Russia 2018 “Nigeria Are No Longer Underdogs”

Abiodun Obafemi, an Olympic Gold winner with Nigeria, believes the nation has raised its status, after its 4-2 comeback victory over Argentina.

Sampaoli’s men stormed to a 2-0 first half lead, before goals from Iheanacho, Idowu and an Iwobi brace recorded a brilliant comeback for the Super Eagles.

And Obafemi has stated that ahead of the World Cup, Nigeria’s win has raised her status and they are not underdogs.

“It is quite an unbelievable result for me. Honestly, I didn’t see it coming. The players clearly played with all determination and strong character to win the match,” Obafemi told Goal.

“I must say, all the players were outstanding against Argentina. From the captain John Mikel Obi to Iwobi, Ihenancho, Ndidi and our new boys Idowu and goalkeeper Francis Uzoho – they were at their best. Iwobi, for me, has always shown potentials and he’s certainly a world-class player. I believe his best is yet to come and will be a star to watch next year in Russia.

“The victory was clearly a team success and the coach made a lot of difference with his substitutions. Nobody saw the comeback coming after we were two goals down. Beating a big football nation like Argentina is a big statement and will put us in the eye of the World ahead of the World Cup.

“We are getting better as a team and look to have great potentials to make a difference at the international level again. It will remain a talking point for weeks and months to come, even before the World Cup, however, we must not relent.

“This also shows, we can achieve anything if we put up out very best and stay strong through the match no matter the size of the opponent we are playing.

“I believe the team can go places and even surpass the previous records of African teams but we must work hard and not get carried away. With the victory, we won’t be seen as underdogs going to the World Cup, we start getting prepared for us with some fears in their minds.”

“Just like we had our bad day against South Africa in the Afcon qualifier, I want to accept it was the same for Argentina and could happen to anything. So, we must not get distracted by this feat but focus on building a solid and formidable squad to the World Cup,” he continued.

“I’m happy with Gernot Rohr’s performance so far. He is getting it right with every game. My colleagues may not be happy with me but he has not condoned sentiment, which is the biggest problem related with local coaches,” he continued.

“I can’t say it is about nepotism but we often allude to the mentality of appreciating players based on previous working relations, understanding and relationship. That has been the bane of our failure over the years. But we must give it to Rohr with the great competition he has brought into the team, I believe he will get us far this time.

“Considering what he has achieved already, we must learn from him and give him the best support and all the encouragement he needs to succeed.”

2018 World Cup Draw: England want to avoid Nigeria

England want to avoid playing Nigeria in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

According to English tabloid, The Sun, the Super Eagles are not the preferred rival  that the Three Lions will want to face amongst the teams in Pot 4, which also contains Serbia, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Korea and Saudi Arabia.

The best case scenario that will see the Three Lions tackle Russia, Iran and Panama has been termed Group of Life, while the worst case scenario which sees England face Brazil, Iceland and Brazil has been called the Group of Death.

England have become more wary of the Nigerians after the latter made a  strong statement of intent, coming from two goals down to defeat Argentina 4-2 in their last match of 2017 on November 14, so they don’t want to draw the three-time African champs.

Group F containing England, Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden, was nicknamed the Group of Death at the 2002 World Cup; the Three Lions and Super Eagles played out a goalless draw in Osaka in the final match of the group.

Arsenal striker Alex Iwobi, Chelsea’s Victor Moses and Ola Aina,   Leicester City trio Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Wilfred Ndidi will be on the plane to Russia barring an injury, while Everton’s Henry Onyekuru is in contention.

Russia 2018 | Full World Cup Pots + Date For Draw

https://youtu.be/aJlFkgkqMTg

See Shocking Number Of Matches Bale Has Missed For Real Madrid (See Number)

One third of Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale was crushed with injuries last year, and it has forced him to miss out on 40 of his side’s 60 matches.

No matter what work Bale has done, the injuries have appeared again and again and since Bale’s ankle injury on November 22 of last year, he has only been able to play 20 games in a Los Blancos shirt.

Bale damaged ankle has resulted in the footballer being sidelined for 17 consecutive games, and, after he finally reappeared, he suffered another injury.

First, some discomfort in the operated joint left him two games out. In El Clasico, his problems returned again keeping him out for another eight matches.

This season started well, but after the match in Dortmund on September 26, he has not played since.

It started as a cramp and then became a break in the soleus, which resulted in another nine games missed.

The Welshman will not be able to play for the rest of the year.

His best-case scenario would be missing seven more fixtures but there is a possibility of missing a minimum of 10.

Antonio Conte has explained why he didn't shake Jose Mourinho's hand after their latest Premier League encounter where the Blues won the Red Devil's 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte failed to shake Jose Mourinho's hand on Sunday evening after their Premier League clash, before explaining the snub and taking a dig at the Manchester United manager.

Conte was able to get the better of Mourinho in a 1-0 victory on his latest return to his former club thanks to a marvellous Alvaro Morata header, which came midway through the second half when Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross from the right found the striker in acres of space and the talent to put the ball where United goalkeeper David De Gea could not reach it.

Despite a late United rally as Mourinho threw on Marouane Fellaini and Anthony Martial in the hope of an equalizer, Chelsea hung on for a deserved victory, and Conte wildly celebrated the result at the full-time whistle.

Mourinho immediately moved towards the Chelsea dug-out, waiting on their side of the players’ tunnel, but while the rest of the Blues’ staff walked over to shake his hand, Conte headed onto the pitch to celebrate with his players.

“You want me to go and chase him in the middle of the pitch? I was there,” Mourinho said afterward.

“I shook hands with the people who were there. I think one of them was his brother, the assistant, so I feel that, by shaking the hands of his brother and the other assistants, I did my duty. I cannot go and run to chase him.”

Conte though brushed off any suggestion that he had disrespected Mourinho by not shaking his hand and said that the gesture is “not important” in the grand scheme of things as he cared more about the result and the implications it has on the Premier League title race.

“It’s not important. It’s important to win the game,”Conte said. “You have to have the respect on the pitch, not outside the pitch.”

The Italian added: “It’s an important victory. When you play against Manchester United it’s always a massive game.

“We know very well this team is very strong. This type of win is important for our confidence. We showed great desire and passion to win this kind of game.

“We can win or lose but our spirit must be this. Last season our spirit was in every game – we started this season with a lot of problems. We were up and down. This game showed if we want we can."

Didier Drogba to Return to Chelsea

Chelsea are considering the possibility of bringing Didier Drogba back to Stamford Bridge to replace former Super Eagles defender, Michael Emenalo,

Emenalo recently resigned his appointment as Technical Director of the Premier League champions. The Telegraph is reporting that Emenalo’s departure could pave the way for Abramovich to try again to bring back Drogba.

Hull City manager Leonid Slutsky is also being considered and can be offered a job at Chelsea in case he is dismissed from the post of head coach of his club.

Drogba scored over 150 goals across two different spells at Chelsea and is currently a player-owner at American club Phoenix Rising.

However, there are reports that French Ligue 1 moneybags Monaco are interested in the services of Emenalo. Emenalo had cited family reasons for his resignation.

“After 10 years here, 10 wonderful, successful years, but very demanding years, it is a very tough decision to decide to step aside”, he said.

“It is entirely my decision and it has come about for very simple reasons. I need an opportunity to get to see my young kids grow and also to step back and reflect on the work that I have done here and the things that we have been able to accomplish together in this great club.
“It is something I have been thinking about for quite some time now and it is something I have discussed with my family and they understand the reasons and the timing for wanting to step aside.”

2018 World Cup Qualifiers: Nigeria shares spoils with Algeria in final clash

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have finished their World Cup qualifier with no defeat as they played out a 1-1 draw against Algeria on Friday night in Constantine.

John Ogu, with a wonder strike, gave Nigeria the lead in the 62nd minute, before Algeria pulled level late from the penalty spot.

The Eagles had 14 points from six games during the qualifiers; winning four and drawing two.

With the qualifiers now done and dusted, next stop for the Eagles is Tuesday’s international friendly against Argentina in Russia.

The Shocking Injury That Almost Left Arsenal Star, Cazorla's Leg Amputated

Injury-ravaged Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has revealed that he almost lost his foot during his lay-off.

The talented 32-year-old has not played for Arsenal since October 2016, but his problems go back further, with the 11 months leading up to that proving equally hellish.

Achilles tendonitis has been the problem, with the former Villarreal star suffering from the condition on two separate occasions. The second bout is still keeping him out of action and almost cost him his foot due to infection.

The midfielder has undergone eight separate surgeries since his initial Achilles injury, and has even needed to cover the grisly wound with the skin from his arm.

And Cazorla has shed light on his injury nightmare in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca .

Cazorla told the newspaper: "The doctor told me if I was able to walk with my kid on the garden I should be thankful.
"The problem was that it did not heal and the wounds would reopen, become infected."

Cazorla worked with Spanish doctor Mikel Sanchez throughout his nightmare, with the specialist apparently claiming he had never seen such a case in his career.

"He saw that I had a tremendous infection, that I had damaged part of the bone and damaged the Achilles tendon," Cazorla added.

It remains to be seen whether Cazorla will ever be able to get back to his very best, but he is said to be targeting a return in January.

Chelsea vs Manchester United: Potential lineups, team news, injury updates

Chelsea and Manchester United will be locking horns in the Premier League this weekend.

It has been a difficult task for the Red Devils when they travel to west London to face their familiar foes.

Jose Mourinho’s side was beaten two weeks ago against Huddersfield Town, a result that allowed Manchester City to open up a lead at the top of the table.

But they have bounced back to win three in all competitions since then and appear determined to close the gap.

On the other hand, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are even further off the pace, they are nine points behind the leaders and they are currently navigating through a difficult period.

Chelsea suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Roma in the Champions League in midweek and will be keen to bounce back with what could be a decisive victory.

France midfielder, N’golo Kante, Chelsea’s engine room, is a doubt for the match over his fitness meaning that Tiemoue Bakayoko is likely to continue alongside Cesc Fabregas in midfield.

Also in the midfield, Danny Drinkwater is available for selection, but may have to make do with a place on the bench against his old club.

Chelsea’s potential starting XI: Courtois; Cahill, Azpilicueta, Luiz; Zappacosta, Alonso, Bakayoko, Fabregas, Hazard, Pedro; Morata.

For Manchester United, they will continue with life without Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo are yet to return.

Defenders Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia were not used in their Champions League win over Benfica but they should come back into the team.

Manchester United potential starting XI: De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Bailly, Blind; Matic, Herrera, Mkhitaryan, Lingard; Rashford, Lukaku.

EPL Top Scorer, Harry Kane to Miss Man United Clash Against Spurs...Find Out Why

As Tottenham Hotspurs are set travel to Old Trafford for the lunch-time kick-off on Saurday, the club have confirmed that their star striker, Harry Kane will miss the massive Manchester United clash with a hamstring injury, and watch on from the sidelines.

The 24-years-old has scored a league-high eight goals in the Premier League this season. The England ace who has scored 17 times in just 13 games for club and country this season, looked to be in pain towards the end of Tottenham's 4-1 win over Liverpool last weekend.

Following the knock, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino had all-but confirmed the potential injury, and when quizzed on Kane's availability, the Argentine chief said: "We'll see, we'll see.
"We need to assess the team because we were forced to rotate [against West Ham] for different reasons and we'll see what happens in the next few days."
Now Tottenham have confirmed Kane is in fact injured, but have failed to state how severe the knock is or how long he could be out for.

However, Pochettino did reveal: "We cannot take a risk with Harry. It is only a small injury but there is no sense risking turning it into something more serious."

The injury also puts Kane in doubt for the huge Champions League clash with real Madrid at Wembley on November 1.

Kane already missed Spurs' 3-2 defeat to West Ham in Carabao Cup midweek, with Fernando Llorente tasked with filling his boots.

The news will come as a massive blow to Tottenham fans, who would have been itching to see what Kane could do against United.

Both clubs are sitting on 20 points in the Premier League this season, with the game already gearing up to be a real six-pointer.

Neymar Receives Ban

Paris Saint-Germain forward, Neymar, has been suspended for one match, following his red card against Marseille on Sunday.

This means the Brazilian will sit out their match against Nice on Friday.

Neymar was sent off late in the 2-2 draw in Le Classique after clashing with Lucas Ocampos, who may have over-dramatised the incident.

It was his second yellow card in three minutes.

At the time of his dismissal, PSG were 2-1 down. But Edinson Cavani managed to earn a point with a late free-kick.

Neymar will face a further one-match suspension if he commits the same offence before the end of the Ligue 1 season.

Manchester United named most valuable football team ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona

Forbes has named Manchester United as the most valuable team brand in the world.

The Premier League club is rated as the fourth most valuable team brand across all sports behind the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakers.

However, they top the chart when it comes to football clubs, with Barcelona second and Real Madrid third.

United have a brand value of £425million, a rise of 12.8%.

Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s brand value has risen by a massive 13.2% to a massive £16million, but Messi has seen his brand value drop by 10% to £10million.

However, Ronaldo is only fourth in terms of athletes brand value. Roger Federer tops the charts after a remarkable year, while LeBron James comes in at second and Usain Bolt in third.

MOST VALUABLE BRANDS:

TEAMS – Current brand value

1) Dallas Cowboys – £676million

2) New York Yankees – £519m

3) Los Angeles Lakers – £449m

4) Manchester United – £425m

5) Barcelona – £405m

6) New England Patriots – £391m

7) Real Madrid – £385m

8) New York Knicks – £381m

9) Boston Red Sox – £346m

10) Chicago Cubs – £345m

ATHLETES – Current brand value

1) Roger Federer – £28million

2) LeBron James – £25m

3) Usain Bolt – £20m

4) Cristiano Ronaldo – £16m

5) Phil Mickelson – £15m

6) Tiger Woods – £13m

7) Virat Kohli – £11m

8) Rory McIlroy – £10m

9) Lionel Messi – £10m

10) Stephen Curry – £10m

See When The Quarter-Final Draw Of The Carabao Cup Will Take Place As Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United & Others Qualify

The draw for the quarter-final of this season’s Carabao Cup, will be conducted on Thursday, October 26 at 4pm.

The eight teams left in the competition are: Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Bristol City, Leicester City, Chelsea and Bournemouth.

Question of Sport captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell will be on hand to draw the sides and it will be streamed live on Twitter.

The next round ties will be played during the week commencing December 18.

The final will be played at Wembley Stadium on February 25.

NFF speaks on Rohr’s decision to recall Enyeama to Super Eagles

General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi, has said that head coach of the national team, Gernot Rohr, has the final say on Vincent Enyeama’s recall to the Super Eagles.

Rohr has spoken severally about his plans to bring back the Lille goalkeeper, who retired from international football in 2015, after falling out with former Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh.

While some feel his return will add strength to the goalkeeping department ahead of Russia 2018, others think it could stir a captaincy row with John Obi Mikel.

“The NFF does not interfere in the choice of players or goalkeepers for the national teams,” Sanusi told Guardian.

“We gave Rohr the free hand to pick whoever he feels capable of playing in the Super Eagles. I won’t say we are in support of his decision to bring back Enyeama neither will I say we are against it. Rohr’s decision is final as far as such issue is concerned.”

Chelsea beat Everton to reach Carabao quarter- final

Everton caretaker manager David Unsworth said his team did him proud despite their Carabao Cup last-16 defeat by Chelsea. Willian scored the decisive second as Chelsea advanced to the quarter-finals but they were pushed to the final whistle by the rejuvenated visitors.

Chelsea had contained Everton with ease in the first half and led through Antonio Rudiger’s looping header.But the Toffees were sharper after the break as Kevin Mirallas had a shot well saved and Ademola Lookman hit the bar.Willian drilled a superb low finish home in stoppage time before Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted a consolation.

“I’m a bad loser but I have to say I’m proud of the performance, they were terrific,” Unsworth, who has replaced the sacked Ronald Koeman for now, told BBC Radio 5 live.”It was a committed performance. Hopefully we’ll show that in every game I am in charge.”Chelsea will learn their last-eight opponents when the draw is made at 16:00 BST on Thursday.Unsworth – taking charge of Everton in the wake of Koeman’s sacking on Monday – will not have a last-eight tie to look forward to but was rightly delighted with his team’s performance.

A commanding defender during his playing days, he will not relish reviewing the opener however.With Michael Keane dropped to the bench and a flat back four on the pitch, neither Phil Jagielka nor Ashley Williams commanded the penalty box as Rudiger floated free to direct a fine header back across Jordan Pickford from Charly Musonda’s cross. Unsworth has made no secret of his desire to be permanent Toffees manager and, after an insipid first half, his contagious passion for the club appeared to inspire a much-improved second-half showing.Everton’s energy and industry flustered Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill in the home defence and it took a string of smart saves from Willy Caballero to preserve their lead before Willian drilled in the hosts’ second.

A more mobile attack, with Tom Davies, Mirallas and Aaron Lennon all brought into the starting line-up, provided the Toffees with more direction and urgency and that may be the key lesson from the evening.With a Champions League campaign to fight alongside their Premier League title defence, this was the type of game to test a squad that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte feels is stretched too thin.However Danny Drinkwater, a £35m signing from Leicester, is some impressive back-up to call upon and the England international delivered a typically assured performance on his debut for the club. Michy Batshuayi could not take his chance to similarly press his claims for a first-team role.

The Belgian was outmuscled by Jagielka after rounding Pickford in his only clear chance and saw Alvaro Morata, firmly Conte’s first-choice striker, come on in his place before the end.The moment of quality that killed the game as a contest came from another Conte favourite as Willian hammered a low shot in off the inside of the post to double the lead.Calvert-Lewin bundled home a minute later, but it was destined to be in vain.

EFL to meet with Pep Guardiola after Manchester City manager's fury over ball

Guardiola lambasted the Mitre Delta ball after the penalty shootout win over Wolves in the EFL Cup suggesting it was "not a serious ball for a professional game"

Pep Guardiola was not happy with the ball used in Tuesday night's tie AFP
The EFL will discuss Pep Guardiola's criticism of its Mitre ball with him after the Manchester City manager claimed it was "unacceptable".

City and Championship club Wolves played with the Mitre Delta ball in Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie at the Etihad Stadium, when the hosts needed a penalty shoot-out to advance to the quarter-finals with the match goalless after 120 minutes.

Speaking after the game, Guardiola, whose team play with Nike and adidas balls in the Premier League and Champions League respectively, lambasted the Mitre Delta, suggesting it was "not a serious ball for a professional game".

The EFL released a statement on Tuesday defending the ball and adding it would converse with Guardiola over his complaints.

The statement read: "The Mitre ball used in this season's Carabao Cup is of exactly the same technical specification as the balls used in the Sky Bet EFL and Checkatrade Trophy, all of which are tested in accordance with the 'FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs' and meet the 'FIFA Quality Pro' standard.

"All balls used in the professional game are required to meet this standard. Clearly, preference is a subjective matter, but overall the entertainment provided across last night's round-four ties would suggest that the ball used is not having a negative impact in the competition.

"We will look to engage with Mr Guardiola and Manchester City to fully understand any concerns in advance of their round-five tie."


Claudio Bravo was the hero as City progressed in a shootout (Getty Images)
Guardiola was understandably pleased to have progressed on Tuesday evening but was vocal in his criticism of the ball.

"The ball is not acceptable to play with... at that level," he said. "We play with a different ball. It's not Nike, Adidas I don't know, it's a different brand. It's unacceptable to play with the ball. That ball is not a serious ball for a professional game.

"I say that because we won, eh? If I don't win, I don't say that because after that it's excuses. As I won, I can tell you: it is not acceptable to play. If it's for the marketing, for the money, for many reasons, it's okay but it's not acceptable to play with that ball. No weight, nothing.

"(We get the balls for) one day or two days, but the ball is bad two days, one month, one year, two years. It's bad, it's bad. The ball is unacceptable for the high of level of the competition. All the players complain. I assure you all of them say 'what is that?' Really. I am sorry Carabao Cup."

Usain Bolt gets Borussia Dortmund’s offer for trial

The 31-year-old has eight Olympic gold medals to his name, owns both the 100m and 200m world records and is a well-known passionate Manchester United fan and has spent time training with the Premier League side in the past.

Former Olympic sprinter, Usain Bolt has confirmed that Borussia Dortmund have offered him an open invitation to come for a trial in the future.

The legendary Jamaican athlete is still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered at the World Athletics Championships back in the summer prior to his retirement from athletics.

The 31-year-old has eight Olympic gold medals to his name, owns both the 100m and 200m world records and is a well-known passionate Manchester United fan and has spent time training with the Premier League side in the past.

Eager to see what he can do on the pitch at an elite level, Bolt says he’s looking to get back fit before taking up Dortmund’s offer of a trial.

“Dortmund said the invitation is always open, so it is all about me getting over my injury and into shape.

“Then I can explore it and do the trials and see what level I am at. It’s a personal goal, I don’t care what people really think about it. I am not going to lie to myself – if I feel I can’t do it, I am going to say, ‘Forget this.’ I am not going to embarrass myself.”

Borussia CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke spoke to Reviersport regarding Bolt’s potential trial with the club:

“Our word is our bond. I will meet Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden this week. And that’s on our list.”

Bolt recently confirmed that a number of clubs have reached out about taking him on board, and he is hopeful he can actually play professionally in 2018.”

Full List Of Winners Of 2017 FIFA Best Football Awards

Cristiano Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi and Neymar to retain his crown as the Men’s Player of the Year at Fifa’s Best Football Awards 2017 in London on Monday night.

The ceremony – which took place at the London Palladium – is the second since the Fifa award once again split from France Football’s Ballon d’Or prize last year.

“Thank you a lot to the guys for voting for me,” Ronaldo said.

“(I want) To give a mention to Leo and Neymar to be here, Real Madrid supporters, my team-mates, my coach, my president – they support me all the year so I have to say thank you to them.

“We are in England for the first time and I win consecutive awards. This is a great moment for me.”

Real Madrid’s French coach Zinedine Zidane won the manager of the year trophy for his part in the club’s success while Lieke Martens won the Women’s Best Player award after a fine year in which the Barcelona star won Euro 2017 with Netherlands.


Cristiano Ronaldo wins Best Player in London ceremony (Getty Images)
Here is the full list of winners at the 2017 FIFA Best FIFA award.

The Best FIFA Men’s Player
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Best FIFA Women’s Player
Lieke Martens
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach
Zinedine Zidane
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach
Sarina Wiegman
The Best FIFA Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Buffon
The FIFA Puskás Award
Olivier Giroud
The FIFA Fan Award
Celtic
The FIFA Fair Play Award
Francis Kone
The Best FIFPro XI:
Buffon (Juventus), Dani Alves (PSG), Leonardo Bonucci (AC Milan), Sergio Ramos, Marcelo (Real Madrid),
Luka Modric, Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Andreas Iniesta (Barcelona), Neymar (PSG), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid).

Ronaldo wins Fifa best player award

Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world's best player at the 2017 Best Fifa Football Awards at the London Palladium.

Real Madrid and Portugal forward Ronaldo, 32, beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Paris St-Germain's Neymar to the honour.

Ronaldo helped Real to a Champions League-La Liga double in 2016-17.

Lieke Martens of Barcelona and the Netherlands was named the world's best female player.

Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane was named best men's coach, Netherlands boss Sarina Wiegman won the female coach award, while Arsenal's Olivier Giroud received the Puskas award for the best goal of 2017.

Celtic won the fan award.

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid superstar beat Messi, Neymar to win 2017 FIFA Best Player of the Year

Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliant exploits with Real Madrid has won him the 2017 FIFA Best Player of the Year award beating Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Ronaldo was announced the winner of the award at the  Best FIFA Football Awards which held at Palladium theatre in London on Monday, October 23.

The 32-year-old who won last year's inaugural award helped Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double.


Ronaldo scored 12 goals including a brace in the 4-1 win over Juventus in the final of the Champions League which Real Madrid won for the third time in four years.

Ronaldo's brilliant year is expected to also see him go on to match Messi's record of five Ballons d'Or when France Football Magazine announce their winner in early 2018.

FIFA and France Magazine merged for six years to form the FIFA Ballon d'Or but Ronaldo was the first to win the FIFA Best Player of the Year in 2017 when they split. He also won the Ballon d'Or in 2016.

Messi who scored 54 goals last season as Barcelona won the Copa del Rey finished second behind Ronaldo while his former club teammate Neymar came third.

The voting for the award, equally weighted between national team captains, national team coaches, media and fans, closed last month.