query: who has more individual awards ronaldo or messi

pos: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry League history. They dominated the Ballon d'Or/The Best FIFA Men's Player awards since 2008, and UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award since 2014, however, in 2018 their roughly decade-long triumph was ended by Luka Modrić, seen as "end of an era". However, Modrić stated in an interview for the "France Football" that "history will say that a Croatian player, representing his small country, won the Ballon d'Or after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are players at another level. Nobody has the right to compare themselves to them. They are the best in the history of this sport", and

pos: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry did not think it was the end for them. In recent years, it has been said that the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has been "encapsulated" by the individual rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi, with neither player ever participating in a goalless "El Clásico". Messi–Ronaldo rivalry The Messi–Ronaldo rivalry is a football rivalry between fans of Argentinian forward Lionel Messi and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and supposedly between the athletes themselves. Having won a combined ten Ballon d'Or/FIFA Ballon d'Or awards (5 each), both are widely regarded not only as the two best players of their generation, but also

pos: FIFA Ballon d'Or FIFA Ballon d'Or were dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as part of their ongoing rivalry. Barcelona's Messi won the inaugural Ballon d'Or in 2010 and went on to win three in a row, after his wins in 2011 and 2012. Ronaldo, who plays for Juventus, won successive awards in the next two years. The final FIFA Ballon d'Or was presented to Messi in 2015. Its awarding bodies subsequently ended their partnership; for 2016, "France Football" reintroduced the previous format of the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA created The Best FIFA Men's Player award. Historically, the leading individual awards in

pos: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry Messi–Ronaldo rivalry The Messi–Ronaldo rivalry is a football rivalry between fans of Argentinian forward Lionel Messi and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and supposedly between the athletes themselves. Having won a combined ten Ballon d'Or/FIFA Ballon d'Or awards (5 each), both are widely regarded not only as the two best players of their generation, but also regarded by many as the greatest of all time. Both players have regularly broken the 50 goal barrier in a single season and have scored over 600 goals each in their careers for club and country. Sports journalists and pundits regularly argue the individual merits

pos: Spanish football rivalries of the top playing talent and have stadia which are among the largest in Europe. In the early 21st century, a significant rivalry developed between the two most prominent forwards in each team, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentinian Lionel Messi, who consistently vied to break goalscoring records and win global individual awards in addition to helping their clubs to several major finals, with their mutual levels of performance seldom seen in the past – this added a new element to the matches between them and generated even more attention from media and supporters. The third team in the original triad

pos: Luka Modrić that the awards were not won by Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, which was seen in the media as an end to their decade-long triumphant rivalry. Furthermore, besides becoming the first Croatian player to win these awards, Modrić was the first player to win both the World Cup Golden Ball and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award in the same year since Ronaldo in 1998, and the World Cup Golden Ball and the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award after Romário in 1994. Additionally, he is the first player to win the awards from the former

pos: Luka Modrić than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the awards in more than a decade. Modrić made his international debut for Croatia against Argentina in March 2006, and scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Italy. Modrić has since anchored Croatia's "second Golden Generation", participating in every major tournament Croatia has qualified for, including the 2008, 2012, and UEFA Euro 2016, as well the 2006, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cup. At UEFA Euro 2008, he was selected for the Team of the Tournament, becoming only the second Croatian to ever achieve this honor. Following group stage

pos: Lionel Messi City 4–0. On 1 November, Messi scored his 54th Champions League group stage goal in Barcelona's 3–1 away loss to Manchester City, surpassing the previous record of 53 goals held by Raúl. On 12 November, Messi placed second in the 2016 Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who claimed the award for the fourth time. He finished the year with 51 goals, making him Europe's top scorer, one ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimović. After placing second in the 2016 Ballon d'Or, on 9 January 2017 Messi also finished in second place – behind Cristiano Ronaldo once again – in the 2016 Best

pos: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry and Messi 181 million, though Messi does not have a Twitter account. In 2007, Ronaldo and Messi finished as runners-up to A.C. Milan's Kaká in both the Ballon d'Or, an award rewarded to the player voted as the best in the world by an international panel of sports journalists; and the FIFA World Player of the Year, an award voted for by coaches and captains of international teams. In an interview that year, Messi was quoted as saying "Cristiano Ronaldo is an extraordinary player and it would be brilliant to be in the same team as him". They first played

pos: Ballon d'Or the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in the year that rules of eligibility were changed. Ronaldo of Internazionale became the first South American winner two years later. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the award a record five times each. Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff of Ajax and Barcelona, Michel Platini of Juventus and Marco van Basten of Milan. With seven awards each, Dutch, German and Portuguese players won the most Ballons d'Or. Spanish club Barcelona has the most winners, with 11 wins. Between 2010 and 2015

pos: 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or 29 October 2012. There were three voters per FIFA member federation, one journalist and the coaches and captain of the national men's team. Each picked a first (5 points), second (3 points) and third choice (1 point), with their choices made public by FIFA. This was cut to a set of three "finalists" – Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Cristiano Ronaldo – on 29 November 2012. The odds-on favourite Lionel Messi won the award. Messi won all three FIFA Ballons d'Or since its inception in 2010 and also won both predecessor awards (the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of

pos: Lionel Messi Adidas boots, the Adidas Messi. As a commercial entity, Messi's marketing brand has been based exclusively on his talents and achievements as a player, in contrast to arguably more glamorous players like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. At the start of his career, he thus mainly held sponsorship contracts with companies that employ sports-oriented marketing, such as Adidas, Pepsi, and Konami. From 2010 onwards, concurrently with his increased achievements as a player, his marketing appeal widened, leading to long-term endorsement deals with luxury brands Dolce & Gabbana and Audemars Piguet. Messi is also a global brand ambassador for Gillette, Turkish

pos: Lionel Messi in his 122nd European club appearance, Messi scored his 97th UEFA Champions League goal, and his 100th in all UEFA club competitions, in a 3–1 home victory over Olympiakos. Messi became only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to reach this century milestone, but accomplished it in 21 fewer appearances than the Portuguese counterpart. On 23 October, Messi finished as the runner-up behind Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 Best FIFA Men's Player award for the second consecutive year. On 4 November, he made his 600th appearance for Barcelona in a 2–1 home win over Sevilla in La Liga. Following the reception

pos: El Clásico he was "concerned" that due to the rising hatred between the two clubs, that this could cause friction in the Spain team. In recent years, the rivalry has been "encapsulated" by the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Following the star signings of Neymar and Luis Suárez to Barcelona, and Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to Madrid, the rivalry was expanded to a battle of the clubs attacking trios, BBC (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) against MSN (Messi, Suárez, Neymar). Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018, and in the week prior to the first meeting of the teams in

pos: Lionel Messi by "Time", in 2011 and 2012. His fanbase on the social media website Facebook is among the largest of all public figures: within seven hours of its launch in April 2011, his Facebook page had nearly seven million followers, and by November 2013, he had become only the second sportsperson, after Cristiano Ronaldo, to amass over 50 million followers. He has over 97 million Instagram followers, the third highest for a sportsperson, after Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. According to a 2014 survey by sports research firm Repucom in 15 international markets, Messi was familiar to 87% of respondents around the

pos: UEFA Team of the Year for best coach was discontinued. After the votes are cast, they are tallied and the final team is announced on the UEFA website. The player with the most appearances in the team is Cristiano Ronaldo, having appeared twelve times. Second is Lionel Messi, having appeared nine times. Joint third are Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Ramos, who all have six appearances each. The most consecutive appearances in the team is eleven for Cristiano Ronaldo (2007–2017), followed by Iker Casillas with six (2007–2012), and both Thierry Henry (2001–2005) and Lionel Messi (2008–2012) with five. The teams with the

pos: Eden Hazard with his finishing and inability to be dispossessed easily led to his former coach Claude Puel dubbing him "little Messi", in reference to the Barcelona player. Puel's sentiments were later echoed by former Marseille manager and media personality Rolland Courbis who commented "At times it looks to me like Lionel Messi on the right-hand side". Hazard's "flair and tricky" style of play has been described as being similar to Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo; a comparison later repeated by former French international Christophe Dugarry. His vision, described as being the trait he has improved on the most, has also allowed

pos: Lionel Messi an economic crisis, it was reported that three of the national team's security staff told Messi that they haven't been given their salaries for six months. He stepped in and paid the salaries of the three members. Among his contemporary peers, Messi is most often compared and contrasted with Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, as part of an ongoing rivalry that has been compared to past sports rivalries like the Muhammad Ali–Joe Frazier rivalry in boxing, the Björn Borg–John McEnroe rivalry in tennis, and the Ayrton Senna–Alain Prost rivalry from Formula One. Although Messi has at times denied any rivalry, they

pos: Lionel Messi annual sports events. Off the pitch, Ronaldo is his direct competitor in terms of salary, sponsorships, and social media fanbase. According to "France Football", Messi was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014; he was the first player to exceed the €40 million benchmark, with earnings of €41 million in 2013, and the €50–€60 million points, with income of €65 million in 2014. Messi was second on "Forbes" list of the world's highest-paid athletes (after Cristiano Ronaldo) with income of $81.4 million from his salary and endorsements in 2015–16. In 2018 he was

pos: Idris Elba a collaboration with British fashion label Superdry, which launched at the end of November 2015. Elba hosted The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017 at the London Palladium on 23 October 2017. During the show he took a selfie of "the best team in the world" which included Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. Elba has been married twice; first to Hanne "Kim" Nørgaard (1999 until 2003) and then to Sonya Nicole Hamlin (for four months in 2006). He has two children, daughter Isan (born 2002) and son Winston (born 2014). Isan's mother is Elba's Danish ex-wife Kim. Isan currently resides

pos: The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017 three nominees were announced on 22 September 2017. Celtic supporters won the award with nearly 56% of the vote. The 55–player men's shortlist was announced on 20 September 2017. The players chosen included Gianluigi Buffon as goalkeeper, Dani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo as defenders, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, and Andrés Iniesta as midfielders, and Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar as forwards. The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017 The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017 were held on 23 October 2017 in London, England. The ceremony was held at the London Palladium and was hosted by Idris Elba

pos: FIFA eWorld Cup the event. In 2016, the FIFA Interactive World Cup World Ranking was introduced to help seed the players in the tournament according to their previous results. The ranking takes into account both the qualification phase for the current edition and previous FIWC Grand Finals. FIFA Interactive World Ranking explained The FeWC 2018 champion received $250,000 in prize money and a ticket to the Best FIFA Awards where he has the chance to meet the greatest of the real football world. FIWC 2015 Champion Abdulaziz Alshehri from Saudi Arabia was able to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi among many others,

pos: Tsubasa Oozora real-life player Rivaldo becomes his mentor during the manga "Road to 2002". In 2016, Takahashi compared Tsubasa with Lionel Messi—another Barcelona player. Takahashi highly enjoyed drawing Tsubasa's life in the Barcelona team. Since the manga started, Takahashi has been inspired by the Barcelona team. Takahashi also linked Tsubasa to Andrés Iniesta, who inspired him during a fictional match between the Real Madrid and Barcelona from the manga "Road to 2002". The rivalry between Tsubasa and another character Kojiro Hyuga was also linked with the rivalry between Messi and Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo due to their powerful clashes. When Japan

pos: 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or The 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala was the fifth year for FIFA's awards for the top football players and coaches of the year. The awards were given out in Zürich on 12 January 2015. Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d'Or as the World Player of the Year for a second consecutive time, having won it previously last year.This was his third Ballon d'Or win overall, placing him second to only Lionel Messi for the most wins in the history of the award. Nadine Keßler was named as the Women's World

pos: Raúl (footballer) League history, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and the fifth most capped player. In 2003, he was appointed captain of the team and retained that position until his departure from the club in 2010. In La Liga competitions, Raúl is the fifth-highest goalscorer in the history of the competition with 228 goals, behind Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Telmo Zarra and fellow Real Madrid legend Hugo Sánchez. He is also the highest Spanish scorer in European leagues, with 256 goals, scoring 228 goals in La Liga and 28 goals in the Bundesliga. He is also the second-most capped player in

pos: 2009 Ballon d'Or have won the Ballon d'Or as an Italian player. Additionally, another player was nominated but received no votes: Karim Benzema (Lyon, Real Madrid). 2009 Ballon d'Or The 2009 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona on 1 December 2009. Messi won the award by a then record margin, 240 points ahead of 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Xavi was the second Barcelona player in the top three, finishing a further 63 points behind Ronaldo. Messi's win made him the first Argentine-born

pos: 2009 Ballon d'Or 2009 Ballon d'Or The 2009 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona on 1 December 2009. Messi won the award by a then record margin, 240 points ahead of 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Xavi was the second Barcelona player in the top three, finishing a further 63 points behind Ronaldo. Messi's win made him the first Argentine-born player to win the award since Omar Sívori in 1961; however, Sívori had taken Italian citizenship by that time and is recognised to

pos: Nicolas Timmermans Nicolas Timmermans Nicolas Timmermans is a Belgian footballer who plays for Eupen in the Belgian First Division A as a right-back. Although not technically one of the greats, such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, he is well known due to the Fifa franchise of football games. His name has been used for the act of doing a 'Timmermans' shot, which is where a wide player, generally a full-back, goes for goal from out wide near the half-way line using an abundance of outside swerve to make the ball hit the far post and go in after the ball has

pos: Association football culture is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration is normally performed by the goalscorer, and may involve his or her teammates, the manager or coaching staff and/or the supporters of the team. Whilst referring to the celebration of a goal in general, the term can also be applied to specific actions, such as a player removing his shirt or performing a somersault. Many unique goal celebrations have been immortalized, such as in a statue (Thierry Henry), advertisements (Ronaldo), postage stamps (Pelé), magazine covers, or in video games: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi among many others

pos: Stephan El Shaarawy playing style has drawn comparisons with FIFA World Player of the Year winner Cristiano Ronaldo. El Shaarawy cites former Milan playmaker Kaká as his role model. Milan legend José Altafini compared El Shaarawy to Brazilian international Neymar and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi: "El Shaarawy reminds me of Neymar and Messi. They have a low center of gravity. They play with the ball glued to their feet. He has already proven that he's a good player. The important thing is not to bulk him up too much". In spite of his talent, however, he has often struggled with injuries.

pos: 2006–07 FA Premier League Blackburn Rovers against Charlton Athletic on 21 February 2004. In those two cases, the teams they played for lost. Robinson became the first keeper to score for the winning team in a Premiership match. This season's awards were dominated by Manchester United, who, as a team, picked up a total of eight individual awards, five of which went to Cristiano Ronaldo. They also had eight players in the Team of the Year. The PFA Players' Player of the Year award for 2007 was won by Cristiano Ronaldo. He had won the PFA Young Player of the Year award earlier on

pos: Lionel Messi d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins. Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning three consecutive FIFA Ballons d'Or, including an unprecedented fourth. His best campaign statistically to date was the 2011–12 season, in which he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer in official competitions in March 2012. The following two seasons, Messi finished twice second for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, his perceived career rival. Messi regained his best form during the 2014–15 campaign, breaking

pos: European Golden Shoe with Barcelona. Messi holds the all-time record for goals in a single season with 50 in 2011–12; it also accumulated to a record 100 points. Messi was also the youngest player to win the award for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th time. Bayern Munich's Gerd Müller was the first player to win the award twice, in 1969–70 and 1971–72. Messi was the first player to win the award three times, Cristiano Ronaldo was the first player to win the award four times, and Messi again was the first, and so far only, player to win it five times. Only

pos: Zinedine Zidane that he is back in the French international team." Zidane has been lauded by sportsmen outside football; having witnessed Zidane's goal against Deportivo La Coruña in January 2002, where he dragged the ball right then left, turning the defender inside out, before scoring with a left foot finish, basketball player Magic Johnson stated, "One of the most inspiring nights of my life. Zidane is a phenomenon." Zidane has been named FIFA World Player of the Year three times, a feat achieved only by Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2002, ESPN described Zidane as "the greatest player in the

pos: Cristiano Ronaldo describing them as an "intentional defamation campaign" with parts significantly "altered and/or completely fabricated", a claim which "Der Spiegel" categorically refuted. Sporting CP Manchester United Real Madrid Portugal Notes Citations Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, the most for a European player, and is the

pos: Nicolas Timmermans swerved a number of metres. Nicolas Timmermans Nicolas Timmermans is a Belgian footballer who plays for Eupen in the Belgian First Division A as a right-back. Although not technically one of the greats, such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, he is well known due to the Fifa franchise of football games. His name has been used for the act of doing a 'Timmermans' shot, which is where a wide player, generally a full-back, goes for goal from out wide near the half-way line using an abundance of outside swerve to make the ball hit the far post and go

pos: Trofeo EFE Trofeo EFE Trofeo EFE is an annual football award given by the EFE news agency since the 1990–91 season to the best Latin-American player in La Liga. Recipients are selected based on assessments from the agency's sports editors. The inaugural winner was Rommel Fernández and the most recent recipient is Keylor Navas. Iván Zamorano and Ronaldo Nazário have won the award twice. Fernando Redondo received a special distinction as the best player of the 1990s decade. Strangely, Cristiano Ronaldo somehow managed to collect the award despite not hailing from Ibero-America. Lionel Messi won the award a record five times, more

pos: Arkadiusz Milik Milik began dating professional Polish model Jessica Ziółek. Milik features on the cover of the Polish version of "FIFA 16" alongside global cover star Lionel Messi. Milik is a devoted fan of Manchester United. Milik says he "dreams of playing for Manchester United", but insists he's "far from it". Milik's childhood football hero is Cristiano Ronaldo; in an interview during Euro 2016, he said he followed Ronaldo closely and had been inspired by the Portuguese striker. Arkadiusz Milik Arkadiusz Krystian "Arek" Milik (; born 28 February 1994) is a Polish footballer who plays as a striker for Italian club Napoli

pos: The Best FIFA Men's Player for merge of the two major player awards with "France Football". The six editions of the FIFA Ballon d'Or were dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as part of their ongoing rivalry. In 2016, the Ballon d’Or again lost its ‘FIFA’ tag and would be voted for exclusively by journalists, while the FIFA World Player of the Year award — which ran from 1991 to 2009 — was resurrected, this time as The Best FIFA Men's Player. According to reports, FIFA’s decision not to renew the deal was made in order to improve the organisation’s strained relationship with England’s

pos: Harry Kane city, including quadruple Olympic champion Mo Farah and Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard, highlighting London's diversity. Ahead of UEFA Euro 2016, Kane featured in advertisements for Mars Bars and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, the latter alongside Antoine Griezmann, Mario Götze and Cesc Fàbregas. Kane features in EA Sports' "FIFA" video game series: he was named in the Team of the Year in "FIFA 18", joining Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in attack. Kane and Camila Cabello announced the winner of the "Best International Male Solo Artist" award at the 2018 Brit Awards at the O Arena on 21 February, namely

pos: Matty Burrows the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with "The Sun" claiming that the two would be "proud to score a goal like that". The goal was shortlisted for the 2010 FIFA Puskás Award, which honours the player judged to have scored the "most beautiful" goal of the year. However, Burrows lost out at the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony on 10 January 2011 to Bayern Munich and Turkey midfielder Hamit Altıntop, for his volleyed goal in Turkey's UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying game against Kazakhstan on 3 September 2010. In January 2012, he asked to go out on loan. After no

pos: Antoine Griezmann three forwards in the Team of the Year at the LFP Awards, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. On 22 August 2015, Griezmann scored the only goal as Atlético began the season with a home victory over promoted Las Palmas. He scored both of the goals on 15 September, as they won at Galatasaray in the Champions League group stage. A week later, he repeated the feat to defeat local neighbours Getafe and put Atlético on top of the league. On 18 October, in his return to Real Sociedad, Griezmann chipped goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli in the ninth minute of a

pos: AB de Villiers Waar" with his friend and South African singer Ampie du Preez. He is also a Manchester United fan, having followed the club since Ryan Giggs's debut. De Villiers said that his favourite footballer is Lionel Messi as he was asked by a fan to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on Twitter. AB de Villiers Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984), commonly known as AB de Villiers, is a former South African cricketer who played for the South African national team. He holds many batting records, including the world's fastest One-Day International (ODI) 50, 100 and 150,

pos: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (PES 2012, known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2012 in Asia) is a video game which is the eleventh edition in the "Pro Evolution Soccer" series developed and published by Konami (and MicroByte in Argentina) with production assistance from the Blue Sky Team. Lionel Messi, who was the cover star for the series since "PES 2009", was replaced by "PES 2008" cover star Cristiano Ronaldo, while Shinji Kagawa replaces Messi as the cover star for the Japanese version. The US and Latin American cover features the back then Santos player Neymar and

pos: Icons.com Icons.com Icons.com is an online retailer of authentic signed sports memorabilia based in Kentish Town, London. The website was launched in 1999 initially as the leading portal for the personal websites of the world’s top footballers. Since late 2008, it has sold merchandise and memorabilia signed by the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Gareth Bale, Luis Suárez, Sergio Agüero, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Paolo Maldini, Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Pelé and Eric Cantona. In 2010, Icons Shop Limited was awarded the world's first football memorabilia licence by FIFA. It allowed the website to produce a range of official 2010

pos: Inés Sainz of Sainz were featured on such places as "Bleacher Report" and the websites run by "Sports Illustrated" and "Men's Health." Sainz was chosen by the magazine "FHM" as the fifth sexiest woman sports reporter in the world in August 2009. Sainz has interviewed, among others, tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, basketball players Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, baseball players Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and association football players Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. By July 2006, Sainz had covered three Champions League tournaments and four NBA Finals, the 2004 Athens Olympics and

pos: Neymar March 2015, Neymar had the fourth highest social media rank in the world among sportspeople, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Beckham, with 52 million Facebook fans. He has over 100 million Instagram followers, the second highest for a sportsperson (after Cristiano Ronaldo), and inside the top 10 most followed people. In ESPN's list of active sportspeople in 2016, Neymar was ranked the fourth most famous athlete in the world. To mark the World Cup commencing in Brazil, in June 2014, Neymar appeared with supermodel Gisele Bündchen on the front cover of "Vogue"'s Brazilian edition. In November 2014, Neymar

pos: 2017–18 FC Barcelona season in the box by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, resulting in a penalty which was converted by Lionel Messi. Messi's hit marked his 25th goal in the fixture. In the 80th minute, Real Madrid scored their second through a counterattack when Isco assisted Cristiano Ronaldo, who shot into the top right corner from the edge of the box. Ronaldo was booked for removing his shirt as part of his celebrations. Two minutes later, he was booked again for a dive in the penalty box, which resulted in a red card and a subsequent suspension for the second leg. Real's last goal was

pos: Eden Hazard Eden Hazard Eden Michael Hazard (; born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays for English club Chelsea and captains the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and as a wide midfielder. Hazard's creativity, speed, dribbling and close ball control are widely acknowledged. He has been described as "a superb passer" and has earned critical acclaim for his playing style, which has led to the media, coaches, and players drawing comparisons to Ballon d'Or winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Hazard is often ranked by coaches, colleagues, and commentators as one of the

pos: Kamil Wilczek 2018, only surpassed by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Wilczek was a part of Poland under-19 and Poland under-21 teams. He got his first call up to the senior Poland squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers against Scotland and Republic of Ireland in October 2015. He debuted for Poland in a 2-1 2018 World Cup qualification win over Armenia national football team 11 October 2016. In May 2018 he was named in Poland’s preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, he did not make the final 23. Brøndby IF Individual Kamil Wilczek

pos: The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 won the award with over 59% of the vote. The three nominees were announced on 9 December 2016. It was the first time that this award was given. Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool supporters won the award with nearly 46% of the vote. The 55–player men's shortlist was announced on 1 December 2016. The players chosen included Manuel Neuer as goalkeeper, Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo as defenders, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, and Andrés Iniesta as midfielders, and Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Cristiano Ronaldo as forwards. 9 out of the 11 players played in La Liga. The

pos: 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year and Ruben Hayrapetyan (Armenia) shook hands, which was significant as the countries shared a long history of hostility towards each other. Shortlists of 23 men and 10 women were announced on 29 October 2008, before being reduced to five men and five women by 12 December 2008. The male nominees were Kaká, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Xavi, and the female nominees were Nadine Angerer, Cristiane, Marta, Birgit Prinz and Kelly Smith. 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year The 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards took place on 560 January 2009 at the Zurich Opera

pos: Lukas Podolski second place with Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Fernando Torres, David Villa, Maxi Rodríguez, Hernán Crespo and Zinedine Zidane. Podolski was named the World Cup's Best Young Player ahead of players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In a Euro 2008 qualifying game against San Marino in Serravalle Podolski netted four goals in Germany's record 13–0 thrashing. He is one of only four German players to score four goals in an international match. He was the third after Gerd Müller and Michael Ballack, and since this, Mario Gómez has accomplished this feat. In Germany's 4–1 win against Slovakia in Bratislava on 11

pos: FIFA (video game series) As of "FIFA 18", Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus is the face of the franchise, appearing on the front cover of the series and in promotional campaigns and advertisements. Lionel Messi appeared on four straight covers from "FIFA 13" to "FIFA 16". Since the release of "FIFA Mobile" in 2016, forward Marco Reus, playmaker Eden Hazard and Cristiano Ronaldo have appeared on the cover. As of 2011, the "FIFA" franchise has been localised into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. Listed in "Guinness World Records" as the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, by 2018, the "FIFA" series

pos: UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award to become the FIFA Ballon d'Or. It also replaced the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award. Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to win the award three times as well as twice in a row. Since its inception, the award has been won by Lionel Messi (2011, 2015), Andrés Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribéry (2013), Cristiano Ronaldo (2014, 2016, 2017) and Luka Modrić (2018). Female players are awarded the UEFA Best Women's Player in Europe Award, introduced in 2013. According to UEFA, the award "recognise[s] the best player, irrespective of his nationality, playing for a football club within the territory

pos: Mpumi Nyandeni Mpumi Nyandeni Nompumelelo "Mpumi" Nyandeni is a South African women's footballer and plays as a midfielder. She plays for WFC Rossiyanka in Russia at a club level, and has represented the South Africa women's national football team more than 100 times, including at both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. In 2010, she took part in a FIFA campaign for improving health through recreational football together with players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Didier Drogba. Mpumi Nyandeni came through the Mpumalanga-based Detroit Ladies youth system. While a youth player, she competed with older players for positions in the

pos: Luis Suárez Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team. Often regarded as one of the best players in the world, Suárez has won 17 trophies in his career, including five league titles and a UEFA Champions League title at club level, and a Copa América with Uruguay. A prolific goalscorer, Suárez has won two European Golden Shoes, an Eredivisie Golden Boot, a Premier League Golden Boot, as well as ending the six-year dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

pos: European Golden Shoe Ally McCoist (1991–92, 1992–93), Thierry Henry (2003–04, 2004–05), Lionel Messi (2011–12, 2012–13 and 2016–17, 2017–18), and Cristiano Ronaldo (2013–14, 2014–15) have won the award in consecutive years. Diego Forlán (Villarreal, Atlético Madrid), Luis Suárez (Liverpool, Barcelona), Mário Jardel (Porto, Sporting CP) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid) are the only players to have won the award with two clubs. European Golden Shoe The European Golden Shoe or Golden Boot is an award that is presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of every European national league. The trophy is a sculpture of

pos: Peppino Tirri year (Unknown commission worth). Mining billionaire Suleyman Abusaidovich Kerimov made camaroonian star forward the highest-paid soccer player in the world ahead of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. Anzhi Makhachkala club is based in Kerimov boyhood home, the Russian region of Dagestan.Foreign Policy supports the hypothesis that this investment has a political purpose:"According to Jonathan Wilson at The Guardian, the London newspaper, this is all about pleasing Vladimir Putin, who has long urged Russia's oligarchs to put their wealth into the country's struggling regions. The soccer club has a long history of supporting Putin". In the same summer Tirri received

pos: Michael Murphy (Gaelic footballer) Michael Murphy (Gaelic footballer) Michael Murphy (born 4 August 1989) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who captains Donegal. Widely regarded as the one of the best Gaelic footballer's in the game today, "The Irish Times" has described him as "one of football's most conspicuous talents", and he has earned comparisons with the soccer players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as a result of the skill and intensity with which he is capable of changing games. A club player with Glenswilly and graduate of the Phoenix Elite Academy, Murphy has captained the Donegal senior inter-county football team since 2011, when he

pos: Antonio Di Natale nine consecutive league seasons. He won the Serie A top goalscorer award in 2010 and 2011, and was also awarded the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award for his performances in 2010. A late bloomer, unlike most strikers, he enjoyed his most prolific seasons in front of goal well after age 30; between 2009 and 2011, Lionel Messi (82) and Cristiano Ronaldo (86) were the only two players to have scored more league goals than Di Natale (67). In 2015, "France Football" rated him as one of the ten-best footballers in the world who are over age 36.

pos: Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, the most for a European player, and is the first player to win four European Golden Shoes. He has won 26 trophies in his career, including five league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one UEFA European Championship.

neg: Lionel Messi are widely believed to push one another in their aim to be the best player in the world: since 2008, both players have won five Ballons d'Or while Messi has five European Golden Shoes to Ronaldo’s four. Pundits and fans regularly argue the individual merits of both players; beyond their playing styles, the debate also revolves around their differing physiques—Ronaldo is with a muscular build—and contrasting public personalities, with Ronaldo's self-confidence and theatrics a foil to Messi's humility. From 2009–10 to 2017–18 Messi faced Ronaldo at least twice every season in "El Clásico", which ranks among the world's most viewed

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry kit suppliers of their national teams and the opposite for their clubs. The two highest paid players in football, Messi and Ronaldo are among the world's best paid sports' stars in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-field earnings. In 2018, Messi edged Ronaldo on "Forbes" list of the best-paid athletes, earning $111 million, with Ronaldo next at $108 million. They have the two biggest social media followings in the world among sportspeople with a combined 211 million Facebook fans in 2016, Ronaldo having 122 million and Messi 89 million. Combining Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, Ronaldo has 321 million followers

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry "only the media, the press, who wants us to be at loggerheads but I've never fought with Cristiano". However, it is widely argued and documented that there's an atmosphere of tension between the duo, with Guillem Balagué claiming in "Messi" that Ronaldo refers to the Argentine counterpart as "motherfucker" behind his back, and Luca Caioli saying in his book, "Ronaldo: The Obsession for Perfection", that according to his sources, Ronaldo heats up when watching Messi play. In response to claims that he and Messi do not get on well on a personal level, Ronaldo commented: "We don't have a relationship

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry be the case that this is why Messi is considered trustworthier and more likable by the public, even though Ronaldo improved his reputation since 2013. At club level, Messi and Ronaldo represented rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F., the two players facing each other at least twice every season in the world's most popular regular-season club game, "El Clásico" (among the most viewed annual sporting events), until Ronaldo's transfer to Italian club Juventus F.C. in 2018. Off the field, they are the face of two rival sportswear manufacturers, Messi of Adidas and Ronaldo of Nike, which are also the

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo Blatter preferred Messi or Ronaldo, Blatter paid tribute to the work ethic of the Argentine before taking a swipe at Ronaldo, claiming "one of them has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other". Real Madrid demanded – and promptly received – a full apology, and the Portuguese issued his own riposte with a mock-salute celebration after scoring a penalty against Sevilla, after Blatter had described him as a "commander" on the pitch. As his reputation grew from his time at Manchester United, Ronaldo has signed many sponsorship deals for consumer products, including sportswear, football boots (since November 2012 Ronaldo

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry as the latest battle between the two, this time to settle who was the best player in the world; Ronaldo claimed he was the better of the two while Messi's club-mate Xavi sided with him. United manager Alex Ferguson was more diplomatic, praising both players as being amongst the world's elite talents. Messi, playing in a central role he was unaccustomed to so he would avoid a direct battle with United left-back Patrice Evra, scored Barcelona's second in a 2–0 victory with a header in the 70th minute. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was subdued for much of the game despite some early

neg: 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or The 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala was the second year for FIFA's awards for the top football players and coaches of the year. The awards were given out in Zürich on 9 January 2012, with Lionel Messi claiming the title of world player of the year for the third time in a row. The gala ceremony was hosted by former Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit and broadcast journalist Kay Murray of Real Madrid TV and Fox Soccer Channel, with singer-songwriter James Blunt and his band providing musical entertainment. Individual awards were presented by, among others, Ronaldo,

neg: Neymar best player in the world and I always get inspired when I watch good football." Ronaldo stated: "Neymar is a great talent, the best we have in Brazil. He is very similar to Messi." Zico said: "I see Neymar like a [Cristiano] Ronaldo or a Messi, the type who appears and makes things happen." After his hat-trick in a 3–1 victory against Internacional in the Copa Libertadores and Messi's five goals scored in the Champions League, Neymar said: "I am a Messi fan. I was told what he did today. I support him to score a lot of nice goals

neg: 2015 UEFA Champions League Final scorer apart from those two. Messi was the top assister with six, with Ronaldo among the runners-up with four. After the final, both Messi and Ronaldo had a record 77 Champions League goals, but Ronaldo had one more if qualifiers were to be included. Speaking to Canal+ after his final game for Barcelona, Xavi said he felt nostalgic knowing that he would never play for the team again, but deemed it "incredible" to win the Champions League in his last appearance. He admitted that Barcelona had been shaken by Juventus' equaliser, but had recovered through Messi doing "his thing". Xavi

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry itself has been described as one about records and reputation of the players, rather than one based in loathing. Ronaldo is the UEFA Champions League all-time top goalscorer while Messi is second. The two had broken each other's record over the course of 2015 after Messi surpassed the previous record holder Raúl in November 2014. Ronaldo opened a gap in the 2015–16 season when he became the first player to score double figures in the group stage of the Champions League, setting the record at 11 goals. They are the first two players to score 100 goals in UEFA Champions

neg: Luis Suárez del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. Messi, Suárez, Neymar (dubbed MSN), scored a total of 122 goals that season, the most for an attacking front three in Spanish football history. In his second season at the club, Suárez won his first Pichichi Trophy as well as his second European Golden Shoe, for which he became the first player since 2009 to win both awards other than Messi or Ronaldo. He ended the season with a total of 40 league goals, 14 of which came in his last five matches, and 16 assists, becoming the first player in history to

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry of both players in an attempt to establish who they believe is the best player in modern football. It has been compared to past global sports rivalries such as the Muhammad Ali–Joe Frazier rivalry in boxing, the Björn Borg–John McEnroe rivalry in tennis and the Ayrton Senna–Alain Prost rivalry in Formula One motor racing. Some commentators choose to analyse the differing physiques and playing styles of the two while part of the debate revolves around the contrasting personalities of the two players: Ronaldo is sometimes described as someone of temperamental character while Messi is portrayed with reserved character. It could

neg: FC Barcelona awards (11), with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards (7), with winners including Ronaldo, Romário, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. In 2010, three players who came through the club's youth academy (Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi) were chosen as the three best players in the world in the FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football school. Barcelona is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929, along with

neg: Mesut Özil as a playmaker, Özil has been called "assist-king" in the media. As of January 2016, Özil has the best ratio of assists per game in the history of the Premier League. Germany under-21 manager Horst Hrubesch once said, "We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players. We praise Wayne Rooney to the heavens, likewise Ronaldo or Messi. But we have our own Messi. Our Messi is Özil." In the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium, he scored a goal which has been described as a "work of art." Germany coach Joachim Löw hails Özil for his "genius moments"

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high", while Ronaldo's manager during his time at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, opined that "I don't think the rivalry against each other bothers them. I think they have their own personal pride in terms of wanting to be the best". Messi himself denied any rivalry, saying that it was "only the media, the press, who wants us to be at loggerheads but I've never fought with Cristiano". Responding to the claims that he and Messi do not get on well on a personal level, Ronaldo commented, "We don't

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry chances to score and his frustration eventually showed when he was booked for a rash tackle on Carles Puyol. In a 2015 interview, Ronaldo commented on the rivalry by saying that "I think we push each other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high" while Ronaldo's manager during his time at Manchester United Alex Ferguson opined that "I don't think the rivalry against each other bothers them. I think they have their own personal pride in terms of wanting to be the best". Messi has denied any rivalry, and blames the media for creating it:

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry outside the world of football, just as we don't with a lot of other players", before adding that in years to come he hopes they can laugh about it together, stating: "We have to look on this rivalry with a positive spirit, because it's a good thing". On 13 November 2014, Ronaldo also threatened to take legal action over the remarks made by Balagué. Throughout the existence of the rivalry, the pair have dominated awards ceremonies and broken a multitude of goalscoring records for both club and country, feats which have been described as "incredible", "ridiculous" and "remarkable". The rivalry

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo setting the record at 11 goals, including another four-goal haul against Malmö. Despite finishing runner-up to Messi for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo received criticism for his form and performances against top teams, with 14 of his goals coming against Espanyol and Malmö. However, during the second half of the season, his form gradually improved. By scoring four goals in a 7–1 home win over Celta de Vigo on 5 March 2016, Ronaldo arrived at 252 goals in La Liga to become the competition's second-highest scorer in history behind Messi. After netting the match-winning goal for 10-man Madrid in a

neg: Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) some philosophy, something to that effect. Because he knows he's black.” According to a study led by geneticist Sérgio Pena of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, most Brazilians often have a misconception about their roots. "The maternal ancestry of the Brazilian white was one-third African, one third Amerindian, and one third European. An individual who considers himself white may be genomically more African than an individual who considers himself to be brown or black." In April 2008, Ronaldo was involved in a scandal involving three travesti prostitutes whom he met in a nightclub in Rio de Janeiro. Ronaldo

neg: LeBron James Ronaldo and Lionel Messi). James has stated that he would like to own an NBA team in the future, albeit in a hands-off capacity. James and comedian Jimmy Kimmel co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. In other comedic pursuits, he hosted the 33rd-season premiere of "Saturday Night Live". He has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in a cameo role on the HBO series "Entourage". In 2015, he played himself in the Judd Apatow film "Trainwreck", receiving positive reviews for his performance. That same year, James's digital video company, Uninterrupted, raised $15.8 million from Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner Sports

neg: FIFA World Player of the Year became part of The Best FIFA Football Awards. During the men's era, Brazilian players won 8 out of 19 years, compared to three wins – the second most – for French players. In terms of individual players, Brazil again led with five, followed by Italy and Portugal with two each. The youngest winner was Ronaldo, who won at 20 years old in 1996, and the oldest winner was Fabio Cannavaro, who won aged 33 in 2006. Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane each won the award three times, while Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were the only players to win in successive years. From

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo the best player in modern football. It has been compared to sports rivalries such as the Muhammad Ali–Joe Frazier rivalry in boxing, the Borg–McEnroe rivalry in tennis, and the Ayrton Senna–Alain Prost rivalry from Formula One motor racing. Some commentators choose to analyse the differing physiques and playing styles of the two, while part of the debate revolves around the contrasting personalities of the two players: Ronaldo is sometimes depicted as an arrogant and theatrical showoff, while Messi is portrayed as a shy, humble character. In a 2012 interview, Ronaldo commented on the rivalry, saying "I think we push each

neg: Neymar Iniesta, Xavi and Wayne Rooney. Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho had also tipped Neymar on becoming the best player in the world: "Neymar is young though, and I can't explain how special he will become. In the next two or three seasons he will become the best player." Another Brazilian star, retired World Cup winner Ronaldo also believes that Neymar can become the best in the world: "Logically, Messi is better right now but Neymar is a great talent who will show the world that he will be number one". Former Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano has also praised Neymar, stating:

neg: Mohamed Salah we analysed him he looks the kind of humble personality on the pitch, ready to work for the team." Mourinho added that Salah has "similar qualities" with "talented players" that he had worked with, such as Gareth Bale and Arjen Robben. His technical skills, pace, left foot, goalscoring, position and direct playing style led him to be nicknamed the "Egyptian Messi", in the Italian media. Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldo – whom Salah idolized while growing up – stated, "Salah is an incredible player with a tremendous quality. He looks like Messi." Salah has also received praise for having never

neg: Lionel Messi Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European Golden Shoes. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won 33 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and six

neg: Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) rest of us would take ten days to do. And usually, he was right”. On his precocious talent – a talent which saw him become the youngest ever FIFA World Player of the Year at age 20 – Rob Smyth of "The Guardian" wrote, "Ronaldo is easily the best of the past 30 years, possibly ever. The other Ronaldo and Messi were brilliant teenagers but had nothing like the same impact at that age. Only Pelé, Diego Maradona and George Best can really compare." At his physical peak in the 1990s, Ronaldo became severely affected by serious knee injuries he

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo million (£80 million). With Real Madrid, Ronaldo won 15 trophies, including two La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey, four UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups. Real Madrid's all-time top goalscorer, Ronaldo scored a record 34 La Liga hat-tricks, including a record-tying eight hat-tricks in the 2014–15 season and is the only player to reach 30 goals in six consecutive La Liga seasons. After joining Madrid, Ronaldo finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or three times, behind Lionel Messi, his perceived career rival, before winning back-to-back Ballons d'Or in 2013 and 2014. After

neg: 2013–14 Real Madrid C.F. season the next round of the tournament Madrid then hosted fierce rivals Barcelona, who were beginning to hit form and pile on the pressure to "Los Blancos". In what could be called as one of the most entertaining "Clásicos" of all time, a seven-goal thriller was played. Andrés Iniesta gave Barça the lead in the seventh minute, before two strikes from Karim Benzema in under a minute gave Madrid the lead. Lionel Messi scored an equaliser, before Ronaldo gave Madrid the advantage netting home a penalty. Messi equalised again after a challenge from Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, along with again netting

neg: Lionel Messi they were also unable to pay for his treatment due to the country's economic collapse. His goalscoring idol growing up was Ronaldo, with Messi calling him “the best forward I’ve ever seen”. As the Messi family had relatives in Catalonia, they sought to arrange a trial with Barcelona in September 2000. First team director Charly Rexach immediately wanted to sign him, but the board of directors hesitated; at the time it was highly unusual for European clubs to sign foreign players of such a young age. On 14 December, an ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their commitment, and

neg: Argentina–Brazil football rivalry Maradona, Fernando Redondo, Gabriel Batistuta or Lionel Messi for Argentina, and Pelé, Garrincha, Zico, Romario, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká or Neymar for Brazil. The origins of the football rivalry between Argentina and Brazil can be traced to a time before football became so popular in both countries. Today, few remember wars and other political confrontations between both countries, and only recall matches, victories, goals and other sport-related incidents. Their rivalry is found in almost all sports, but a men's football match between Argentina and Brazil is one that neither side wants to lose, and often acquires more importance

neg: 2017 Supercopa de España first half of the match ended goalless. Five minutes into the second half, Marcelo fired a cross that deflected off Piqué's foot, resulting in an own goal. In the 77th minute, Luis Suárez was brought down in the box by Navas, resulting in a penalty, which was subsequently converted by Messi. Messi's hit marked his 25th goal in the fixture. In the 80 minute, Real scored their second through a counter attack when Isco assisted Ronaldo who shot into the top right corner from the edge of the box. Ronaldo was booked for removing his shirt as part of his

neg: Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) thought ‘wow’. Then he came to Barcelona. He's the most spectacular player I’ve ever seen. He did things I’d never seen before. We’re now used to seeing Messi dribble past six players, but not then. Ronaldo was a beast.” Nick Miller, match reporter for "The Guardian", writes, “What’s striking about Ronaldo in that first year at PSV is how complete he looks, even as a skinny teenager. Everything that would come to define him – the lightning pace, the blurry stepovers, the implausible impression that he was faster with the ball than without it, even the exceptional upper-body strength –

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo in the box, and score from few opportunities. Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the two best players of his generation, alongside Lionel Messi. Ronaldo quickly established himself among the world's best players in his early 20s, featuring as the core component for Manchester United in the mid-to-late 2000s. However, after winning his first Ballon d'Or by a record-high vote count at age 23, the public debate regarding his qualities as a player moved beyond his status in contemporary football to the possibility that he was one of the greatest players in history. Universally acclaimed for his prolific and

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo finish and a semi-final exit in Europe. In the latter competition, Ronaldo extended his run of scoring away to a record 12 matches with his strike in a 2–0 win against Schalke 04, before hitting a brace in the 3–4 return defeat that allowed Madrid to progress to the quarter-finals. He then scored both of his side's goals in the semi-finals against Juventus, where Madrid were eliminated 2–3 on aggregate. With 10 goals, he finished the campaign as top scorer for a third consecutive season, alongside Messi and Neymar. In La Liga, where Madrid finished second, Ronaldo went on a

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo 2–2 draw at Camp Nou. His performances in 2012 again saw Ronaldo voted second in the running for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, finishing runner-up to four-time winner Messi. Following the 2012–13 winter break, Ronaldo captained Real Madrid for the first time in an official match, scoring a brace to lift 10-man Madrid to a 4–3 victory over Real Sociedad on 6 January. He subsequently became the first non-Spanish player in 60 years to captain Madrid in "El Clásico" on 30 January, a match which also marked his 500th club appearance. Three days prior, he had scored his 300th club goal

neg: Cristiano Ronaldo scored a total of 42 goals in all competitions during the 2007–08 season, his most prolific campaign during his time in England. He missed three matches after headbutting a Portsmouth player at the start of the season, an experience he said taught him not to let opponents provoke him. At the end of 2007, Ronaldo was named runner-up to Kaká for the Ballon d'Or, and came third, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi, in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Ronaldo scored his first and only hat-trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle

neg: Messi–Ronaldo rivalry in a game together when Manchester United were drawn to play Barcelona in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League semi-finals and were immediately pitted as major rivals. Ronaldo missed a penalty in the first leg, but United eventually advanced to the final via a Paul Scholes goal. At the end of the year, Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d'Or and vowed that he would win the award again. The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was contested between Manchester United and Barcelona on 27 May 2009 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match, described as a "dream clash", was again hyped

neg: Ronaldo Mouchawar The sum of this deal was not initially disclosed, though an Amazon SEC filing later revealed that the total sum paid was $580m in cash. Ronaldo Mouchawar has received several professional awards both in UAE and overseas. Ronaldo Mouchawar Ronaldo Mouchawar (), is a Syrian entrepreneur who is the CEO and co-founder of Souq.com, the largest e-commerce retailer in the Arab World. He is a veteran of Maktoob, the internet portal purchased by Yahoo in 2009. In 2005 he launched souq.com. Ronaldo Mouchawar was born in Aleppo, in Syria. His father was a merchant, and this provided the inspiration for