Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Messi’s FIFA Ballon d’Or award is still a victory for team football
It's strange that when 2009 winner Lionel Messi was awarded the combined FIFA Ballon d'Or award on Monday there was shock in the Zurich auditorium and around the globe.
He is clearly the best player in the world but most fans and pundits had expected one of Barcelona team mates and Spain World Cup winners Andres Iniesta or Xavi to take the prize.
Some might argue that talent has unfairly outstripped team play yet again in the big award but of all the truly great players to have graced the game, Messi is one of a handful who shine because of their understanding with team mates not just their outrageous skill.
Unlike rugby where the kicker can make a huge amout of difference or NFL where the quarterback is all powerful, soccer really is a team game and that is why skilful workhorses Xavi or Iniesta were widely expected to win.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Ballon d’Or shortlist should give Premier League pause for thought
England performed well below expectation at the World Cup in South Africa and judging by the FIFA Ballon d'Or list announced on Tuesday the stock of the Premier League is not at its highest either.
Just three players from the league that likes to call itself the best in the world are on the list and it would be a huge surprise if any of them made it into the top three:
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Who will win the battle between Ibra and Eto’o?
Boy, the Champions League is back with a bang. How much juicier can you get than holders Barcelona at Inter Milan in their first game?
If the Spanish champions against their Italian counterparts wasn't enough, we've got the added spice of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o playing against their former clubs at the first possible opportunity following their extraordinary close-season swap deal.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Barcelona beat Manchester United — your views
Barcelona deposed Manchester United as European champions with an outstanding 2-0 victory in the Champions League final at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday.
Samuel Eto'o struck the opener after 10 minutes when he cut in from the right past Nemanja Vidic with surprising ease and his low shot beat United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar at his near post. Xavi cracked a free kick against a United post at the start of the second half before Lionel Messi sealed the win after 70 minutes when he scored with a beautifully timed header from Xavi's cross.
