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ESPN FC's Alternative Football Awards
HEROES AND VILLAINS about an hour ago Iain Macintosh
Read

Carlo Ancelotti
Trending: Ancelotti speaks to ESPN FC
LATEST 2 hours ago ESPN staff
Read
Messi to miss Best FIFA Football Awards
BARCELONA 4 hours ago Sam Marsden
Read
Ogden: Beginning of end for Ronaldo, Messi?
FIFA 6 hours ago Mark Ogden
Read
Gianni Infantino at FIFA Congress
Expansion likely when FIFA Council votes
WORLD CUP 7 hours ago Vivek Chaudhary
Read
When are The Best FIFA Football awards?
BLOG - FIFA 8 hours ago ESPN staff
Read
Cristiano Ronaldo poses with the Club World Cup trophy following Real Madrid's 4
-2 win against Kashima Antlers.
Ronaldo, Messi vie for FIFA The Best award
BLOG - FIFA 9 hours ago PA Sport
Read
FIFA set to approve expanded World Cup
BLOG - FIFA 16 hours ago Associated Press
Read
Faiz Subri leaves for FIFA Puskas award
Faiz wants selfie with Ronaldo in Zurich
MALAYSIA SUPER LEAGUE 1 day ago Nicolas Anil
Read
By almost every measure, Manchester United have improved under Jose Mourinho. Bu
t is that enough to lift them into a Champions League spot?
Mourinho backs 48-team World Cup plans
FIFA WORLD CUP 2 days ago PA Sport
Read
German FA opposes World Cup expansion
GERMANY 3 days ago Associated Press and ESPN staff
Read
FIFA wins legal case over Qatar 2022
FIFA WORLD CUP 3 days ago Associated Press
Read
Aguero backs Messi for FIFA Best Player award
BLOG - FIFA 4 days ago ESPN staff
Read
Serbia 'a lawless environment' - FIFPro
SERBIA 4 days ago Associated Press
Read
Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria to host FIFA awards ceremony
BLOG - FIFA 7 days ago ESPN staff
Read

Marcotti: 30 footballing wishes for 2017

MARCOTTI'S MUSINGS Dec 30, 2016 Gabriele Marcotti
Read
Zenit Arena will be a venue for the FIFA World Cup 2018.
World Cup 2018 semifinal venue completed
RUSSIA Dec 30, 2016 Associated Press
Read
PFA keen on heading ban for under-10s
BLOG - FIFA Dec 29, 2016 ESPN staff
Read
Infantino vows 'necessary actions' for Russia
BLOG - FIFA Dec 28, 2016 Associated Press
Read
2026 joint-bid possible - CONCACAF chief
FIFA WORLD CUP Dec 28, 2016 PA Sport
Read
BY ESPN STAFF
ShareTweet8 hours ago
When are The Best FIFA Football awards? When was Ballon d'Or?
ESPN FC's Martin Ainstein breaks down FIFA's new award, The Best Men's Player 20
16.
The Ballon d'Or and FIFA Best Men's Player awards are now separate. Find out all
the information about them and The Best FIFA Football awards ceremony below.
When are the award ceremonies?
- The Ballon d'Or award was announced on Dec. 12, 2016.
- The FIFA Best Men's Player award, Best Women's Player and FIFA Puskas award (f
or the best goal of 2016) will be presented at the Best FIFA Football Awards cer
emony on Jan. 9, 2017 in Zurich at 6.30 p.m. CET (12.30 p.m. ET)
Who are the finalists?
- Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or for a fourth time, beating
Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to world footb
all's top individual prize for 2016. Full 30-name rank here.
- The 23-man shortlist for FIFA Best Men's Player was brought down to three on D
ec. 2 and is between Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) a
nd Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid).
Leicester City's Claudio Ranieri, Portugal's Fernando Santos and Real Madrid's Z
inedine Zidane are on the FIFA Coach of the Year award shortlist.
The shortlist for the Best Women's Player award is Carli Lloyd (U.S.), Marta (Br
azil) and Melanie Behringer (Germany). While Corinthians attacking midfielder Ma
rlone, Daniuska Rodriguez and Mohd Faiz Subri are the three nominees for the FIF
A Puskas award for the best goal of 2016.
Why are there two awards?
France Football magazine announced new rule changes for its Ballon d'Or award in
September after it ended its six-year association with FIFA -- a relationship i

n which the Ballon d'Or and FIFA's World Player of the Year had combined to reco
gnise the world's best player in one award.
Before the partnership with FIFA, the Ballon d'Or was given to the top European
player from 1956 from 1994. And between 1995 and 2009, it was awarded to the bes
t player from any continent playing at a European club.
Since 2010, only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been awarded the prize.
Messi has won four times (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015), while Ronaldo has won twi
ce (2013 and 2014).
Ronaldo won the 2016 Ballon d'Or.
When was the last time different players won the two awards?
That was in 2004 when Andriy Shevchenko won the Ballon d'Or and Barcelona's Rona
ldinho claimed the FIFA prize.
Who votes for the awards now?
- The Ballon d'Or was decided by a panel of 173 sports journalists with one from
each country,
- The FIFA awards are a bit different, says FIFA:
"The Best trophies for player and coach of the year, in both men's and women's f
ootball, will be the result of a combined voting process, in which 50 percent of
the decision will be taken based on the choices of captains and head coaches of
all national teams around the globe.
"The other 50 percent will be split between the result of an online public ballo
t and the submissions from a selected group of over 200 media representatives fr
om the six continents."
Whereas it used to be divided into 33.3 percent captains, coaches and journalist
s, that has now changed to 25 percent captains, coaches and journalists and an a
dditional 25 percent fan vote.
Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.
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BLOG - FIFABARCELONAREAL MADRIDENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUEATLETICO MADRIDSPANISH PRIM

ERA DIVISINFRENCH LIGUE 1GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

BY PA SPORT
ShareTweet 9 hours ago
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Griezmann vie for FIFA The Best award
ESPN FC's Martin Ainstein breaks down FIFA's new award, The Best Men's Player 20
16.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann are hoping to be crowned T
he Best in Monday's rebranded FIFA awards.
On the 25th anniversary of honouring football's top performers -- and having spl
it with France Football magazine -- the governing body introduced its The Best F
IFA Football Awards.
The inaugural edition of the awards will be held in Zurich's TPC studios on Mond
ay, when Ronaldo will be hoping to add to last month's Ballon d'Or triumph in re
cognition of his fine 2016.
The attacker...
Full Story
BLOG - FIFACRISTIANO RONALDOLIONEL MESSIANTOINE GRIEZMANNBLOG - RONALDO VS. MESS
IREAL MADRIDBARCELONAATLETICO MADRID
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
ShareTweet 16 hours ago
FIFA expected to approve expanded, more lucrative World Cup on Tuesday
The FC panel weigh the pros and cons of an expanded World Cup as FIFA prepares t
o finalise a 48-team format for 2026.
With FIFA set to decide the fate of future World Cups in January, the FC crew vo
ice their concerns about a 48-team format.
FIFA is set to make the World Cup bigger and richer, even if the price to pay is
lower-quality football.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino hopes his ruling council will agree on Tuesday t
o expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 nations, playing in 16 groups of three teams.
A decision could be delayed if some council members demand to know exactly how m
any qualifying places each continent will get before agreeing to scrap the 32-te
am format. The current format has been successful, popular and profitable since.
..
Full Story
BLOG - FIFAFIFA WORLD CUP
BY NICOLAS ANIL
ShareTweet 1 day ago
Faiz Subri on his way to FIFA Puskas ceremony, wants Ronaldo selfie
Jason Dasey and Stanely Bernard discuss Faiz Subri's chances to win the FIFA goa
l of the year.
Faiz Subri admitted that he'd like to take a selfie with Real Madrid superstar C
ristiano Ronaldo as he flew out from Malaysia for Monday's 2016 FIFA Football Aw
ards in Switzerland.
Ronaldo has already claimed the Ballon d'Or for the fourth time after his achiev
ements in 2016, while Penang winner Faiz is considered favourite to claim the FI

FA Puskas Award, ahead of Corinthians' Marlone, and Daniuska Rodriguez, of Venez

uela.
"My idol has always been Ronaldo, and if I manage to get a selfie with him,...
Full Story
MALAYSIAN SUPER LEAGUEBLOG - FOOTBALL ASIAPENANGMALAYSIABLOG - FIFACRISTIANO RON
ALDO
BY PA SPORT
ShareTweet 2 days ago
Man United's Jose Mourinho is 'totally in favour' of 48-team World Cup
With FIFA set to decide the fate of future World Cups in January, the FC crew vo
ice their concerns about a 48-team format.
Jose Mourinho has thrown his support behind FIFA president Gianni Infantino's pl
an to expand the World Cup to 48 teams from 2026.
Infantino's manifesto for the top job in world football last year included a pro
mise to increase the number of teams that qualify for the World Cup from the cur
rent 32.
Having floated several different formats, he finally settled on 16 groups of thr
ee before a 32-team knockout, which guarantees every qualifier a minimum of two
games and a maximum of seven, which is the...
Full Story
FIFA WORLD CUPMANCHESTER UNITEDENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUEBLOG - FIFA
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS AND ESPN STAFF
ShareTweet 3 days ago
German FA opposes World Cup expansion - Reinhard Grindel
With FIFA set to decide the fate of future World Cups in January, the FC crew vo
ice their concerns about a 48-team format.
Germany football federation (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel has said he is agai
nst enlarging the World Cup.
Grindel said in an interview published on the DFB website that FIFA proposals to
enlarge the tournament from 32 teams to 40 or 48 "have considerable weaknesses
that are also clearly shown in FIFA factsheets."
Grindel said: "At the DFB, we're fundamentally convinced that the tried-and-test
ed model of 32 participating nations should be held. The world championships wer
e always tournaments that...
Full Story
GERMANYFIFA WORLD CUPBLOG - FIFA