barcelona.
"It's very difficult. For the class, Messi [should win it]," Wenger was quoted as saying by the official Arsenal website.
"He's scored 76 goals in one year. It looks just outrageous to me.
"Therefore it would be one thing to reward something exceptional."
The 63-year-old manager added that he would not begrudge either Ronaldo or Iniesta the award either, given the success they helped lead their club and country to.

"Ronaldo has always been there and he deserves it as well," Wenger declared.
"He won the Spanish championship after all.
"Iniesta won the European Championship with the national team and therefore, you could reward him.
"I'm not a big fan of these things.
"If you judge purely on class, you judge Messi.
"If you want the achievement of the year, you would choose Ronaldo and maybe Iniesta in second. That's how I see it."
The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be announced on 7 January.

Messi and Ronaldo Watch:

Lionel Messi Closes on Record, Real Madrid Lose:

For one, it was another week of smooth sailing. For the other, not so much.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo experienced differing fortunes this past week, and as usual, we're here to document it all for the world's two biggest football superstars.
Barcelona kept winning, both in Europe and back home. Real Madrid, meanwhile, drew once and lost once in a week that had manager Jose Mourinho pointing fingers in multiple directions.
How did our two superstars fare this week? Keep reading for all the updates.

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Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for La Liga club FC Barcelona and is the captain of the Argentina national team, playing mainly as a forward. Wikipedia

Born: June 24, 1987 (age 25), Rosario

Height: 1.69 m

Partner: Antonella Roccuzzo

Position: Forward

Parents: Celia Maria Cuccittini, Jorge Horacio Messi

Awards: FIFA World Player of the Year, Ballon d'Or, The Pichichi Trophy,

Soccer History

Soccer History
Soccer/football is one of the most popular sports in Americas and the Europe. It has a vivid and interesting olden times in the world of sports. Early evidence of soccer being played as a sport finds occurrence in China during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. In China, it was during the Han dynasty that people dribbled leather balls by kicking it into a small net. Recorded facts also support the fact that Romans and Greeks used to play ball for fun and frolic. Some facts point to Kyoto in Japan where kicking of ball was a popular sport.
It is said that early growth of the modern soccer started in England. Some amusing facts even mention that the first ball used was the head of some Danish brigand. It is said that during medieval times, the old form of soccer used to allow many ill practices like kicking, punching, biting and gouging. The main aim was to carry the ball to a target spot. People grew so fond of the game that they would throng the field all day long. Sometimes the competition grew fierce and masses got so wild that there were frequent incidents of violence during the game. It is also said that soldiers admired the game so much that they missed archery practice to watch it.

 

King Edward III banned soccer in 1365 owing to the growing incidents of violence and military indulgence in the sport. In 1424 King James I of Scotland also proclaimed in the Parliament— "Na man play at the Fute-ball" (No man shall play football)

When and where exactly did soccer start is a question that has no precise answer to it. You can easily say that this popular game has been played for more than three thousand years. The nativity of modern-day soccer must be credited to Britain. It was also known as the association football, with Scotland and England being the co-founders of the systematic game of soccer.

Modern History of Soccer: 18th Century onwards

In 1815, a major development took place that made soccer popular in Universities, Colleges and Schools. The popular English School and Eton College came forth with a set of rules, known as the Cambridge Rules. Football was segregated into two groups; some colleges and schools opted for Rugby rules that allowed tripping, shin kicking and also carrying the ball. These rules were exclusively prohibited as per the Cambridge rules.

The history of modern-day soccer was established in 1863. In October 1863, eleven representatives from London clubs and schools met at the Freemason’s Tavern to set up common fundamental rules to control the matches amongst themselves. The outcome of this meeting was the formation of the Football Association. In December 1863, the Rugby Football and Association football finally split as the supporters of the Rugby School rules walked out.

Firmly establishing the foundation of soccer in 1869, the Football Association strictly banned any kind of handling of the ball. Soccer’s popularity spread rapidly during the 1800s as British sailors, traders and soldiers introduced the sport to different parts of the globe.

Italians, Austrians and Germans drew to Europe, while Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil adopted the sport in South America. FIFA was established in the year 1904 and by early 1930s, different leagues were operating from various countries. FIFA is credited with organizing the first world cup in Uruguay. The history of soccer is rich with events, development and its growing craze all over the world. You will find yourself amazed as you learn about different times of this wonderful sport that has held our awe and admiration for over 3000 years.