FIFA Golden

Lionel Messi is the most successful player in the planet when it comes to FIFA Ballon d’Or awards.

He has won this accolade five times in his career, which is a new record. His closest competitor still playing the game is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the title three times. In the past eight seasons, these two players have shared with the title between each other. Kaka was the last player outside the duo to have won this title. It would be easy to say that Messi has been the best player in the world, but the Barcelona superstar disagrees with this comment.

Lionel Messi may have been in Spain from the start of his teens, but he has revealed his inner desire to play in the Argentinean league at some time in the future.

The latest revelation comes amidst speculation that the Barcelona superstar may not want to retire at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic reckons that a number of players from the Catalan club should have featured in the shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

This award is seen as the ultimate achievement in the life of a professional footballer, as it is awarded to the best player in the world. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been sharing the award for almost 8 seasons. Messi has nominated this mini contest with five compared to Ronaldo’s three titles. The 2016 award is likely to go to either of these stars, but the names on the shortlist evoke a lot of talking points.

Hertha Berlin is currently in contention to make it to Champions League, but, Salomon Kalou, who is one of the stars at the club, is of the view that it’s something that the players shouldn’t pressurize themselves about and instead should take it more as a source of motivation.

Hertha has not played in Champions League for the last 15 years, but, the fact that they are sitting comfortably at the third position in the standings of the German top division at the moment, it has given a lot of belief to the supporters that the team would make it to Europe this time around.

Since 2008, the FIFA Ballon d’Or, or FIFA World Player of the Year, has been an exclusive club for two of the greatest players of all-time. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award on three occasions, and five-time winner Lionel Messi are the only players to win the prestigious trophy in recent years.

The former coach of Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has been impressed by the evolution and growth that Luis Suarez has been displaying ever since he joined Barcelona. Rodgers believes Luis Suarez is on the path of becoming the best player in the world.

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed that he is not obsessed with the FIFA Ballon d’Or award as everyone thinks he is.

After winning this title for the last two seasons, it is widely anticipated that the Portuguese superstar will hand over the crown to either Lionel Messi or Neymar. Both these players have not only been successful on a personal level, but they have also achieved immensely with their respective clubs last season. Apart from winning the league title, both Neymar and Messi have lifted the Champions League crown with Barcelona.

After being involved in the Copa America 2015, it was feared that South American names like Lionel Messi and Neymar will not be at the best of the physical condition for the start of the new year.

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré says that it is about time that the FIFA Ballon d’Or award started recognising more African players.

Lionel Messi is one of the favourites to win the upcoming FIFA Ballon d’Or award and Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says that he will be the right choice.

Messi experienced vast amount of success last season. It came in the form of Champions League and domestic titles. Even though his Argentina national team came close to winning two major honours – World Cup and Copa America, Josep Maria Bartomeu says that success with Barcelona alone was not matched by any other player on the planet. They should make him a default choice to be crowned as the best player in the world.