FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015

The field of contenders has been narrowed down and the final shortlist has been revealed. The following three players remain in the running for the prestigious FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015. Join us for the official ceremony on 11 January 2016 to find out which of these three stars will be handed the coveted award and recognized as the best individual talent for the past year in world football.

• Cristiano Ronaldo

• 

  PORTUGAL
• After winning the third FIFA Ballon d’Or of his career at the start of 2015,  Cristiano Ronaldo continued to perform at his very best, racking up the goals to end the league season as its highest scorer with 48 in all, his biggest haul in Spain to date. He very nearly ended the UEFA Champions League season as its leading marksmen as well, tying with Lionel Messi on ten goals but serving up fewer assists. Cristiano nevertheless etched his name in the Real Madrid history books by becoming the club’s leading all-time scorer, eclipsing fellow Blancolegends Alfredo Di Stefano and Raul. The Portuguese also enjoyed a productive year on the international front, skippering A Seleçao das Quinas to direct qualification for UEFA EURO 2016, a relief for him and his team-mates following three consecutive appearances in EURO and World Cup play-offs.

• Lionel MESSI

• 

  ARGENTINA
• The Argentinian star recaptured the form and sharpness that has brought him four FIFA Ballons d’Or to date. Barcelona’s leading marksman in the league with 43 goals, he fired his side to yet another title and also top-scored in their victorious UEFA Champions League campaign, contributing ten goals and six assists. One of the highlights of another hugely productive season came in the Copa del Rey final win over Athletic Bilbao, with Messi slaloming his way past several opponents on a long, mazy run before conjuring up a clinical finish inside the box. The elusive forward also played a decisive part in Argentina’s run to the final of the Copa America Chile 2015, serving up three assists, the joint-highest tally in the competition along with Chile’s Jorge Valdivia.

• NEYMAR

• 

  BRAZIL
• Coming into his own in his second season with Barcelona, Neymar consolidated his position as one third of a lethal three-pronged attack. Following the shining example set by Lionel Messi, the Brazilian was his side’s second-highest scorer in their league, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League treble-winning campaign, contributing 39 goals in 51 matches. Troubled by injury in his debut year, Neymar wasBarça’s third-most used player in the league last season. Now 23, he is keen to continue making history with his club, commenting after their UEFA Super Cup win that he has changed his game and his way of life. A devilish dribbler and deadly finisher, the gifted forward has for the last two years been the star act of a Brazil side that is now looking to rebuild after its FIFA World Cup™ woes on home soil in 2014. 

For more information visit the Fifa website here: http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/index.html

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REAL MADRID 15/16 KITS BY ADIDAS

In search of perfection, adidas and Real Madrid have unveiled their ultra clean, sharp new kits for the 2015-2016 season.

Real Madrid, a powerhouse of football excellence. Their history and heritage is showered in glory. Anything less than victory is deemed as not good enough. Arguably, they are their own biggest rivals. 

Starting with a blank canvas, this iconic white shirt gives the team a clean slate to work from as they go in search for trophies. The will to succeed and passion that surrounds the club is marked in the inside the neck, with the club crest and the inscription “hala madrid y nada más” (“Come on Madrid and nothing else”, from the club anthem).

Silver grey stripes and trim gives the shirt an all round sense of class. Super clean, super smart. A traditionally modern design is finished off with white and grey shorts and socks. The goalkeeper’s kit is black with grey stripes. The neck is different and fresh, and there is a grey edge at the bottom of the shirt that creates a contrast with the black.

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Lionel Messi and Jose Mourinho revealed as top earners in football

Lionel Messi earned more than €1 million a week last year to make him the world's highest-paid player, a France Football survey has revealed, while Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was the best-paid coach.

The magazine estimated the 27-year-old Messi picked up some €65 million in 2014 between his Barcelona salary, various bonuses and sponsorship revenue.

The Argentina international's new contract, signed only last May, saw him increase his basic annual salary to €36 million before tax, while his revenue from endorsements for companies such as Turkish Airlines and the FIFA console games has increased by €2 million to €28 million-a-year

Messi, who is likely to equal David Beckham's record of finishing top of France Football's list for a sixth time next year, is well clear of La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the Real Madrid star significantly increasing his income over the last 12 months.

Ronaldo 30, added around €15 million to his revenue to take himself to €54 million a year, while Messi's Barcelona teammate Neymar came in third, improving his own revenue from €29 million to €36.5 million.

Nine players have annual earnings of more than €20 million, including Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva, on €27.5 million a year to be Ligue 1's highest-paid player, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is eighth on €21.5 million.

Manchester United duo Robin van Persie (5th, €25.6 million) and Wayne Rooney (7th, €22.5 million) sit either side of Gareth Bale, who earns €23.8 million.

Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero is the third Premier League player in the top 10, weighing in at €21.2 million in ninth, just ahead of Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (10th, €20.2 million), with Eden Hazard and Yaya Toure joint 11th on €20 million.

Mourinho, 52, earned €18 million last year to top the poll of managers, putting him €2.5 million ahead of Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Bayern Munich's Pep Guardiola is third with €15.2 million with Premier League pair Arsene Wenger (€11.3 million) and Louis van Gaal (€10 million) completing the top five.

Top 20 players

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona): €65 million
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid): €54 million
3. Neymar (Barcelona): €36.5 million
4. Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain): €27.5 million
5. Robin Van Persie (Manchester United): €25.6 million
6. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid): €23.8 million
7. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): €22.5 million
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain): €21.5 million
9. Sergie Aguero (Manchester City): €21.2 million
10.Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich): €20.2 million
11. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and Yaya Toure (Manchester City): €20 million
13. Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao (Manchester United): €18.5 million
15. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid): €17.8 million
16. David Silva (Manchester City) and Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea): €17.3 million
18. David Luiz (Paris Saint-Germain): €17.2 million
19. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid): €17 million
20. Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich): €16.9

Top 20 coaches 

1. Jose Mourinho (Chelsea): €18 million
2. Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid): €15.5 million
3. Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich): €15.2 million
4. Arsene Wenger (Arsenal): €11.3 million
5. Louis Van Gaal (Manchester United): €10 million
6. Fabio Capello (Russia): €9 million
7. Andre Villas-Boas (Zenit Saint-Petersburg): €8.5 million
8. Sven-Goran Eriksson (Shanghai SIPG): €8 million
9. Jurgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund): €7.2 million
10. Laurent Blanc (PSG) and David Moyes (Sociedad): €7 million
12. Rafael Benitez (Napoli): €6.9 million
13. Walter Mazzarri (ex-Inter Milan): €6.8 million
14. Roberto Di Matteo (Schalke 04): €6 million
15. Luciano Spalletti (ex-Zenit) and Luis Enrique (Barcelona): €5.5 million
17. Antonio Conte (Italy): €5.3 million
18. Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City): €5.2 million
19. Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool): €4.9 million
20. Roberto Mancini (Inter Milan): €4.8 million

La Liga Top Scorers: Lionel Messi now tied with Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo vs Messi

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 6-1 demolition of Rayo Vallecano to take his tally on the season to 30 – equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s La Liga leading total for the campaign.

Lionel Messi has scored his 30 goals in 26 appearances, playing three more games than Ronaldo (and 243 additional minutes played); however Ronaldo has boosted his tally with nine penalty goals to Messi’s three. Ronaldo’s recent slump on the field combined with his suspension has allowed Messi to close the gap, scoring 15 goals in his last nine games – including three hat-tricks.

Messi vs Ronaldo - La Liga Goals Scored 2014/15

The result of Ronaldo’s goals from the spot is that his La Liga leading 1.32 goals per 90 average drops to 0.92 when adjusted for non-penalty goal situations, ranking third in the division. Messi is now the only player with at least six goals to have an average greater than 1.0 non-penalty goals per 90 as teammate Neymar separates the two players.

Non-penalty Goals

The below table contains every player with at least six goals in La Liga so far this season, with match winning goals included. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to lead the Primera Division with seven match winners (23.3% of goals have won games for his club) as Mario Mandzukic ranks second in the division on six.

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adidas New Real Madrid Home and Away Kits

adidas and Real Madrid are happy to present one of their most spectacular kits to date, celebrating another successful season for the club.

Throughout the years, the renowned white of the Real Madrid home kit has struck fear into their rivals and in homage to the successes of the club in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League this year, the jersey now features a star on the front panel that reflects in the light. The design of the shirt is inspired by the iconic symbol of the "madridismo" alongside a distinctive new collar and vibrant pink detailing. In addition, the crest has been updated with a high density thermo-stamped application that makes the jersey lighter and more comfortable. 

With the update of the home kit, adidas and Real Madrid are also proud to present the all new away kit, inverting the colours of the Home kit with a vibrant pink as the prominent colour, which has never been seen in the 112 years of history of the club. The away shirt also includes a brand new tonal crest to bring out this new colour in even the finer details of the shirt. 

 

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Nike Football: Flyknit Mercurial Superfly IV

Continuing the storied history of the boot that transformed the industry, Nike launches the new generation of the Mercurial to match the speed of today’s game. 

 
The new boot, unveiled today by Cristiano Ronaldo in Madrid, is born from four years of R&D in the Nike Sport Research Lab. Driven by insights from the world’s fastest athletes, the Superfly is created to revolutionize speed.  
 

 

First unveiled in 1998, the original Mercurial was a radical and unprecedented piece of design that established Nike as the leader in football boot innovation. With the new Mercurial Superfly, Nike has created not just another cutting-edge boot but a leap forward for on-pitch speed. 

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Nike Football Launches "Winner Stays"

Nike launched the second part of its ‘Risk Everything’ Football campaign for 2014 with a film called “Winner Stays.” While Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr. and Wayne Rooney are back, they are now joined by a host of other football superstars and a few special guests. 

 

The film opens on a park with two teams challenging each other in a pick-up game where the winner stays on. Straight away as the challenge is set, the stakes are raised: “Guess I’m Cristiano Ronaldo then,” says one. His opponent responds saying, “Yeah? Well I’m Neymar.”  

 

 In a split second a seemingly simple game between friends has become a grudge match of sorts, aided by the unique skills of some of the world’s greatest footballing talent. As the match develops, players call out the names of players to possess their specific skill, and before we know it Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain have joined the game. 

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The Mercurial Vapor IX CR7 Special Edition

In honor of a memorable season, Nike celebrates one of the world’s greatest footballers with a new, limited edition Mercurial. The Mercurial Vapor IX CR7 Special Edition commemorates Cristiano Ronaldo's remarkable season, in which he averaged more than one goal a game; became the quickest player in his club’s history to reach 200 goals for the club; and was officially recognized as the best player in the world. 

The boot features a clean and simple white upper — a nod to Ronaldo's affinity for white boots — and a special gold plate. Premium detailing and a numbered heel highlight the limited run of this special boot. 

 

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Nike Unveils Portugal Away Kit For 2014

The new Portugal away kit for the 2014 season is stylish and luxurious, infused with the best in performance innovation. 

With the white away jersey, Nike designers wanted to give Portugal a tailored, well-dressed look. It boasts a unique two-level stand collar and blue cuffs. 

On either side of the Portuguese Football Federation’s crest are the years 1914 and 2014 to commemorate the team's centenary. 

Inside the back of the neck is a white pennant tab featuring the Order of Christ, an evocative Portuguese cross that pays homage to the nation's rich seafaring history. The cross radiated from the sails of the ships helmed by great Portuguese explorers during the 15th century. 

 

 

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Portugal Unveils New Nike Home Kit For 2014

The new Portugal home kit celebrates the Portuguese Football Federation’s centenary by combining the best in performance innovation with powerful national symbols and design details, creating a unique and electrifying new look. 

 

The new Portugal home jersey boasts a tonal design of dark red and bright red stripes on the top half and sleeves. The varying sized stripes create an energizing graphic that provides a sense of speed and exhilaration. 

 
The jersey features a dark red V-neck collar and cuffs with green trim. On either side of the Portuguese Football Federation’s crest are the years 1914 and 2014 to commemorate their centenary. 

 

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