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France’s Ribéry makes Ballon d’Or shortlist

France international forward Franck Ribéry has been shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or, along with Argentinian and Portugese superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

France's Ribéry makes Ballon d'Or shortlist
French international midfielder Franck Ribery has been shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or, along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: Franck Fife

France's Franck Ribéry was shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or on Monday, along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the sport's world governing body FIFA and sponsors France Football magazine said.

French winger Ribéry was part of a Bayern Munich team that claimed an unprecedented treble of Champions League, German title and German Cup, as well as the European Supercup.

Barcelona forward Messi has already won the title four times but seems less of a hot favourite this year after an injury-hit season.

Real Madrid's Portugese striker Ronaldo won the 2008 Ballon d'Or and has been tipped to win the award this time around.

Although Ribéry plays in Germany, this year's long list for the award was seen as a sign of the growing power of French football, or at least the dominance of two clubs, with the country's Ligue 1 represented by four players, as opposed to just one last year.

French champions Paris Saint-Germain had a three-strong contingent in October's long list, including Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Brazilian defender Thiago Silva and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani.

Monaco’s Radamel Falcao was the fourth player who plies his trade in France to make the list. 

Ribéry's former Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes is up against ex-Manchester United supremo Alex Ferguson and Jurgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund) in the male coach of the year nominees.

The Ballon d'Or will be presented in Zurich on January 13th.

More to follow.

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FOOTBALL

‘Diego is eternal’: Messi pays tribute to Maradona

Lionel Messi paid tribute to Diego Maradona on Wednesday by calling him "eternal" after his fellow Argentine died of a heart attack.

'Diego is eternal': Messi pays tribute to Maradona
Diego Maradona hugs Lionel Messi after 2010 World Cup quarter final Argentina vs Germany. Photo: AFP

“A very sad day for all Argentines and football,” Messi wrote on Instagram. “He has left us but he will never leave us because Diego is eternal. I will keep all the beautiful moments that I lived with him and would like to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP.”

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)

Messi and Maradona have often been compared in the debate about who was the greatest footballer of all time.

Both players are icons in Argentina and have been likened to each other due to their global status, dribbling style and famous number 10 shirts.    

Maradona was also Messi's coach during his brief time in charge of the national team, which included Argentina being thrashed by Germany in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals.


A banner held up during 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 25, 2014. Photo: AFP

 

Maradona spent two years at Barcelona, where Messi is now captain and the club's all-time top scorer, although Maradona's greatest years were spent with Napoli in Italy.

Asked about Maradona in 2010, Messi said: “Even if I played for a million years, I'd never come close to Maradona. Not that I'd want to anyway. He's the greatest there's ever been.”

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