Spanish Papers Back Ronaldo To Win Third Ballon d' Or

Unless something hugely remarkable happens, Cristiano Ronaldo will today win the Ballon d’Or in Zurich.The two famous Spanich papers AS & Marca have thrown their weights behind Ronaldo abandoning Messi. Ronaldo certainly had his best year as a footballer in 2014.

The front pages of both Marca and AS are tipping the Real Madrid superstar to walk home with the gold ahead of Bayern Munich goalie Manuel Neuer and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.

CHELSEA 2 NEWCASTLE 0: Watch All The Goals & Highlights

             

Ronaldo, Messi Or Neuer? Who Will Win The Ballon d'Or Tonight?

The above photo shows the names of Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer and Cristiano Ronaldo being inscribed on plaques at the revered Mellerio dits Meller jewellery house in Paris.

Tonight, around 300 miles away at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, one will be inscribed on another opulent ornament.

Tottenham Bid £8m For Emmanuel Emenike

Barclays English Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur have tabled an £8m bid for Nigeria international striker, Emmanuel Emenike. Last week, Emenike’s agent, Edem Konyar revealed that the attacker was attracting interest from a host of clubs including Tottenham, AC Milan and Fiorentina.

British Newspaper, the Express now reports that Spurs have tabled an £8m bid for the Fenerbahce striker. Emenike has been previously linked with a move to the Premier League with Liverpool and Chelsea mentioned among his suitors.

Enyeama & Musa Listed In Africa's Best Eleven

The Nigerian duo of Vincent Enyeama and Ahmed Musa made the CAF finest 11 team as revealed by Caf at the 2014 Glo-Caf awards on Thursday in Lagos, Nigeria. Despite losing out to Yaya Toure in the African Footballer of the Year category, Enyeama was picked as the first choice and top goalkeeper in Africa for 2014.

The OSC Lille goalkeeper has been in tremendous form for his Ligue 1 side with the highest clean sheet rate this past calendar year as well as leading Nigeria to a second round finish at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

WEST BROM vs HULL CITY PREVEIW: All the Facts & Statistics You Need To Know

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EVERTON vs MANCHESTER CITY PREVIEW: All the Facts & Statistics You Need To Know

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CHELSEA vs NEWCASTLE PREVIEW: All The Facts & Statistics You Need To Know

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WAR! Lionel Messi And Luis Enrique Still At Loggerheads

The relationship between Luis Enrique and Lionel Messi is not improving. Nor is it worsening. It simply does not exist. Each man is doing his own thing and neither has seemed likely to budge since the Miniestadi episode in which the Argentine failed to attend an open-door training session, making no secret of his rift with the boss.

The club has recently been hit by a series of trials and tribulations which resulted in president Bartomeu calling for club elections that will take place at the end of the season.

Ancelotti Is Better Than Mourinho - Iker Casillas

Ancelotti or Mourinho?: "Ancelotti is better than Mourinho. With Mourinho I had a love-hate relationship. In his time here I did not speak of him when he was in my locker room, nor do I think that I have to talk now when he is already managing another team and I’m with my team. It would be a bit self-seeking and little cowardly on my part".

What do you wish for Mourinho?: "That things go very well for him. In the time that he was at Real Madrid, he won titles and you have to give him thanks".

It's Impossible For Chelsea To Sign Lionel Messi - Steven Holland

Chelsea assistant coach Steven Holland believes it is "impossible" for the club to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi due to Financial Fair Play restrictions.

Messi's future has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he hinted back in November that he could leave Camp Nou, amid reported tensions with boss Luis Enrique and the Barcelona hierarchy.

The Argentina superstar appeared to fan the flames this week by following Chelsea on Instagram, but Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has since reiterated the club's desire to keep their all-time record goalscorer.

COPA DEL REY - ATLETICO MADRID 2 REAL MADRID O: Watch The Goals & Highlights

              

SHOCKING! Ibrahimovic Claimed To Be JESUS Says Verratti

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has revealed how Zlatan Ibrahimovic's self-belief rubbed off on his team-mates and helped them secure their first league title in 19 years. The Swedish striker's confidence is world renowned, and speaking exclusively in the February 2015 issue of FourFourTwo – out on Wednesday – Verratti underlined the extent of his PSG colleague's self-assured nature.

Referees Don't Protect Eden Hazard - Jose Mourinho

Eden Hazard "loves" being at Chelsea and has no desire to leave, according to boss Jose Mourinho.
Hazard has been in contract talks with the Blues since June, but the Belgian is yet to commit to a new deal which would make him the highest-paid player in the club's history.

After Thursday's shock 5-3 defeat to Tottenham, Mourinho appeared to cast further doubt on the future of his star player, insisting the physical punishment Hazard takes from opponents could drive him out of English football.

Raheem Sterling Set To Sign New 5-Year Contract Worth £100,000 Per Week

Liverpool are set to give their fans a much-needed boost by agreeing a new £25million deal with Raheem Sterling by the end of the month. The Anfield club are confident of securing Sterling on a five-year contract worth £100,000-a-week and have stepped up negotiations with the 20-year-old England international following the surprise news that captain Steven Gerrard will leave at the end of the season to play in America.

I Don't Think Keshi Likes Me - Obafemi Martins

Obafemi Martins has said that his being frozen out of the national team was due to coach Stephen Keshi’s personal decisions. The Seattle Sounders forward just came off a season where he led his side to Major League Soccer play-offs as well as winning the Supporters’ Shield.

Despite being in top form and scoring 17 goals in the just ended season where he earned nomination for the Most Valuable Player award, Martins was ignored for the Super Eagles’ 2014 Fifa World Cup campaign.

SOUTHAMPTON 2 ARSENAL O: Watch The Goals & Highlights

               

Ghosts Haunted Arsenal - Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has urged Arsenal to overcome the defensive “ghosts” that have haunted his side’s campaign after yet more errors gifted Southampton victory on New Year’s Day. The north Londoners were comprehensively outplayed at St Mary’s Stadium, though two errors from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny directly resulted in goals for Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic.

The 2-0 defeat saw Arsenal drop out of the top four and Wenger was disappointed to see his side gift Southampton such easy goals, believing they were architects of their own downfall.

TOTTENHAM 5 CHELSEA 3: Watch Mourinho's After Match Interview

             

Stephen Gerrard Will Return To Liverpool As A Coach - Gerard Houllier

Gerard Houllier expects Steven Gerrard to return to Liverpool in a coaching capacity once his playing days come to an end. On Friday, the Reds captain announced his intention to leave Anfield and move abroad at the end of the current season when his contract runs out, with a move to Major League Soccer widely anticipated.

His decision brings to an end a long association with the club but Houllier – who gave Gerrard his debut in 1998 – does not think that he will be away from Liverpool for long.