FC Barcelona News: 3 December 2019

Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Lionel Messi crowned 2019 Ballon d’Or winner | Sky Sports
Messi was involved in 63 goals in total in the past 12 months for both club and country, including 46 goals and 17 assists as the playmaker helped Barca to retain their La Liga crown. ”I would like to thank all of the journalists who voted for me and wanted me to have this prize,” said Messi after picking up the award in Paris on Monday night alongside his two sons and wife.

How has Messi changed in 10 years? | FC Barcelona
A decade on from his first Ballon d’Or win in 2009, Leo Messi has been awarded the prize for the sixth time. Chosen as the best player of the year by French magazine France Football, Messi is the player to have won the award on the most occasions in history.

The sports world hails Messi | FC Barcelona
Leo Messi is the 2019 Ballon d’Or winner. The Argentine was presented with the award on Monday night in Paris, in a gala that concluded with him posing for photos with the six such prizes that he has won to date -more than any other player in history. Tributes came flooding in on social media, and here are the pick of the messages from figures in the world of sport.

Ballon d’Or 2019: The incredible points difference between Messi & Van Dijk | Sport
Lionel Messi’s sixth Ballon d’Or was a close-run thing. The Argentine, the big favourite to claim the prize, ended up with 686 points, just seven more than his closest challenger, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. It’s the smallest ever difference between first and second place.

The reasons for Messi’s Ballon d’Or win | FC Barcelona
This September, at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the forward was awarded the FIFA prize for best player of 2018/19, ahead of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo. The award was voted on by national team captains and coaches, media members and a popular vote.

Barça’s Ter Stegen: Messi still has many year of footbal left in him | Sport
“He still has many years of football in him,” responded Marc-Andre ter Stegen, with a reassuring smile, when asked about Lionel Messi’s words after winning his sixth Ballon d’Or on Monday. Messi had said: “I am aware of how old I am and that retirement is closer and closer all the time.”

Barça d’Or | FC Barcelona
Leo Messi is the king once more. The Argentine was crowned Ballon d’Or in Paris on Monday for the sixth time in his career, more than any other player in the history of football. An award that means no other player can boast of as many awards in the competition as Leo Messi and that no other club can claim as many Ballon d’Or awards as Barça with 12.

Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or-winning form might not be enough for Barcelona this season | ESPN
Six-time Ballon d’Or winner he might now be, but at that stage, his season had already been scarred by injury, disappointment and defeat. Plus, it had been revealed that, shockingly, he could walk away from Barcelona -- for free -- in June. It was already the eighth week of term, and Messi had started only one La Liga match, played a total of 90 minutes domestically and been defeated at Granada.

Messi: Retirement is approaching but Barcelona should have no exit fears | Goal
Lionel Messi has admitted on the back of his sixth Ballon d’Or triumph that “retirement is approaching”, but the Argentine hopes to enjoy “many more years” at the top and says Barcelona have nothing to worry about when it comes to his future.

Real Madrid’s Modric congratulates Barcelona rival Messi after sixth Ballon d’Or win | Goal
Lionel Messi received the Ballon d’Or trophy from 2018 winner Luka Modric on Monday, with the Real Madrid midfielder then congratulating Barcelona’s talismanic forward on social media. Modric ended Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s 10-year duopoly over the prestigious prize last year having helped Croatia reach the World Cup final after winning a third successive Champions League with Real Madrid.

Messi: It hurt when Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d’Or | Goal
Lionel Messi admits “it hurt” when Cristiano Ronaldo joined him on five Ballon d’Or triumphs, with the Barcelona superstar claiming to understand the frustration of a rival who opted not to attend the 2019 ceremony.

Barcelona fear losing ‘essential’ Arturo Vidal to Inter | Football Espana
Barcelona and Ernesto Valverde view midfielder Arturo Vidal as an ‘essential’ player but fear the player will leave for Inter. That is according to a report in ESPN Deportes, which claim that the Milanese giants will try to tempt the Chilean midfielder with a January offer.

Barcelona and Juventus fighting over a Metz central defender | Sport
Lacroix is an U17 international with France and is training with the Metz first team, even though he hasn’t signed an official contract yet. That is partly why so many sides are ready to do battle for him.

Source: barcablaugranes.com