FIFA Golden

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.

Jonjo Shelvey, the 23-year old Swansea City player who has earned a national recall, has said that the Three Lions have set the target of topping their Euro qualifying group by winning each and every match.
The Three Lions have secured wins in the 8 games that they have played so far and are already at the top of the Group E table.

After being forced into exile from the Argentina national team squad over the last couple of years, Carlos Tevez has forced himself back into the national team reckoning after a stellar campaign with Juventus.

He has been a major reason behind the club reaching the Champions League final. The former Manchester City striker has scored 28 goals in all competitions. He is the single major goal threat for the Italian outfit. For this reason, former Juventus coach Fabio Capello reckons that Tevez should be one of the contenders for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

It’s probably a fanciful question to ask and, right now, the more pertinent question about Mario Balotelli is will he still be at Liverpool next season, rather than whether he will one day fulfil his ambition of being named the Ballon d’Or.

Unless he enjoys the type of super-human run of form between now and the end of the year, the like of which is the staple of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, then Balotelli will not even register as an after-thought when it comes to the naming of the next Ballon d’Or winner in early 2016.