Sports

FULL LIST: Lookman, Saka nominated for 2024 Ballon d’Or

Published

6 months ago

September 5, 2024

Admin

Nigeria and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.

The organisers of the most prestigious individual award in football announced the nominees on Wednesday.

Lookman earned the nomination after scoring a stunning hat-trick for Atalanta as the Italian club ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run and won the Europa League final 3-0 in May 2024.

Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka, Manchester City’s Norwegian star Erling Haaland, and England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane are on the list as well, but there is no place for eight-time winner Lionel Messi and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi, aged 37, and 39-year-old Ronaldo are out of the Ballon d’Or nominees for the first time since 2003.

Messi, who claimed the eighth Ballon d’Or of his glittering career last year, is not among the 30 contenders this time despite winning another title with Argentina at the Copa America in July.

The former Barcelona superstar, now playing club football in MLS for Inter Miami, was also missing from the nominees in 2022 when Karim Benzema took the honours.

However, he returned to win last year after leading Argentina to glory at the World Cup in Qatar.

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior is among the favourites and is one of six members of the Madrid team that won La Liga and the Champions League last season to be nominated.

Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Antonio Ruediger, and Fede Valverde are the others, while Kylian Mbappe – who left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for Real Madrid over the close season – features too.

Carvajal is among the contenders from the victorious Spain team alongside Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Nico Williams, and Lamine Yamal.

Xabi Alonso, who won the Bundesliga in an unbeaten season with Bayer Leverkusen, is among the favourites for best coach.

His rivals include Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti and Spain’s Luis de la Fuente.

Meanwhile, Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona and Spain will hope to retain the women’s Ballon d’Or.

Former winners Ada Hegerberg and Alexia Putellas are also nominated, along with five members of the United States’ Olympic gold medal-winning team in Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horanm and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

The Ballon d’Or is voted for by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA’s world ranking.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony is due to take place in Paris on October 28.

Below is the full list of the nominees:

Ballon d’Or shortlist

Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid

Phil Foden – Man City

Ruben Dias – Man City

Federico Valverde – Real Madrid

Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa

Erling Haaland – Man City

Nicolas Williams – Athletic Bilbao

Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen

Artem Dovbik – Roma

Toni Kroos – Real Madrid

Vinicius Jr – Real Madrid

Dani Olmo – RB Leipzig/Barcelona

Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen

Martin Odegaard – Arsenal

Matts Hummels – Borussia Dortmund

Rodri – Man City

Harry Kane – Bayern Munich

Declan Rice – Arsenal

Vitinha – PSG

Cole Palmer – Chelsea

Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid

Lamine Yamal – Barcelona

Bukayo Saka – Arsenal

Hakan Calhanoglu – Inter Milan

William Saliba – Arsenal

Kylian Mbappe – PSG/Real Madrid

Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan

Ademola Lookman – Atalanta

Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid

Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen

Lookman

Kopa Trophy shortlist

Pau Cubarsi – Barcelona

Alejandro Garnacho – Manchester United

Arda Guler – Real Madrid

Karim Konate – RB Salzburg

Kobbie Mainoo – Manchester United

Joao Neves – Benfica/PSG

Savinho – Girona/Man City

Mathys Tel – Bayern Munich

Lamine Yamal – Barcelona

Warren Zaire-Emery – PSG

Men’s Coach of the Year shortlist

Xabi Alonso – Bayer Leverkusen

Carlo Ancelotti – Real Madrid

Luis De La Fuente – Spain

Gian Piero Gasperini – Atalanta

Pep Guardiola – Man City

Lionel Scaloni – Argentina

Team of the Year shortlist

Borussia Dortmund

Girona

Bayer Leverkusen

Real Madrid

Manchester City

Sports

Racism probe: Mourinho gets 4-game ban for Galatasaray comments

Published

4 days ago

February 28, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Fenerbahçe manager, José Mourinho, has been handed a ban for his comments following their 0-0 draw with Galatasaray last weekend.

After the Istanbul Derby on Sunday, Mourinho criticised the Galatasaray bench for “jumping like monkeys” following an early challenge.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss also claimed the match would have been a “disaster” if a Turkish referee had been put in charge instead of Slovenian official Slavko Vinčić.

Galatasaray later issued a strong statement accusing Mourinho of racism and threatening legal action.

In response, Fenerbahçe hit back with a statement of their own, insisting their coach’s comments were “completely taken out of context and an attempt was made to deliberately distort them”.

Now, according to Sky Sports, the Turkish Football Federation has decided to punish Mourinho with a two-game ban for racist comments and a further two-match suspension for offensive remarks made about the fourth official.

Sports

Chelsea emphatic win against Southampton gives them hope of top four finish

Published

6 days ago

February 26, 2025

Austin Ojomah

Chelsea stormed back into Premier League top four with a commanding 4-0 victory over struggling Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

The emphatic win lifted Enzo Maresca’s side to fourth place, reigniting hopes of a Champions League return after three consecutive defeats had cast doubt over their campaign.

Amid growing frustration among supporters—who gathered pre-match to chant for former owner Roman Abramovich—Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring with a courageous header, marking his 14th goal of the season.

The French star celebrated in trademark style, blowing a blue balloon, signaling a return of belief at the Bridge.

Pedro Neto doubled Chelsea’s lead with a clinical strike before Levi Colwill powered home a header from a Neto free-kick just before halftime.

The Blues capped their largest Premier League victory since 2022 when Marc Cucurella slotted in the fourth late on, ensuring the dominant display didn’t go unrewarded.

Facing pointed questions after defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton, Maresca insisted Chelsea were “on the right track.”

His side answered emphatically, though critics might note Southampton’s woeful form—bottom of the table with just nine points from 27 matches.

For Southampton, the defeat further deepened their crisis.

With 11 goals conceded in their last three league games and manager Ivan Juric branding the season a “disaster,” the Saints look destined to replicate their 2022-23 relegation woes.

While Chelsea’s top-four hopes received a boost, their position remains precarious.

For now, though, Chelsea can take solace in a performance that suggests Maresca’s project may yet bear fruit.

Manchester City and Newcastle could reclaim fourth spot with wins in their midweek fixtures.

Sports

Sad! Uganda based Nigerian footballer, Lawal falls to death from shopping mall

Published

7 days ago

February 25, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Police on Monday said they were investigating the death of Nigerian footballer Abubakar Lawal who fell from a shopping mall balcony in Kampala.

The 29-year-old striker played for local premiership club Vipers.

He fell from the third floor of Voicemall Shopping Arcade early on Monday, police said in a statement.

He had been visiting a Tanzanian friend staying in one of the residential apartments that form part of the mall.

The friend told police she had left him alone shortly before the fall.

Authorities are retrieving CCTV footage and conducting thorough interrogations to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident,” police said.

The Vipers Sports Club said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to announce the sudden and untimely passing of our beloved player, Abubakar Lawal, who left us this morning.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Lawal’s family, club fans, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” it added.

Lawal had been the team’s striker since joining the club in July 2022 after two years with AS Kigali in Rwanda.