Abdol Gallery: WINNERS AT THE FIFA BALLON D' OR

Tuesday, 12 January 2016

WINNERS AT THE FIFA BALLON D' OR

Lionel MESSI

Lionel MESSI
ARGENTINA
“It’s hard to beat what we achieved in 2015, it was a spectacular year,” said Lionel Messi, after his side had beaten Real Betis in the final game of an unforgettable year for the Argentinian, one he has capped with his fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or. The FC Barcelona No10 was an influential figure in all the titles claimed by Los Culés in 2015: La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Scorer of 48 goals in all competitions over the course of the calendar year, during the 2014/15 season he was La Liga’s second-highest scorer (43 goals) and leading assist provider (21). He was also the joint leading scorer (10, along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar) and assist supplier (6) in that term’s Champions League. What’s more, Messi picked up a silver medal with Argentina at the Copa America Chile 2015.

LUIS ENRIQUE

LUIS ENRIQUE
SPAIN
For Luis Enrique, being recognised as the FIFA Men’s Football Coach of the Year is the icing on the cake of a splendid 2015. The 45-year-old Asturias-born coach could barely have imagined a finer first season in the always demanding and high-pressure FC Barcelona hotseat, passing a stern test with flying colours. And having guided the Catalan outfit to their second ever Liga-Copa del Rey-UEFA Champions League treble, Los Culés racking up club-record numbers in the process, he subsequently bolstered his credentials by adding the UEFA Super Cup to the Barça trophy cabinet. Luis Enrique’s side would end the calendar year having lifted five of the six titles available. Yet Luis Enrique is also able to look beyond the act of collecting silverware. “Normally people are drawn to winning teams, but I think in the case of Barça that bond is also strengthened by the way those titles are won, and it’s something we hope to keep encouraging,” he said, following his side’s triumph at the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2015.
FIFA Women's World Player of the Year
Carli LLOYD

USA

In 2008, Carli Lloyd scored the only goal in the final of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament as USA beat Brazil after extra time. Four years later, she made the difference again in London, finding the net twice in a 2-1 victory against Japan. Despite those feats, she missed out on the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award both times, finishing behind Marta and Abby Wambach. That left the attacking midfielder knowing she would need to do even better in 2015 – and she responded with a hat-trick in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™, including a wonderful goal from the halfway line that helped earn her the adidas Golden Ball and adidas Silver Boot. So often decisive when the stakes are high, Lloyd was one of the major architects of USA's third World Cup title and followed up by scoring in nine consecutive games. Now 33, the Houston Dash player has reached the peak of her powers at just the right time, with the Stars and Stripes adapting to life without a legend after Wambach's retirement. Newly crowned as the 2015 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, Lloyd appears more than capable of picking up the baton.

It may sound like a cliché, but Brazilian football genuinely does combine technique, talent, spectacle and end product. Wendell Lira proved that once again last year with a breathtaking bicycle-kick which has been voted by users of FIFA.com and francefootball.fr as the best goal of 2015.

As he strode into the opposition penalty area, Wendell Lira exchanged a quick glance with his team-mate on the ball, who promptly lofted a pass over the defence. Without breaking his stride, the forward twisted around and leapt into the air to connect and bury a wonderful bicycle-kick. The goalscorer will no doubt long remember that moment on 11 March, and not simply because it put Goianesia ahead against Atletico-GO in a Goias state championship game they eventually won 2-1.

Above all, that acrobatic finish has earned him the 2015 FIFA Puskás Award, with second place in the vote going to Argentina's Lionel Messi, while Italian international Alessandro Florenzicame in third. Lira becomes the latest player to collect this award after Cristiano Ronaldo (2009), Hamit Altintop (2010), Neymar (2011), Miroslav Stoch (2012), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2013) and James Rodriguez (2014).

The suspense is over! The FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2015, as voted for by over 20,000 professional players, was revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich's Kongresshaus on 11 January 2016. The 11 stars that earned a place in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2015 are: Manuel Neuer, Thiago Silva, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta, Luka Modric, Paul Pogba, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo.

FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2015

ZZFIFA Fair Play Award 2015: All football organsations supporting refugees
© Getty Images
The FIFA Fair Play Award recognises exemplary behaviour that promotes the spirit of fair play and compassion on and off the field.

In 2015 the world witnessed the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe due to the ongoing civil war in Syria. Many innocent people fled their homes in desperate conditions to find safety for themselves and their loved ones.

Football clubs and organisations from around the world took it upon themselves to assist refugees, welcoming them after their hard journey, providing them with basic necessities and helping them to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar surroundings. From Somalia, South Africa and Afghanistan to Myanmar, the international football community lent support and assistance to those displaced by upheaval and conflict.

This year, the FIFA Fair Play Award goes to all the football organisations and clubs around the world that are working to support refugees. The award was accepted on stage at Zurich’s Kongresshaus on 11 January 2016 by former Germany international Gerald Asamoah.

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