Sports

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

Published

4 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

JUST IN: Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in rematch to retain his unified heavyweight world titles

Published

6 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Austin Ojomah

Having inflicted a first career defeat on Briton Fury by split decision in May, Usyk’s astuteness and will to win once again prevailed at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena – and he retained his WBA (Super), WBC and WBO titles.

These prove his status as a generational great with another close points win in their rematch in Saudi Arabia.

Fury, 36, found success in the first half of the fight. Some of the more eye-catching shots came from the Morecambe fighter, but the volume of punches and cleaner work were from Ukrainian Usyk.

All three judges scored it 116-112 to the 37-year-old champion.

Usyk, an Olympic gold medallist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion, extended his undefeated record to 23 pro wins.

“He [Tyson Fury] is a great fighter, he is a great opponent. An unbelievable 24 rounds for my career. Thank you so much,” Usyk said.

Two-time world champion Fury has only ever lost to Usyk, his two defeats the major blemishes on a record also consisting of 34 wins and one draw.

Fury left the ring without conducting an interview, before IBF world champion Daniel Dubois climbed in and called for a rematch with Usyk.

A visibly frustrated figure in the moments after the scorecards were read out, Fury said backstage he was convinced he won the fight by “at least three rounds”.

Sports

NPFL: Musa nets winner for Pillars, Sunshine Stars pip El-Kanemi

Published

2 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Ahmed Musa netted the winning goal as Kano Pillars recorded a 2-1 victory over Niger Tornadoes at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Saturday.

Kano Pillars took the lead through Rashid Alhassan at the half-hour mark.

Niger Tornadoes fought back, with Mohammed Goyi equalising at the hour mark.

Musa found the target deep into stoppage time to win the game for Pillars.

Peter Awosanmi was on target as Sunshine Stars narrowly defeated El-Kanemi Warriors 1-0 at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.

In Benin City, Bendel Insurance also recorded a 1-0 victory over Lobi Stars, with Isaac Annor scoring the decisive strike in the 83rd minute.

Sports

EPL: Man City suffer another loss

Published

11 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Naijablitznews

Manchester City’s crisis snowballed as they slipped to another devastating defeat at Aston Villa.

Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers goals meant Phil Foden’s late reply for the visitors was little consolation.

Defending champions City have dropped to sixth in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Liverpool having played two games more, while Villa have moved above them into fifth.

It is now nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions for City, who are winless in their last eight away matches, as their season continues to spiral downwards.

Guardiola made six changes from the Manchester derby defeat last week but it made little difference during another laboured performance.

Villa, who had won just three of their previous 11 top-flight games, earned a much-needed victory, one which keeps their top-four hopes firmly alive.

They were rarely troubled, although Emi Martinez saved well from Foden in the first half, and Villa continually found ways past City’s frail backline.

The tone was set inside the first minute as City needed Stefan Ortega, in for the injured Ederson, to twice bail them out.

He brilliantly turned Pau Torres’ header on to the bar, the goalkeeper clawing the ball out from almost over the line, having already saved from Duran following Josko Gvardiol’s mistake after just 15 seconds.

Worse was to come after 16 minutes when City were sliced open by Youri Tielemans’ brilliant through-ball. He found Rogers to advance and unselfishly square for Duran to beat Ortega.

City were unable to respond until it was too late and Rogers, who spent two years at Etihad Stadium without making a senior City appearance, sealed victory for Villa with a fine low finish after 65 minutes, making Foden’s injury-time strike meaningless.

BBC