Messi got Ballon d’Or Award

FIFA’s best footballer Lionel Messi won the FIFA Ballon o d’Or award for a record seventh time. Messi performed brilliantly in the last season with Barcelona and also won his first international title with Argentina. Argentina won the Copa America title in July of the 34-year-old Messi’s brilliant performance. No other footballer has been able to win this title so many times.

After winning the award, Messi said, “Although I always put the collective forward, I cannot hide my joy at having been able to win another Ballon d’Or. I want to thank you and dedicate to all my colleagues and @afaseleccion staff for the beautiful year we are living. Also those I had at @fcbarcelona and those at @psg. And of course, to my family and friends, as well as to all the people who support me, who are next to me, take care of me and make me perform every day: without all of them, this would never have been possible. And thanks also to @francefootball for the Gala and the award. Big hug!!!

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1.Italy vs West Germany (1970 World Cup Semi Final)

This game is often regarded as “The Game of the Century” due to various reasons involved with it. Some of the reason being – 5 goals were scored in this match in the extra time while 1 was in injury time; the sides involved in the match were full of great players and entertainers. The passion and intensity of players involved can be seen from the fact that Franz Beckenbauer had to play this game with a scarf on as he had dislocated his right shoulder in the early phase of the game.

Boninsegna scored a goal for Italy at a very initial stage in the game. He took a left-footed strike from the edge of the box. Then there were no goals scored by either sides for a long time in the match. But the match wasn’t over yet. There was a lot to come, a lot! Just when the Italians assumed they were heading for an easy victory, the German defender Schnellinger scored a goal with a diving header in injury time to level up the scores. Then Gerd Muller’s goal in the 94th minute gave the Germans a lead of 2-1. Burgnich scored a goal the to equalise the scores in favour of Italy 4 minutes later. Now, Gigi Rava came into play and scored another goal for Italy to close the first period of extra time. This made the scoreline 3-2 with Italy leading. The inevitable Muller scored for Germany again to level the scoreline of the game at 3-3. At last, Rivera scored a goal immediately after for Germany to make them win this Semifinal of the World Cup 1970 with a score of 4-3.

2. Liverpool vs AC Milan (2005 UEFA Champions League Final)

AC Milan stunned Liverpool by scoring the first goal in the first minute itself by Maldini. Crespo further increased Milan’s lead by scoring another goal. Till the half time, Milan had increased their lead to 3-0 against the Reds. 

What happened next is regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game, which was possible due to the sheer brilliance of the Liverpool’s players. Skipper Steven Gerrard led the way for the Reds with a bang-on header to score the first goal for them in the match. Vladimir Smicer scored another goal for them to take the score to 2-3. Xabi Alonso scored another goal for Liverpool to equalise the scores at 3-3. What’s more interesting and fascinating is that all of this happened for Liverpool in just 6 minutes after the break! Milan didn’t lose hope though, as they created some chances. Yet they couldn’t convert those chances into goals. Liverpool eventually won this match in the penalty shootout. It seemed like destiny had it for Liverpool, as Milan’s gameplay was not inferior to the Reds. The media often calls this encounter ‘The Istanbul Miracle’.

3. Brazil 1-7 Germany (FIFA World Cup 2014)

Brazil reached the semis of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on their home soil. Their journey till the quarters was smooth. But what happened next is one of the most humiliating incidents for them. Germany was playing the game like beasts. They had completely outclassed the Brazilian side. Germany was 5-0 up till the 29 minute. Tony Kroos had scored 2 goals in a span of just 69 seconds. Till the 80th minute, Germany had increased the scoreline to 7-0. The only goal from Brazilian side came in the last minute of the match

The reason for this match being included in the list, even after being such one sider, is the top-level skills and passion with which the Germans played it. Their coordination was brilliant. This is the highest margin win in a world cup Semi Final till date. German captain Miroslav Klose scored his 16th goal in World Cups to break the record of Ronaldo. Germany also went on to win this World Cup.

4. Liverpool vs Chelsea (2008-09 UEFA Champions League 2nd Leg)

In the first leg, Chelsea had taken a lead of 3-1 against Liverpool. So, they needed at least a margin of 3 goals to advance to the next round. Fabiol Aurelio took a free kick to score the first goal for the Reds. Xabi Alonso scored another goal for them to make their lead 2-0. After halftime, Chelsea was back in the game as they scored 2 goals in 6 minutes (51st and 57th). They were scored by Drogba and Alex. Lampard scored a goal to take the scoreline to 3-2 in favour of Chelsea. This was certainly not the end to excitement! Lucas and Kuyt scored goals for Liverpool in the 81st and 83rd minutes to take back the lead from Chelsea. But, finally Lampard scored a goal for Chelsea to take the final score to 4-4, a tie. This crushed the hopes of Liverpool to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League as their final score after two legs against Chelsea was 5-7. This match was full of nail-biting moments.

5. Argentina vs England (1986 World Cup Quarter Final)

The first half of this game was extremely competitive, but remained goalless. In the second half though, Argentine Diego Maradona went on to score two of the most talked about goals in the history of the game.

In the 51st minute, the ‘Hand of God goal’ happened. Maradona’s hand had touched the ball while trying a header. Yet the referee gave this a valid goal in lack of a proper view. But what Maradona did next, showcased his class and brilliance in the game. After a few minutes, he went on to score “The Goal of the Century” by dribbling past 5 English defenders and then past the English goalkeeper Shilton. Gary Lineker went on to score the first goal for England, but couldn’t change the fate of the match. Argentina won this match by 2-1 and later went on to win the World Cup 1986.

Considering these facts, it is obvious that football clubs are also popular and loved by people. They have a huge following and top brands like Nike, Puma, Coca Cola, Jeep, Chevrolet, Qatar Airways, Pepsi, and Adidas have signed multi-million dollar deals with top football clubs. Their fans are also very passionate about the clubs and are seen in the stadiums supporting them with full enthusiasm. So let us have a look upon the top 5 loved clubs of football.

Real Madrid CF

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, popularly known as Real Madrid, is a Spanish football club based in the city of Madrid. It was founded in 1902 and its current coach is Zinadine Zidane. It has one of the most significant followers bases on social media, with 34.3 Million followers on Twitter and 88.9 Million followers on Instagram. Santiago Bernabéu is its home ground. Its worth was estimated to be $4.2 Billion in 2019. It was one of the founding members of the Spanish League La Liga when it started in 1929. At the domestic level, Real Madrid has won 65 trophies which consists of a record 33 La Liga titles, 19 Copa del Rey, 11 Supercopa de España, 1 Copa de la Liga and 1 Copa Eva Duarte. In Continental and World competitions, Real Madrid has won 26 trophies which consist of 13 European Cup/UEFA Champions League trophies, four UEFA Super Cups and two UEFA Cups. They have proved their mettle in International football also, where they have achieved a record seven club world championships. Some famous players to have played for this club are Christiano Ronaldo (former player), Zinadine Zidane, Gareth Bale.

FC Barcelona

Futbol Club Barcelona, popularly known as Barcelona or Barça, is a Spanish football club based in Barcelona, Spain. It was founded in 1899 and its current coach is Quique Setién. It has one of the most significant followers bases on social media, with 32.8 Million followers on Twitter and 87.4 Million followers on Instagram. Camp Nou is its home ground. Its worth was estimated to be $4.06 Billion in 2019. It was one of the founding members of the Spanish League La Liga in 1929. 

In domestic football, Barcelona has won 74 trophies which consists of a record 26 La Liga titles, 30 Copa del Rey, 13 Supercopa de España, 2 Copa de la Liga and 3 Copa Eva Duarte. In World and European competitions, 5 UEFA Champions League titles, 4 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 5 UEFA Super Cup, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and 3 FIFA Club World Cups. Some famous players to have played for this club are Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta etc.

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English football club. It is based in the city of Old Trafford, Manchester, England. It was founded in 1878  and its current manager is Ole Gunnar Solskjær. It competes in the Premier League. It has a large followers base on social media, with 22.2 Million followers on Twitter and 35.9 Million followers on Instagram. Old Trafford is its home ground. Its worth was estimated to be $3.81 Billion in 2019. It has won 20 League titles, 12 FA Cups, five League Cups and 21 FA Community Shields. They have also won 3 UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, one UEFA Europa League, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. Its famous players are Paul Pogba.

Juventus F.C.

Juventus Football Club, popularly known as Juventus or Juve, is an Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. The club was founded in 1897. Its present manager is Maurizio Sarri. It competes in the Serie-A league. It has a huge followers base on social media, with 8.1 Million followers on Twitter and 40.7 Million followers on Instagram. Its stadium is named Allianz Stadium. Juventus has won many trophies which include 35 official league titles, 13 Coppa Italia titles and 8 Supercoppa Italiana titles. At the World and International levels, it has won two European Cups / UEFA Champions Leagues, won Intercontinental Cups, 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup, 3 UEFA Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups and one UEFA Intertoto Cup. Its famous players are Christiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, G. Buffon.

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English football club based in Liverpool, England. It was founded in 1892 and its current manager is Jürgen Klopp. It has one of the largest followers base on social media, with 14.9 Million followers on Twitter and 26.6 Million followers on Instagram. Anfield is its home stadium. Its worth was estimated to be $ 2.18 Billion in 2019. At the domestic level, it has won 19 League titles, 15 FA Community Shields, 8 League Cups and 7 FA Cups. It has also won Premier League 2020. In World and European competitions, the club has won six European Cups, more than any other English club, four UEFA Super Cups, three UEFA Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup. Its famous players are Steven Gerrard, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Henderson etc.

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