Messi bids to emulate Platini

The Barcelona superstar won the inaugural Fifa Ballon d’Or – a combination of the France Football Ballon d’Or prize and Fifa’s World Player of the Year award – last year, having picked up both awards in 2009.
Messi’s rivals for the honour are his Barcelona teammate Xavi and his great Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2008.
Xavi was also shortlisted for the 2010 prize and finished in third place, behind another Barca colleague, Andres Iniesta.
Messi (24) will start as a strong favourite to retain his prize, after a year in which he inspired his club to a La Liga and Champions League double.
He scored twice, including a memorable solo goal at the Bernabeu, as Barca beat old enemies Madrid in the Champions League semifinals and was also on target in the 3-1 defeat of Manchester United in the final at Wembley.
This season he has scored his 200th goal for Barcelona and is closing in on Cesar Rodriguez’ all-time record of 235 goals for the club.
Like Messi, 26-year-old Ronaldo scores at a rate of roughly once a game and last season broke the record for most goals scored in a La Liga season with 40 as his side finished runners-up to Barcelona.
He scored an extra-time winner in the Copa del Rey final against Barca in April and found the net for the 100th time in a Real shirt when he scored a brace at Lyon in the Champions League in November.
The award is voted for by national team coaches and captains, as well as a panel of football journalists selected by France Football magazine.
Platini, the current Uefa president, held the award between 1983 and 1985 while playing for Juventus and is the only man to have won it in three consecutive years.
In the award for Men’s Coach of the Year, Messi’s Barcelona mentor Pep Guardiola is up against Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United.
The winner of Fifa’s Ferenc Puskas Award for the best goal of the year will also be revealed, with Wayne Rooney’s spectacular overhead bicycle kick for Manchester United against Manchester City leading the nominations.
Messi’s inventive chip over the goalkeeper and volley against Arsenal in the Champions League and a slaloming solo goal by Brazilian sensation Neymar in a league game for Santos against Flamengo were also shortlisted.
In the women’s equivalent of the Ballon d’Or, holder Marta of Brazil is nominated alongside USA striker Abby Wambach and Japan’s Homare Sawa, who finished top scorer at last year’s women’s World Cup in Germany.
Japan coach Norio Sasaki was recognised for leading his country to their first ever World Cup title by being named in the shortlist for the Women’s Coach of the Year prize.
France’s Bruno Bini and the USA’s Swedish coach Pia Sundhage were also shortlisted. – Sapa-AFP.

Gallas gives up recall hope
Tottenham Hotspur defender William Gallas has given up hope of playing for France again after being overlooked by coach Laurent Blanc since the 2010 World Cup.
The 34-year-old won the last of his 84 caps when France exited the World Cup in South Africa at the first round stage.
“There was a time when I thought I would be recalled,” Gallas told French TV channel TF1 on Sunday (yesterday).
“It has not happened. From then on, it became clear to me that France team was over for me. The only thing I can say is that I still have the legs to play.”
Gallas missed the first 15 matches of the season through injury but has been in fine form since then for Spurs who are third in the Premier League.
France have been drawn in Group D alongside Ukraine, Sweden and England for the Euro 12 finals in June. – Reuters.

Milan agree terms with Tevez
AC Milan have agreed terms with Carlos Tevez and are waiting to hear back from Manchester City about their latest offer for the Argentine forward.
Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani revealed the news when asked by journalists whether or not Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato is for sale.
“We are not negotiating the sale of Pato, I have an agreement with Tevez but not with City,” he said.
Galliani said on Thursday he had sent an “imaginative” offer to City which the Italian press claim consists of a loan until the end of the season with an obligation to buy, under set conditions, in the middle of the year.
However, City have already rejected a previous offer from Milan to borrow the player, claiming they will only sell him outright.
Italian Press on Saturday claimed Inter Milan have entered the bidding by offering 25 million euros for the 27-year-old.
Both of those bids, however, are believed to be well below the 35 million euros French league leaders Paris St Germain have allegedly offered. – Sapa-AFP.

Henry in line-up against Leeds
Arsene Wenger has confirmed Thierry Henry will make his second “debut” for Arsenal in the FA Cup third-round clash against Leeds, more than 12 years since he made his first appearance for the club.
Henry was registered in time for today’s game at the Emirates, although Wenger is unsure whether the 34-year-old will start against their Championship opponents or come off the bench as he attempts to add to his 226 Arsenal goals.
The Frenchman is expected to receive a huge ovation from supporters following his six-and-a-half week loan deal from New York Red Bulls.
“It took a little while to get the paperwork done but finally it is done,” Arsenal boss Wenger said. “He will be involved against Leeds but I haven’t decided yet what I will do.
“He works hard, he is a bit behind physically of course. I think in one or two weeks he will be fine. Everybody is happy that he has joined the team.”
It was only recently that Arsenal erected a statue to honour Henry’s achievements with the club, with the striker moved to tears when it was unveiled before Christmas. Wenger is confident Henry’s legacy will not be tarnished by his second spell at the club.
“You cannot take away from people what they have done, and what he has delivered will stay forever,” he said. “It can just make the statue a bit bigger, let’s hope he will do that.”
“He still has the quality. He is a bit less strong physically, because we all go down physically everyday, nobody can stop that, you can only slow it down.
“Thierry had so many physical qualities, that he is still at a good level. His other quality was he always had a healthy life, he cared about his diet and usually these players go down as well, but less quickly than ones who do not do that.”
Henry himself insists he is there to compliment the form of Robin van Persie, who has carried the club since the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
Henry said: “Right now Robin is flying, I can be around and talk to him but he is doing what he does best: scoring goals.
“You don’t want to disturb that, you want to help that and make sure you can give him some help.
“He went to the final of the World Cup and like the fans say, he scores when he wants. When the boss spoke to me about coming back, I wanted to make sure I didn’t disturb the team that was in place.
“That was important to me, I am a fan don’t forget that. The team did something incredible to come back to where they are right now, we are far from the first position but if you talk about what the team has done since (defeat at) Man United, they have done pretty well.”
Van Persie is expected to be rested against Leeds, with fringe players given their chance following a busy Christmas schedule. – AFP.