Raissa's Blog - Best of Sports, Culture, and Entertainment

At the Ballon d'Or ceremony yesterday, Messi claimed his sixth Ballon d'Or award and Liverpool defender Van Dijk finished second. Ronaldo failed to attend the ceremony, choosing to attend the Gran Gala del Calcio in Milan. At the Ballon d'Or ceremony, during an interview with dutch broadcaster RTL7, Van Dijk was asked if Ronaldo's failure to show up at the ceremony meant that he had one less rival to compete with for the Ballon d'Or, he responded, "Was he a rival then?" Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro did not take the joke lightly and took to Instagram to vent her anger.  "Now, dear Virgil, where you are going, Cristiano Ronaldo has gone and has come [back] a thousand times," she started. "You see, my dear Virgil, that Cristiano Ronaldo was a three-times champion in the country where you have been playing for years and you still haven't got your hands on the trophy. "Cristiano Ronaldo was even the best player and be

A notable absentee at the Ballon d'Or gala last night was one of football's finest - Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ballon d'Or finalist - third best in the 2019 Ballon d'Or ranking, behind winner Messi and second best Virgil van Dijk - was receiving an award of his own in Milan, Italy. He was awarded the Serie A footballer of the year, at the Gran Gal à  del Clac On collio ceremony. After collecting the award for best Serie A player, the 34-year-old said, "I'm proud to be the best player in the Serie A. I thank my teammates and everyone who voted for me. Now, I'll work to be here again next year." He was also named in the Team of the Year alongside    Samir Handanovic  (Inter);  Joao Cancelo  (ex-Juventus),  Giorgio Chiellini  (Juve),  Kalidou Koulibaly  (Napoli),  Aleksandar Kolarov  (Roma);  Miralem Pjanic  (Juve),  Nicolo Barella  (Cagliari/Inter),  Josip Ilicic  (Atalanta);  Fabio Quagliarella  (Sampdoria) and  Duvan Zapata  (Atalanta).

Messi won the Ballon d'Or yesterday, becoming the only player to win the coveted trophy six times. In an interview with France Football after the ceremony, Messi admitted it ached a little when Cristiano Ronaldo equaled his previous record of five Ballon d'Or titles in 2017. He said, " On the one hand, I appreciated having 5 and being the only one to do so. When Cristiano levelled me, I have to admit that it hurt me a bit. I was no longer alone at the summit. But it was logical, even if it is nice when you are alone on 5." Messi was also asked if he is the best player in the history of football, given that he is the only player to have won six Ballon d'Ors. He replied: " It is truly difficult to say. There have been other great players in other eras, and it is always difficult to compare them with current players, like Cristiano, like “Ney,” and Mbappé. Each person has their own preference. Honestly, I do not know if I am the best player in the history

He came, he saw, and he conquered. Barcelona star Lionel Messi was awarded the 2019 Ballon d'Or at a star-studded ceremony in Paris on Monday evening. Messi saw off strong competition from Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk to lift the world's best player trophy for a record sixth time, and for the first time since 2015. Messi won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009, after claiming the treble under Pep Guardiola. He went on to win again in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He claimed the award again in 2015 after Cristiano Ronaldo's two successive wins in 2013 and 2014. Messi is the first player in history to win six Ballon d'Or awards. Next in line is Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Messi won quite the lot of silverware this year with the likes of La Liga, Super Copa, the Golden Boot (for being Europe's leading goalscorer), the Pichichi (for being Spain's leading marksman), FIFA Men's Player of the Year, and being the Champions League's leading goalscorer (12 goals).

The first half of one of the toughest La Liga clashes - Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona saw the goalkeepers of both sides lifting their respective teams, with Atletico Madrid being the sharper side. Marc Andre Ter Stergen performed two outstanding saves for Barcelona in the first half, and Atletico's Jan Oblak did same as he tipped Gerard Pique's header onto the bar. Barcelona's other savior Lionel Messi was mostly silent in the first hour of play and got fully engaged in the game with a curling shot into the hour mark. Barcelona struggled to break down a tough Atletico Madrid defence at the Wanda Metropolitano, and it almost looked as though the game would end in a draw... till Messi genius got the winner for the Catalans in the 86th minute. Messi played a beautiful give-and-go with Luis Suarez, with "El Pistolero" setting up Messi's left-footed curler that went low and into Oblak's net. This was Messi's 30th career goal vs Atletico Madrid. Barcel

Marseilles manager Andre Villas-Boas has backed compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or come Monday. Villas-Boas said Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to leave Real Madrid for Juventus "should be appreciated". Despite backing Ronaldo for the win, he labelled both Messi and Ronaldo as extraterrestrials. "It's difficult... I am Portuguese so of course I support Ronaldo more," he said. "Cristiano took a risk by leaving the best team in the world, with more titles in the world. That kind of risk should be appreciated. Playing in Italy and scoring goals is difficult. "Messi is still in his club, Barcelona, which is a big club. He is able to make the difference. "But I am more for Cristiano because I'm Portuguese. Both of them are exceptional, it's difficult to choose. It [Ballon d'Or] will become a competition between them. "Having these two players in the same generation and watching them is absolutely i