FIFA Golden

Argentina international Pablo Zabaleta believes compatriot Lionel Messi has improved as a footballer despite failing to win the Ballon d’Or over the past couple of years. The Barcelona forward won his fifth Ballon d’Or title back in 2015 and he has watched Cristiano Ronaldo claim accolade since then.

Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos does not believe compatriot Neymar has a chance of winning the Ballon d’Or accolade until the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo call time on their respective careers. The 26-year-old made the switch from Barcelona from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer in order to enhance his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, but Carlos feels the attacker has to settle for the third position so long as Messi and Ronaldo are in form.

England manager Gareth Southgate believes that his players are now playing without any fear. He said that this fear factor has been a major stumbling block for past generation of England players and he feels that his current side is playing more freely.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Mohamed Salah has been slowly building up his reputation to the level that he could be compared with five times Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. The Egypt international scored the maiden quadruple of his professional career during the 5-0 thumping over Watford last weekend, and this sees him as the leading scorer across Europe’s top-five leagues ahead of Harry Kane and Messi.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has tipped Kevin de Bruyne to compete for the 2018 Ballon d'Or after his exceptional performances in the Citizens shirt this season. The 26-year-old has evolved into a world-class midfielder under the tutelage of Guardiola, and he recently provided a hat-trick of assists during his side's 5-1 win over Leicester City in the Premier League.

Following the game, Guardiola was asked whether the Belgian could win the prestigious Ballon d'Or, and he admitted that it is a possibility, if the midfielder goes on to lift titles with the club this term, he said: "No doubt. He is not (just doing it in) one game. It’s the whole season, every three days playing that way. But he knows and everyone knows, to be there you have to win titles - and titles and titles, especially one. But the way he’s played it’s difficult to find one (better) in Europe."

There’s always going to be a practically endless supply of different betting markets to get behind when it comes to football, and more are starting to get created and put into the limelight as more punters discover more desirable ways to bet.

Getting behind sides to win will always be a cornerstone in football betting but there’s now more options than ever before, leaving win, lose or draw as a last resort to a lot of people.

World football regulatory body FIFA are set to weigh in on transfer deals in a bid to limit the lavish spending especially across Europe. FIFA president Gianni Infantino hinted that the body was working on a set of rules to limit agent fees and transfer market expenditures in a bid to “rescue the values that made football great.”

The transfer market has been in a serious upward trend for years now. In 2017, the market witnessed a new high. French side Paris St-Germain spent almost £200 million to lure Neymar to move from Barcelona to Paris. They also paid almost £160 million for teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe in a loan plus eventual purchase deal, with the money paid dwarfing the amounts that many - including Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are capable of paying.

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has confirmed that he would like Cristiano Ronaldo to retire at the Spanish outfit. Ronaldo has been the influential player that Real Madrid over the last eight seasons. He came to Madrid in an £ 80 million deal from Manchester United in 2009.

Back then, it broke the world record for the most expensive player, but it has been money well spent for the Spanish outfit. During his time at the club, Ronaldo has been able to bring in an enormous amount of success – including two Champions League and two La Liga medals. Furthermore, he has been able to achieve a lot of individual success as well.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino feels Dele Alli has the chance to win Ballon d'Or title as he progresses further in his professional career. The England international has made himself as the go-to man in the Spurs attack ever since his debut during the 2015/16 season.

In a report covered by The Telegraph, Pochettino insists that the youngster has the capacity to secure the accolade with Spurs providing him with the best tools to become one of the world's best, he said, "Why not? It is true that he is now in another moment of his career completely different, but Dele has potential. He has that capacity and that energy, that aura that does not leave you indifferent. Hopefully, let's hope. He is still young and still has to improve and learn many things. We are trying to provide him with the best tools."

Uruguay international Edinson Cavani has revealed that he has put his differences aside with teammate Neymar, and is looking forward to helping the Brazilian win the Ballon d'Or title.

However, the two have since patched up with Cavani hoping to help Neymar secure football's most prestigious individual honour, he told Ovacion: "I spoke with him and told him what I thought, but they're things that stay in the dressing room. I'm not going to tell you what we said to each other. Individual honours will come because the team does well, that means everyone is working well. And if we have the best in the world, that's great for me. I have said several times I want him to have the Ballon d'Or because if that happens it means he'll have scored lots of goals and he'll have helped us win things."