We live in a world obsessed with superlatives, constantly being sold by marketing ploys promoting their individual items. Football is sadly no different, how often are we told that Cristiano Ronaldo is the World’s best player, only to be told the same thing about Lionel Messi the very next day. Club’s are no different, Real Madrid and Manchester United are constantly battle it out for the title of World’s biggest club (apologies to Barcelona and Liverpool fans)!

In times such as these, often the only source of clarity comes from Football awards and rankings. There is a large collection of footballing awards and rankings systems out there. Some awards are presented by the official governing bodies, whilst other awards come from Journalists and Independent bodies such as the IFFHS.

Football Rankings

FIFA World Rankings

The obvious contender for the most important ranking system in world Football is the official FIFA world rankings. Officially introduced in 1992 the rankings has been subjected to some degree of critisim over the years. This critisim has resulted in three different ranking systems of varying levels of complexity. The current system has been in effect since the conclusion of the 2006 World Cup.

World Football ELO Rankings

Due to the critisim of the official FIFA world rankings system, alternative rankings systems have surfaced over the years. The most prominent of these awards is the World Football ELO rankings. As the name suggests the system is based of the ELO ranking system designed by Hungarian mathematician Dr. Árpád Élő to rank chess players. The system was adopted for Football by Bob Runyan in 1997.

UEFA Coefficients

UEFA’s coefficient ranking and seeding system is arguably the world’s most influential ranking system. It’s divided up into three categories – Nations, Leagues and Clubs and has a major role to play when deteriming the fixtures, groups and qualifiication rules of prestigious tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League and the European Championships. The coefficient to some extent also provides a guide on who the most influential leagues are in Europe.

Football Awards

As a professional footballer the three major awards you aim for are the Ballon d’Or, FIFPro player of the year and finally theFIFA world footballer of the year.

Ballon d’Or

The Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956 by the France Football Magazine. The award was the brain child of Gabriel Hanot – his vision was to have an award for the best European footballer of the season as voted on by a select panel of European journalists. The Ballon d’Or was quickly estabalished as one of the most prestigious awards a European footballer could win.

Today the Ballon d’Or is a international award having opened it’s doors to players across the world in 2007.

FIFPro Player Of The Year

The FIFPro player of the year award is a newcomer on the international awards front having first been awarded in 2005. The awarded is voted on by players from the various player associations across the world. As such the award shot to prominance quickly, to be voted as the best player in the world by your fellow professionals is seen as one of the highest forms of recognition a player can achieve.

FIFA Player Of The Year

First awarded in 1991 the official FIFA “Player of the Year” award was always destined to become arguagably the pinnacle achievement for an indiviual in Football. Since it’s inception the award has been seen to be provide the definitive answer to the question who is the best player in the world. As such it’s influence on the game has been remarkable. You only have to look at Real Madrid’s recent transfer activity, centered around recruiting FIFA “player of the year” winners to see how much influence the award has.

Below you’ll find a collection of the most prominent awards an individual can win in Football. These are the trophies that players covet. Win one and you’ll find yourself amongst some of the greatest names in the sport.

PFA Player of the Year award

The Professional Footballer’s Association award is consider by many to be the most prestigious award a player can receive due to the fact that it is voted on by fellow Footballers. Each member of the association votes for two players. The award was first given in 1974.

FWA Player of the Year

Along with the PFA award, the Football Writer’s Association award is considered as the premier individual award in England. It is awarded to the best player in the English Premier League and is voted on by approximately 400 English journalists. Sir Stanley Matthews was the award’s first recipient after the 1947/48 award.

PFA Fan’s Player of the Year award

The fan’s version of the PFA award first debuted in 2001. A shortlist of contenders is put together by the PFA and fans are then allowed to vote on this shortlist. There are separate awards given to the top player for each of the four professional football leagues in England.

Onze d’Or

Annual award given out by the French magazine Onze Mondial. The award is for the European player of the year and is judged by the readers of Onze Mondial. The award was first handed out in 1976.

World Soccer Magazine Player of the Year

Yet another magazine award. Originally started in 1982, WSM readers from across the globe cast their votes on who they believe has been the player of the year. Obviously the player with the highest percentage of votes wins. The current holder is Cristiano Ronaldo who amassed 48% of the votes. Votes came from over 40 different countries from around the world.

IFFHS World’s most popular player

This award is a little different from the other awards on this list. Instead of rewarding the best player, it recognises the most popular player. Voters from around the world chose from a list of nominations put together by the IFFHS. In 2007 close to three million people voted on the award. The current holder is Egyptian Mohamed Aboutrika.

FIFA Golden Ball/ Golden Shoe

The Golden ball is presented to the best player of a World Cup, whilst the Golden shoe is presented to the highest goalscorer in the tournament. The awards have been presented since the first World Cup in 1930. The Golden Ball is voted on by the world’s media, who select their vote from a shortlist put together by the FIFA technical committee. The current holder (from the 2006 World Cup) of the Golden Ball is Zinidine Zidane, whilst the Golden Shoe was awarded to Miroslav Klose.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

FIFA’s official ranking system for nations was officially introduced in 1992. Initially it was a rather simplistic system, in which a win gave a team 3 points whilst a draw gave the team 1 point. This created a number of problems, based mainly around the fact that it didn’t take into account that some countries continually played weaker nations and as a result would constantly rank higher than more accomplished sides.

After 7 years, FIFA decided to try and rectify this with a new system. In this system teams were awarded up to a maximum of 10 points for a result. The points took into account the following factors:

• Goals scored/conceded
• Home or Away game
• Importance of match / competition
• Regional strength

Another change was that losers were now able to win points, as points didn’t necessarily depend on winning, drawing or losing.

Whilst this system addressed some the issues, FIFA felt the need to make more changes so in 2006 the system was changed to what we currently see in use today.

Current FIFA World Rankings Calculation Process:

Since the changes in 2006 the following basic points allocation has been in use:

Win (no penalty shootout) – 3 points awarded
Win (penalty shootout) – 2 points awarded
Draw – 1 point awarded
Loss (penalty shootout) – 1 point awarded
Loss (no penalty shootout) – 0 points awarded

Each result has a modifier applying to it based on the status of the match:

Friendlies : 1.0X
World Cup and Continental Cup: 2.5X
Continental Cup and Confederation Cup Finals: 3.0X
World Cup Finals : 4.0X

Results against higher ranked teams should of course be worth more points, and their is a formula which takes this into account:

Opposition strength modifier : 200 – opposition ranking / 100

With the exceptions that the number one ranked is worth 2.0X whilst teams under 150 are a 0.5X modifier.

The last modifier applied is regional strength. Each confederation has a weighting:

UEFA: 1.0X
CONMEBOL: 0.98X
CONCACAF: 0.88X
CAF: 0.85X
AFC: 0.85X
OFC: 0.85X

Those weightings are used in the following formula to determine the modifier:

Regional Strength Modifier : Team 1 regional weighting + Team 2 regional weighting / 2

All of these factors are used to determine how many points either side get from an individual match.

Results over the past 48 months are added together and used that to determine overall ranking, with the following modifiers applied to reflect recent form:

Within the last 12 months 1.0x
12 to 24 months 0.5x
24 to 36 months 0.3X
36 to 48 months 0.2X

Sample FIFA World Rankings Calculation

The maximum number of points that can be won in one match is 2,400. Based on this example, the maximum number of points wasn’t obtained because CONMEBOL has a strength of less than 1.0.

Interesting Facts:

• Coca-Cola have been the awards major sponsor since it’s inception
• Brazil has dominated the ranking system since it’s inception. Holding the top spot for close to 11 years out of a possible 18 years.

Associated FIFA Awards:

FIFA team of the year:

Awarded to the team whose best seven matches received the most amount of points. This year’s winner was Spain.

FIFA mover of the year:

Awarded to the team that has made the best progress up the rankings chart for that particular year.

Most Successful teams:

Brazil and France have consistently been the most successful sides reflecting their dominance in World Football for the past twenty years.

Current FIFA World Rankings (source)

Last Updated 16 Oct 2009 | Next Release 20 Nov 2009

Ranking	Team	Pts Oct 09	+/- Ranking Sep 09		+/- Pts Sep 09
1	Brazil	1632	0		28
2	Spain	1629	0		41
3	Netherlands	1340	0		-36
4	Italy	1215	0		29
5	Germany	1161	-1		-25
6	Argentina	1103	2		-10
7	England	1101	0		-26
8	Croatia	1087	1		-14
9	France	1049	1		9
10	Portugal	1042	7		162
11	USA	1025	0		51
12	Russia	982	-6		-147
13	Switzerland	961	2		63
14	Cameroon	949	15		130
15	Czech Republic	928	3		58
16	Greece	921	-4		-50
17	Chile	909	4		63
18	Mexico	904	6		69
19	Côte d’Ivoire	903	1		51
20	Serbia	892	-7		-24

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Lionel Messi has won the 2009 Ballon d’Or, awarded to the European footballer of the year, after inspiring Barcelona to the treble last season. The forward was outstanding as the Catalan club won the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey.

Messi beat last year’s winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, into second place by a record margin and becomes the sixth Barcelona player to take the award and the first since Brazil’s Ronaldinho in 2005.

The Argentina international, 22, was the top scorer in last season’s Champions League with nine goals, including his header in the 2-0 victory in the final over Manchester United, for whom Ronaldo was playing his final match before joining Real Madrid. He also scored six times in the Copa del Rey and found the net on 23 occasions in the Spanish league.

Barcelona effectively had four players in the top five, with Xavi third and Andrés Iniesta fourth ahead of the former Barça player Samuel Eto’o, who is now with Internazionale.

Wayne Rooney was the highest placed England international in eighth. Immediately behind him are more Premier League players in Didier Drogba, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Cesc Fábregas.

2009 Ballon D’Or Standings

1 Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona), 473 points
2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid), 233
3 Xavi (Spain, Barcelona), 170
4 Andres Iniesta (Spain, Barcelona), 149
5 Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon, Internazionale), 75
6 Kaká (Brazil, Real Madrid), 58
7 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Barcelona), 50
8 Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United), 35
9 Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), 33
10 Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool), 32
11 Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool), 22
12 Cesc Fábregas (Spain, Arsenal), 13
13 Edin Dzeko (Bosnia, Wolfsburg), 12
14 Ryan Giggs (Wales, Manchester United), 11
15 Thierry Henry (France, Barcelona), 9
16= Luis Fabiano (Brazil, Sevilla) 8
16= Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United), 8
16= Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid), 8
19 Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Atlético Madrid), 7
20 Yoann Gourcuff (France, Bordeaux), 6
21= Andrey Arshavin (Russia, Arsenal), 5
21= Júlio César (Brazil, Inter), 5
21= Frank Lampard (England, Chelsea), 5
24 Maicon (Brazil, Inter), 4
25 Diego (Brazil, Juventus), 3
26= David Villa (Spain, Valencia), 2
26= John Terry (England, Chelsea), 2
28 Franck Ribéry (France, Bayern Munich), 1
28= Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast, Barcelona), 1
30 Karim Benzema (France, Real Madrid), 0

Ballon D’Or History

Considered the pinnacle of personal awards in Football, the Ballon d’Or has had a rich history through out the last quarter of a century, indeed no other award can lay claim to the influence the Ballon d’Or has had. Be it the transformation of great players into legendary players or influencing the transfer policies of some of the world’s biggest club.

How did it all come about though? Where did the Ballon d’Or begin? To answer that question we need to look at the man who is considered to be the grand father of European football as we know it today – Gabriel Hanot.

Hanot was a truly remarkable man, a fully capped international for France he would go onto be the Manager of the French national team, whilst at the same time being a Journalist for French Football magazine L’Equipe.

This unconventional arrangement would end in a rather amusing way. After a 5-1 defeat to Spain, Hanot in his role as a Journalist berated the players and then followed up with a unsigned article calling for the resignation of himself. Sure enough, the following day Hanot the coach uncerimonyiasly resigned from his post.

Looking back, European Football can probably be thankful for Hanot’s split personality. With his mangerial career out of the way he was able to focus on Journalism and as a bi product European Football in general. Hanot made three major contributions to European Football as we know it. First he played an important role in Professionalising Football, a trend that would occur all over the World.

His Second achievement was perhaps his most famous, whilst watching Wolves defeat several European opponents, he was struck by their claim that they were now the best team in the world. Inspired, Hanot went about formalising a plan for the first European competition, finally he said we could know just who was the best team in the World! Just like that the European Cup was born, which of course today has involved into the Champions League.

His third idea, whilst perhaps not as famous is what we are concerned about with today. I’m of course talking about the Ballon d’Or. Hanot was occupying the role of Chief Magazine Writer for France Football when he asked his fellow Journalists to vote on who they felt was the best European Footballer over the past season in 1952. The answer was Blackpool’s Sir Stanley Matthews and so just like that the Ballon d’Or was born.

For almost 40 years the award remained unchanged. A select panel of European Journalists would vote on who they felt the best European footballer of the season had been. It wasn’t until 1995 after many years of pressure, that non European players (These non European players had to be plying their trade in Europe however) became eligible for the Ballon d’Or. As fate would have it George Weah the Liberian genius won the award in the very year the rules were first changed!

In 2007 the rules were changed once again to give us the rules that currently exist today. Today any player from any nationality playing in any country can be nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Nominations are now handled by a 96 select Journalists across the world, who select their top five players. Points are assigned for each nomination.

The most recent winner of the Ballon d’Or was of course Cristiano Ronaldo, primarily for his efforts in propelling Manchester United to a league and Champions League double. Ronaldo scored a remarkable 42 goals in that season and won the Ballon d’Or with 446 votes. His nearest rival Leo Messi had 281 votes, whilst Fernando Torres who finished third had 179 votes.

Ballon D’Or Winners:

Year	Place	Player	Nationality	Club	Points
1956	1st	Stanley Matthews	England	Blackpool	047
	2nd	Alfredo di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid	044
	3rd	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	033
1957	1st	Alfredo di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid	072
	2nd	Billy Wright	England	Wolverhampton Wanderers	019
	3rd=	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	016
	3rd=	Duncan Edwards	England	Manchester United	016
1958	1st	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	071
	2nd	Helmut Rahn	West Germany	Rot-Weiss Essen	040
	3rd	Just Fontaine	France	Stade Reims	023
1959	1st	Alfredo di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid	080
	2nd	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	042
	3rd	John Charles	Wales	Juventus	024
1960	1st	Luis Suárez	Spain	Barcelona	054
	2nd	Ferenc Puskás	Hungary	Real Madrid	037
	3rd	Uwe Seeler	West Germany	Hamburg	033
1961	1st	Omar Sívori	Italy	Juventus	046
	2nd	Luis Suárez	Spain	Internazionale	040
	3rd	Johnny Haynes	England	Fulham	022
1962	1st	Josef Masopust	Czechoslovakia	Dukla Prague	065
	2nd	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica	053
	3rd	Karl-Heinz Schnellinger	West Germany	Köln	033
1963	1st	Lev Yashin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Moscow	073
	2nd	Gianni Rivera	Italy	Milan	055
	3rd	Jimmy Greaves	England	Tottenham Hotspur	050
1964	1st	Denis Law	Scotland	Manchester United	061
	2nd	Luis Suárez	Spain	Internazionale	043
	3rd	Amancio	Spain	Real Madrid	038
1965	1st	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica	067
	2nd	Giacinto Facchetti	Italy	Internazionale	059
	3rd	Luis Suárez	Spain	Internazionale	045
1966	1st	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United	081
	2nd	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica	080
	3rd	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	059
1967	1st	Flórián Albert	Hungary	Ferencváros	068
	2nd	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United	040
	3rd	Jimmy Johnstone	Scotland	Celtic	039
1968	1st	George Best	Northern Ireland	Manchester United	061
	2nd	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United	053
	3rd	Dragan Džajić	Yugoslavia	Red Star Belgrade	046
1969	1st	Gianni Rivera	Italy	Milan	083
	2nd	Luigi Riva	Italy	Cagliari	079
	3rd	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	038
1970	1st	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	077
	2nd	Bobby Moore	England	West Ham United	070
	3rd	Luigi Riva	Italy	Cagliari	065
1971	1st	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Ajax	116
	2nd	Sandro Mazzola	Italy	Internazionale	057
	3rd	George Best	Northern Ireland	Manchester United	056
1972	1st	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	081
	2nd=	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	079
	2nd=	Günter Netzer	West Germany	Borussia Mönchengladbach	079
1973	1st	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona	096
	2nd	Dino Zoff	Italy	Juventus	047
	3rd	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	044
1974	1st	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona	116
	2nd	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	105
	3rd	Kazimierz Deyna	Poland	Legia Warsaw	035
1975	1st	Oleg Blokhin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv	122
	2nd	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	042
	3rd	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona	027
1976	1st	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	091
	2nd	Rob Rensenbrink	Netherlands	Anderlecht	075
	3rd	Ivo Viktor	Czechoslovakia	Dukla Prague	052
1977	1st	Allan Simonsen	Denmark	Borussia Mönchengladbach	074
	2nd	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg	071
	3rd	Michel Platini	France	Nancy	070
1978	1st	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg	087
	2nd	Hans Krankl	Austria	Barcelona	081
	3rd	Rob Rensenbrink	Netherlands	Anderlecht	050
1979	1st	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg	118
	2nd	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich	052
	3rd	Ruud Krol	Netherlands	Ajax	041
1980	1st	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich	122
	2nd	Bernd Schuster	West Germany	Barcelona	034
	3rd	Michel Platini	France	Saint-Étienne	033
1981	1st	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich	106
	2nd	Paul Breitner	West Germany	Bayern Munich	064
	3rd	Bernd Schuster	West Germany	Barcelona	039
1982	1st	Paolo Rossi	Italy	Juventus	115
	2nd	Alain Giresse	France	Bordeaux	064
	3rd	Zbigniew Boniek	Poland	Juventus	053
1983	1st	Michel Platini	France	Juventus	110
	2nd	Kenny Dalglish	Scotland	Liverpool	026
	3rd	Allan Simonsen	Denmark	Vejle	025
1984	1st	Michel Platini	France	Juventus	128
	2nd	Jean Tigana	France	Bordeaux	057
	3rd	Preben Elkjær	Denmark	Verona	048
1985	1st	Michel Platini	France	Juventus	127
	2nd	Preben Elkjær	Denmark	Verona	071
	3rd	Bernd Schuster	West Germany	Barcelona	046
1986	1st	Igor Belanov	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv	084
	2nd	Gary Lineker	England	Barcelona	062
	3rd	Emilio Butragueño	Spain	Real Madrid	059
1987	1st	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands	Milan	106
	2nd	Paulo Futre	Portugal	Atlético Madrid	091
	3rd	Emilio Butragueño	Spain	Real Madrid	061
1988	1st	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan	129
	2nd	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands	Milan	088
	3rd	Frank Rijkaard	Netherlands	Milan	045
1989	1st	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan	119
	2nd	Franco Baresi	Italy	Milan	080
	3rd	Frank Rijkaard	Netherlands	Milan	043
1990	1st	Lothar Matthäus	Germany	Internazionale	137
	2nd	Salvatore Schillaci	Italy	Juventus	084
	3rd	Andreas Brehme	Germany	Internazionale	068
1991	1st	Jean-Pierre Papin	France	Marseille	141
	2nd=	Dejan Savićević	Yugoslavia	Red Star Belgrade	042
	2nd=	Darko Pančev	Yugoslavia	Red Star Belgrade	042
	2nd=	Lothar Matthäus	Germany	Internazionale	042
1992	1st	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan	098
	2nd	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	Barcelona	080
	3rd	Dennis Bergkamp	Netherlands	Ajax	053
1993	1st	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus	142
	2nd	Dennis Bergkamp	Netherlands	Internazionale	083
	3rd	Eric Cantona	France	Manchester United	034
1994	1st	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	Barcelona	210
	2nd	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus	136
	3rd	Paolo Maldini	Italy	Milan	109
1995	1st	George Weah	Liberia	Milan	144
	2nd	Jürgen Klinsmann	Germany	Bayern Munich	108
	3rd	Jari Litmanen	Finland	Ajax	067
1996	1st	Matthias Sammer	Germany	Borussia Dortmund	144
	2nd	Ronaldo	Brazil	Barcelona	143
	3rd	Alan Shearer	England	Newcastle United	107
1997	1st	Ronaldo	Brazil	Internazionale	222
	2nd	Predrag Mijatović	Yugoslavia	Real Madrid	068
	3rd	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus	063
1998	1st	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus	244
	2nd	Davor Šuker	Croatia	Real Madrid	068
	3rd	Ronaldo	Brazil	Internazionale	066
1999	1st	Rivaldo	Brazil	Barcelona	219
	2nd	David Beckham	England	Manchester United	154
	3rd	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	Milan	064
2000	1st	Luís Figo	Portugal	Real Madrid	197
	2nd	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus	181
	3rd	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	Milan	085
2001	1st	Michael Owen	England	Liverpool	176
	2nd	Raúl	Spain	Real Madrid	140
	3rd	Oliver Kahn	Germany	Bayern Munich	114
2002	1st	Ronaldo	Brazil	Real Madrid	169
	2nd	Roberto Carlos	Brazil	Real Madrid	145
	3rd	Oliver Kahn	Germany	Bayern Munich	110
2003	1st	Pavel Nedvěd	Czech Republic	Juventus	190
	2nd	Thierry Henry	France	Arsenal	128
	3rd	Paolo Maldini	Italy	Milan	123
2004	1st	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	Milan	175
	2nd	Deco	Portugal	Barcelona	139
	3rd	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona	133
2005	1st	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona	225
	2nd	Frank Lampard	England	Chelsea	148
	3rd	Steven Gerrard	England	Liverpool	142
2006	1st	Fabio Cannavaro	Italy	Real Madrid	173
	2nd	Gianluigi Buffon	Italy	Juventus	124
	3rd	Thierry Henry	France	Arsenal	121
2007	1st	Kaká	Brazil	Milan	444
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United	277
	3rd	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona	255
2008	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United	446
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona	281
	3rd	Fernando Torres	Spain	Liverpool	179

Ballon D’Or Trivia:

Michel Platini is the only player to have won the award three times in a row; he won the award from 1983 to 1985.

Ronaldo was the first Brazilian to win the award in 1997.

George Weah was the first non european to win the award in 1995.

German and Dutch players each share the record for winning the Ballon d’Or on seven different occasions.

The most successful clubs have been Milan and Juventus, with each team having had six players when the award whilst playing in their colours, although each team has eight awards.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In 1991, some 30 years after the Ballon d’Or was first awarded to Sir Stanley Matthews, FIFA commenced the awarding of their own award. The FIFA World Player of the Year.

The award uses a Borda Count system to tally votes. Simply put a Borda count involves voters ranking their candidates in order of preference. Each rank of preference is assigned a certain point  value. Once all the voters have been counted the player with the most points is declared the winner.

Initially voting in the award was restricted to international coaches. Each coach was given three votes, worth five points, three points and one point. Coaches were free to vote on whoever they felt worthy of the title of the World’s Best Player.

This eventually led to some criticism after some rather questionable nominations. FIFA’s response was to provide voters with a shortlist of players to choose from. This change was introduced in 2004. At the same time FIFA expanded the amount of voters to include International Captains and select representatives from FIFPro.

It’s interesting to see FIFPro representatives get votes, effectively this means that they have influence over two of the major individual awards in Football with their own FIFPro award commencing in 2005.

The FIFA award has come under scrutiny due to the fact that it tends to focus mainly on players playing in Europe’s top competition, the UEFA Champions League. Players who have played outside of Europe have in the past been overlooked for nomination. Indeed the only player who has played outside of Europe and been nominated was Juan Roman Riquelme. Even then he only spent half the year playing for Boca Juniors in Argentina, the rest of the year was spent with his Spanish club Villarreal.

Whilst the Footballing world would generally consider the UEFA Champions League to be of a higher standard than it’s South American equivalent the Copa Libertadores. It’s the Copa that has produced the most World Club Champions. I think it’s fair to say that clubs from the South American traditionally took the World Club Championship more seriously than their European counterparts. This is changing though as we’ve seen in recent years, with AC Milan and Manchester United’s recent victories.

Another aspect of the FIFA award which is noteworthy is that since 2001 it’s been the only major award that has been awarded to both men and women. Mia Hamm was the first recipient of the female award.

Since the inception of the men’s award in 1991, Brazilian players have dominated the male awards, winning 8 out of the 18 awards to have been awarded.

Ronaldo and Zidane have won the award three times, likewise Birgit Prinz and Marta have won the female award three times.

The oldest male winner was Fabio Cannavaro who won the 2006 award when he whilst 33, whilst Mia Hamm is the oldest female winner at 30. The youngest male reciepent is Ronaldo who was 20 when he won in 1996, whilst Marta is the youngest female who was also 20 when she won the award for the first time in 2006.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the current holder of the male award, whilst Marta is the current holder of the female award.

Male FIFA World Player of the Year Award:

Year	Rank	Player	Nation	Club
2008	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Argentina	FC Barcelona
	3rd	Fernando Torres	Spain	Liverpool
2007	1st	Kaká	Brazil	Milan
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Argentina	FC Barcelona
	3rd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United
2006	1st	Fabio Cannavaro	Italy	Juventus
	2nd	Zinedine Zidane	France	Real Madrid
	3rd	Ronaldinho	Brazil	FC Barcelona
2005	1st	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona
	2nd	Frank Lampard	England	Chelsea
	3rd	Samuel Eto’o	Cameroon	FC Barcelona
2004	1st	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona
	2nd	Thierry Henry	France	Arsenal
	3rd	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	Milan
2003	1st	Zinedine Zidane	France	Real Madrid
	2nd	Thierry Henry	France	Arsenal
	3rd	Ronaldo	Brazil	Real Madrid
2002	1st	Ronaldo	Brazil	Real Madrid Internazionale
	2nd	Oliver Kahn	Germany	Bayern Munich
	3rd	Zinedine Zidane	France	Real Madrid
2001	1st	Luís Figo	Portugal	Real Madrid
	2nd	David Beckham	England	Manchester United
	3rd	Raúl	Spain	Real Madrid
2000	1st	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus
	2nd	Luís Figo	Portugal	Real Madrid FC Barcelona
	3rd	Rivaldo	Brazil	FC Barcelona
1999	1st	Rivaldo	Brazil	FC Barcelona
	2nd	David Beckham	England	Manchester United
	3rd	Gabriel Batistuta	Argentina	Fiorentina
1998	1st	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus
	2nd	Ronaldo	Brazil	Internazionale
	3rd	Davor Šuker	Croatia	Real Madrid
1997	1st	Ronaldo	Brazil	Internazionale FC Barcelona
	2nd	Roberto Carlos	Brazil	Real Madrid
	3rd (tie)	Dennis Bergkamp	Netherlands	Arsenal
		Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus
1996	1st	Ronaldo	Brazil	FC Barcelona PSV
	2nd	George Weah	Liberia	Milan
	3rd	Alan Shearer	England	Newcastle United Blackburn
1995	1st	George Weah	Liberia	Milan Paris Saint-Germain
	2nd	Paolo Maldini	Italy	Milan
	3rd	Jürgen Klinsmann	Germany	Bayern Munich Tottenham Hotspur
1994	1st	Romário	Brazil	FC Barcelona
	2nd	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	FC Barcelona
	3rd	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus
1993	1st	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus
	2nd	Romário	Brazil	FC Barcelona
	3rd	Dennis Bergkamp	Netherlands	Internazionale Ajax
1992	1st	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan
	2nd	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	FC Barcelona
	3rd	Thomas Häßler	Germany	AS Roma
1991	1st	Lothar Matthäus	Germany	Internazionale
	2nd	Jean-Pierre Papin	France	Marseille
	3rd	Gary Lineker	England	Tottenham Hotspur

Female FIFA World Player of the Year Award:

Year	Place	Player	Nationality	Club
2008	1st	Marta	Brazil	Umeå IK
	2nd	Birgit Prinz	Germany	Frankfurt
	3rd	Cristiane	Brazil	Linköpings/ Corinthians
2007	1st	Marta	Brazil	Umeå IK
	2nd	Birgit Prinz	Germany	1. FFC Frankfurt
	3rd	Cristiane	Brazil	VfL Wolfsburg
2006	1st	Marta	Brazil	Umeå IK
	2nd	Kristine Lilly	United States	KIF Örebro DFF
	3rd	Renate Lingor	Germany	1. FFC Frankfurt
2005	1st	Birgit Prinz	Germany	1. FFC Frankfurt
	2nd	Marta	Brazil	Umeå IK
	3rd	Shannon Boxx	United States
2004	1st	Birgit Prinz	Germany	1. FFC Frankfurt
	2nd	Mia Hamm	United States	W. Freedom retired
	3rd	Marta	Brazil	Umeå IK
2003	1st	Birgit Prinz	Germany	1. FFC Frankfurt
	2nd	Mia Hamm	United States	Washington Freedom
	3rd	Hanna Ljungberg	Sweden	Umeå IK
2002	1st	Mia Hamm	United States	Washington Freedom
	2nd	Birgit Prinz	Germany	1. FFC Frankfurt
	3rd	Sun Wen	China PR	Atlanta Beat
2001	1st	Mia Hamm	United States	Washington Freedom
	2nd	Tiffeny Milbrett	United States	New York Power
	3rd	Sun Wen	China PR	Atlanta Beat

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Whilst the FIFPro player of the year award itself has a relativily short history (having only been awarded since 2005), the origins of the awards could feasibly traced back to 1898 and the formation of the Association Football’s Union in England. Whilst the AFU turned out to be unsuccessful and ultimately shortlived, shutting up shop in 1901, it was a precursor to the formation of the Professional Footballers Association which officially started in 1907.

The formation of the PFA in England led to the creatition of similar organisations in other countries such as Scotland, France and Italy.

It was only a matter of time until a worldwide organisation was created and in 1965 player associations from France, Scotland, Italy, Netherlands and England met and FIFPro was official formed. Today FIFPro continues to be made up of individual player associations from across the globe.

What is surprising is the fact that it took 40 years for the FIFPro award to come about, especially when you consider it’s individual organisations have handed out awards for many decades. The PFA for example awarded it’s PFA Player of the year award in 1974.

Despite the time that it took to come about the FIFPro award has quickly established itself as one of the top three individual awards a professional footballer can hope to win, alongside the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA world player of the year award.

To explain the awards metoric rise to importance I think you only need to look at the statement made by John Terry after winning the PFA Player of the Year Award. in which he stated that he considered the PFA award “the ultimate accolade to be voted for by your fellow professionals whom you play against week-in and week-out”. When you take that kind of award to a global scale it’s no wonder it’s thought of so highly.

The selection process for the FIFPro award starts with the FIFPRo Awards Committee selecting a list of candidates. This list of candidates is broken up into four categories. Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards. Players from the various member associations are then asked to vote for their standout player in each position. From this list XI players are chosen to be part of the FIFPro World XI of the year. The individual player who recieved the most votes is selected as the FIFPro Player of the Year.

Ronaldinho was the first ever recieptent of the FIFPro award. He won the inaurgural 2005 award whilst also winning the 2006 award. As it stands he is the only player to have won the award twice.

The current holder of the FIFPro award is Cristiano Ronaldo, who coincidently also happens to be the only non-Brazilian to have won the award!

FIFPro Player of the Year Award History:

Season	Player	Team
2004-2005	Ronaldinho	Barcelona
2005-2006	Ronaldinho	Barcelona
2006-2007	Kaká	Milan
2007-2008	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Think for a moment about the organisation of tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League or the European Championships. How do you decide how many teams are eligible for entry into each competition, when those teams should enter the competition or what about the fixtures of those competitions?

It’s clear that without a ranking system the organisation would be utter chaos. That is the role of the UEFA Coefficients. A complex system which has a profound effect on both European club football as well as European international football. Each confederation across the world has their own variants of a coefficient system, however none exert as much influence on the world game as the UEFA system.

The UEFA coefficients were originally established in 1955. At a base level the UEFA coefficients are a series of statistics which are used to determine rankings and seedings for both club and international competitions. There are three different coefficients, they are as follows:

UEFA National Team Coefficient Ranking System:

UEFA use the national team coefficient for two main purposes. It is used to determine which “pot” a national team will be placed in for the draws for both qualification and the final tournament of the European Championships. Previously it was also used to determine seeding for World Cups, however UEFA recently decided to abide by the FIFA directive that stated all World Cup seedings should be based of the FIFA ranking systems.

Prior to Euro 2008 each teams coefficient was calculated by dividing the number of points scored (three for a win, one for a draw) by the number of matches played in the last two qualification rounds of the World Cup & European Championships.

At the conclusion of Euro 2008 UEFA introduced a new method of calculating the national team coefficients. Today teams ranking points are determined from the matches they played in during the last five qualifiers and final tournments of both the World Cup and European Championsip.

The following criteria are used to calculate the coefficient.

• 10,000 points are awarded for each match played
• 30,000 points are awarded for a win, 20,000 for a win via penalties and 10,000 for a draw or losing via a penalty shoot out
• Final tournaments and Qualification play offs are granted extra points (6,000 to 38,000 depending on game)
• 501 points for each goal scored, 500 lost for each goal conceded
• Total points are then divided by total matches played across the previous 5 tournaments
• Points scored are weighted so that recent tournaments are more important than older tournaments
• Hosts who haven’t taken in part in qualification tournaments are given special consideration.

As a quick example as to how the coefficient points for a single game would be calculated lets look at last year’s European Championship final between Spain & Germany. Spain won 1-0

	Spain	Germany
10,000 points per match	10,000 points	10,000 points
501 points per goal scored	501 points	n/a
-500 points per goal conceded	n/a	-500 points
30,000 points per win	30,000 points	n/a
Euro 2008 Final	38,000 points	38,000 points
Total Points	78,501 points	47,500 points

The points that both Spain and Germany scored above were then added to their total points scored over the last 5 tournaments and then divided by the amount of matches they played within that tournament.

UEFA have provided an excellent PDF document explaining in detail how all of these calculations are applied. You can find it here: UEFA National Team Coefficient Ranking System (PDF).

UEFA League Coefficient Ranking System:

The primary usage of the league coefficient is to rank the leagues of Europe and then through the rankings work how how many clubs from each league are entered into the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

The Coefficients are determined each year and take effect at the beginning of the following season. i.e. the 2009 ranking will influence the 2010/11 season.

The calculation process is pretty straight forward. It’s based on the results of the league’s clubs in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

This coefficient is determined by the results of the clubs of the leagues in UEFA Champions League and Europa League games over the past five seasons. The number of points awarded each season (two for each win by a club from that league, one for a draw) is divided by the number of teams that participated for that nation in that season. This number is then truncated after three decimal places (e.g. 2 2/3 will be truncated to 2.666).

For the league coefficient the season’s league coefficients for the last five seasons must be added up. In the preliminary rounds of both the Champions League and Europa League, the awarded points are halved. Bonus points are allocated for:

• Qualifying for the Champions League group phase and Europa League round of 16. (4 bonus points)
• Reaching the second round of the Champions League.
• Reaching the quarter, semi and final of both Champions League and Europa League.

The bonus points are added to the number of points scored in a season.

UEFA Club Coefficient Ranking System:

The final piece to the UEFA coefficient comes from the success of the club itself over the past five years of European competition. The Club coefficient is weighted as 33% of the league coefficient plus the points earned by the club during the five previous season.

The clubs get two points for a win and one point for a draw in games of the main stage of European competitions. Participation in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League is rewarded with three points. Reaching every knockout round of Champions League or quarter-finals and every further rounds of UEFA Cup is rewarded with a point.

The ranking is used by UEFA to determine which pot the club belongs to in the preliminary and first rounds of the Champions League, as well as the initial rounds of the Europa League.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Four weeks ago, I was playing Football Manager. I was managing Manchester United and was faced with the dilemma of how to replace Tevez and Ronaldo. With 80 million quid in the bank, money wasn’t an issue; however the question of bringing in the “right” player involves more than just money.

Browsing through my shortlist, the expected names appeared: Benzema, Ribery and Ibrahimovic. All of a sudden a crazy thought popped into my head. Why not look at Micheal Owen? Unquestionably talented, excellent goal scoring record, English and above all free! I entertained the thought for a mere split second before quickly laughing it off, after all we all know Michael Owen is finished.

Cue 1 July and the Daily Mail breaks a story that Michael Owen is in discussions with Fergie! Would he gamble where I had dared not? A few days later we would learn that the answer was yes!

Now that Michael Owen is officially a Manchester United player, we find ourselves moving on from the question of ‘Could it happen?’ to ‘Will it work?’

The answer to the question really has two components. First, will he stay fit? Let’s assume that Michael’s injury troubles are past him and move onto the second question. Does Michael fit our system?

The press has focused on the rekindling of the Rooney – Owen partnership that had started so brightly for England. Indeed at Euro 2004 it looked at one stage to be capable of propelling England to glory until an untimely broken foot cut short Wayne’s tournament. I think it’s fair to say that despite a reasonable return, the partnership never really lived up to it’s initial promise. Could that promise finally be fulfilled at Old Trafford?

Personally I have my doubts. My main concern is that Wayne and Michael are quite similar players now. Gone are the days where Michael’s pace saw him consistently on the shoulder of the last defender. His best performances in a Newcastle shirt was when Keegan utilised him just behind the front two strikers. Therein lies the problem, that is Wayne’s preferred position, one which he has been quite vocal about wanting to focus on after a season of playing wide left.

As a result I really don’t think you’ll see Wayne and Michael together all that often this season. Which brings us to Dimitar Berbatov.

It’s no secret that Dimi failed to impress last season. Despite flashes of brilliance and an uncanny ability to retain possession in the face of immense pressure, he constantly seemed to be out of position. What good is holding the ball up and threading a brilliant pass to a winger, when there is nobody in the box to finish off the chance?

It’s that very style of play though which makes me believe that Michael can forge a strong partnership with Dimi. Where as last season there was nobody to finish the chances Dimi’s link up play created, this season we have the quintessential goal poacher in Michael Owen salivating at exactly those kind of chances!

Of course it’s not just Owen that will capitalise from Berbatov’s hold up play. Rooney has shown for England that if he is allowed to get into dangerous positions he is more than capable of finishing chances.

If United go back to a traditional 4-4-2 system as expected then Dimi’s link up play coupled with Michael and Wayne’s predatory instincts will become crucial to United’s chances of retaining the league.

So whilst England supporters will be hoping Owen’s move will allow him to strike up a ‘World Cup winning’ partnership with Rooney, a more likely situation is Owen and Rooney rotating to take advantage of Berbatov’s link up play with the likes of Nani and Valencia.

Micheal Owen to Manchester United, as unlikely as it may have seemed two weeks ago by the end of the season we might just be asking the question, why didn’t it happen sooner? Providing of course he can stay fit!

Welcome to Old Trafford Michael.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Cast your mind back to Saturday August 15th 1998. Manchester United were kicking off their season with a home game against Leicester City and one David Beckham was making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. His infamous moment of petulance at the 1998 World Cup saw him transformed from hero to zero in the space of ten seconds. The British press could smell blood!

United had looked sluggish and were staring down the barrel of a 2-1 defeat. Three minutes into extra time and United were awarded a free kick, 25 yards out. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Beckham stepped forth and struck a superb free kick past the hapless Pegguy Arphexad.

With a single free kick Beckham had sent a defiant message to his critics. He wasn’t prepared to let the ghosts of Saint-Etienne hold him back. Beckham would go on to have his greatest ever season in a United shirt, playing a crucial role in securing United’s famous treble.

As Beckham demonstrated, the free kick specialist can with a moment’s inspiration turn a game on its head. Looking back throughout history there has been some truly gifted free kick specialists, who have taken the free kick to the verge of being an art form. But which of these “artists” would rank as the top ten free kick specialists of all time? To answer this question I considered a few different criteria:

• Frequency – How often the player scores from free kicks
• Importance – How important was the game the free kick was scored in
• Legacy – What impact did the player have on the game from his free kicks

With those criteria in mind lets commence the top ten.

10.) Pierre Van Hooijdonk

Perhaps a controversial choice to start off with. Undeniably talented, Van Hooijdonk was a bit of a footballing enigma, never truly reaching the heights his talent perhaps warranted. His free kicks however were truly spectacular, especially during his stay at Dutch giants Feyenoord. His free kicks during the 2001/02 season, particularly his wonder strike against Freiburg in the UEFA cup, propelled Feyenoord to European glory and secured Van Hooijdonk’s place in Feyenoord folk lore.

9.) Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos generated bullet like speed with his free kicks. Whilst his consistency has been called into question, I feel he warrants a spot in the top ten due to the legacy he has left on the game. His style of driving the ball at the goal with brute force offered something different to the traditional approach of bending the ball over the wall. Whilst others had used the same approach in the past, Roberto Carlos brought the approach into the mainstream and in part inspired the techniques of Cristiano Ronaldo and Juninho. His goal against France is truly one of the most amazing free kicks ever.

Youtube video: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5MF7NRQh4

8.) Jose Luis Chilavert

Jose Luis Chilavert has the unique distinction of being the only goalkeeper on my list. I remember being truly captivated by Chilavert as a kid. After all it’s not every day you see a goalkeeper come up and take a free kick, let alone score! Whilst Rogerio Ceni the Brazilian keeper scored more free kicks, Chilavert captivated crowds with his bravado and was able to deliver on the highest stage with some important strikes for Paraguay. Something Ceni wasn’t able to do.

7.) Michel Plantini

Perhaps the greatest French player of all time, Michel Plantini was well renowned for his free kicks. During his playing career he scored some crucial free kicks for both Juventus and France. The standout strike would have to be his strike against Holland in the 1984 World Cup qualifier. His perfectly placed free kick resulted in a victory which guaranteed qualification for the French. He also scored from a free kick during the 1984 Euro final against Spain, although he had a helping hand from the Spanish goalkeeper!

6.) Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona, arguably the greatest player of all time. Like pretty much anything Maradona attempted his free kicks were awe inspiring. With an almost delicate feel to them, He would get the ball to gently rise over the wall and always seemed to be able to place it just inside the post, making it almost impossible for the keeper to save. Maradona consistently delivered from the deadball for both club and country.

5.) Alessandro Del Piero

Del Piero one of the most gifted players of our generation, who freakishly seems to be improving with age! His free kick are no exception to this rule, this season alone he has scored six times from dead ball situation! Whilst Michel Plantini has recently claimed his own ability from free kicks was superior to Del Piero’s,  I have to respectfully disagree and give Del Piero the nod due to his consistent ability to find the back of the net.

4.) Zico

I’ll be honest and say that before I started looking into this article, I didn’t know much about Zico’s free kick prowess. However after watching his technique I now understand why Zico is considered by many to be the original free kick specialist. His control and placement is a delight to watch. One thing that really stands out for me is that he strikes the ball from almost a standing start, relying on his aforementioned control rather than power. A true free kick great!

3.) David Beckham

David Beckham is the most famous sportsman in the world. His trademark is his brilliant free kicks which have been immortalised by the phrase “Bend it like Beckham”. What sets Beckham apart is his ability to deliver when his team needs him the most.  From the earlier mentioned free kick against Leicester, to the great free kick for England against Greece to secure qualification for the 2002 World Cup. Beckham consistently steps up to the plate when required and fully deserves his place amongst the greatest free kick specialists of all time.

2.) Sinisa Mihajlovic

Often criticised for racial and spitting probes there is one thing that everyone can agree about with Sinisa Mihaljlovic, he was a truly brilliant free kick specialist! Mihaljlovic ability to score from the dead ball situation was feared throughout Serie A. He scored close to 30 free kicks during his career including a hat trick of free kicks for Lazio against Sampdoria in 1998. A feat which to my knowledge has yet to be replicated by any other professional player.

1.) Juninho Pernambucano

Step forth the free kick master. Juninho currently plies his trade for Lyon and is absolutely deadly from a set piece. He has scored over 40 free kicks for Lyon with an unconfirmed conversion rate of over 50%! His unique style which sees the ball move in an unpredictable fashion should be familar to fans of the English Premier League as Cristiano Ronaldo uses a similar technique. Juninho has scored free kicks from just about anywhere on the pitch. It’s been said that a free kick for Lyon anywhere near the 18 yard box is almost as good as a penalty kick. That is a true testament to the ability of Juninho, the greatest free kick specialist of all time.

Who are your favourite free kick specialists of all time?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

They are the first games you look for when the fixtures are drawn pre-season. The games you crowd into the local pub with your mates to watch religiously. What is it about a derby game that captures the raw emotion & passion of football? They are much more than a normal game of football that’s for sure!

Derby games are built over time. Initially though one or more of the following characteristics play an important role in setting up the rivalry required for a classic derby contest.

Location:

Location, location, location! The most common derby games are based on the proximity of the two clubs involved. Local derbies usually involved clubs battling it out from the same City but can also extend to neighbouring cities or regions. These games provide supporters with the opportunity to contest local bragging rights. As a result they are quite often the most important games on any supporter’s calendar. The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool is one of the most famous examples of a local derby.

Religious:

Derby games driven by religious differences are some of the most passionate derbies in the world. A prime example is the Old Firm derby in Scotland, arguably the world’s biggest derby game. Celtic supporters traditionally are Catholics, whilst Rangers fans are traditionally Protestants. These religious differences contribute to the fiery atmosphere during Old Firm derbies, both on and off the pitch.

Political:

Some clubs are traditionally aligned to particular political beliefs. When two clubs with opposing political alignment clash, the game always has an extra bite to it. Looking at the Old Firm derby again, it has deep ties to the Northern Ireland political situation. Rangers fans are traditionally loyalists, whilst Celtic fans are traditionally republicans. This political contrast is another reason for the often explosive atmosphere during an Old Firm game.

Animosity/ Controversy:

A controversial event can create great animosity between clubs. One single event usually isn’t enough to create an enduring rivalry between clubs. However these events often fuel the flames between existing rivals. The bitter transfer of Luis Figo from Barcelona too their great rivals Real Madrid was one such event. Luis Figo became one of the most hated men in Catalonia when he agreed a deal with Real Madrid during their presidential elections in 2000. Barcelona had no option but to enter transfer negotiations with their bitter rivals. Figo would move for what was then a world record transfer fee.

Class Divide:

Class related derbies are usually found when one club is supported by the working class, whilst the other club is supported by either the middle class or upper class. The derby of the eternal enemies in Athens, between Olympiakos Piraeus and Panathinaikos is one of the best examples. Olympiakos traditionally gather their support from the port of Piraeus, home to Athens’ working class. Panathinaikos’ support on the other hand traditionally comes from the old upper class of Athens society. Derbies between these two great Greek sides are furiously contested and historically quite violent.

Racial:

Racial tensions can fuel intense rivalries between clubs, quite often resulting in violence. Australian football has historically been plagued by racial tensions. Historically Australian clubs gathered their support from immigrants originally from the Balkans. When clubs supported by opposing ethnic fan-bases met on the pitch, violence would usually occur off it. Racial violence tainted the reputation of football in Australia. The implementation of a new national league in 2004 saw Football Federation Australia implement a one City one club policy to combat racial tensions. This move has been quite successful and has helped reduce racial conflicts from top flight Australian football.

Recent Success:

Success breeds rivalries between clubs. Periods where two clubs are consistently competing with each others for major honours, usually generates a competitive rivalry between the supporters. Matches between Manchester United and Arsenal during the last decade have been some of the most spiteful games in the English top flight. This rivalry arguably reached its peak with the infamous “Pizzagate” incident at Highbury. A confrontation between opposing players in the tunnel after the game, allegedly resulted in United manager Sir Alex Ferguson being struck by a slice of Pizza.

History / Tradition:

The Derby d’Italia between Inter Milan and Juventus is eagerly anticipated each year. Historically Inter & Juventus sit at the top of the Serie A history books for most goals scored & most games won. Their derby games are always high drama due to this past success. Likewise in England, clashes between Manchester United and Liverpool are arguably the biggest games of the season. Historically England’s most successful clubs, both sets of supporters claim that their side is the top club in England. Relations between both sets of supporters are quite bitter as a result.

The more of these characteristics a derby game possesses, the more passionate the derby is likely to be. Some of the world’s biggest derby games like Scotland’s Old firm derby or Argentina’s Superclásico could lay claim to possessing at least six of the above characteristics.

There is a negative side to derby games though. Football violence has plagued the sport over the past half century. Supporters can sometimes take their passion and commitment too far and express themselves with violent acts. With the heightened emotions of a Derby game, it comes as no surprise that violence is more common among these fixtures.

Despite that negative side to derby matches, it is clear that they are considered around the world to be much more than just a football match. When you take into account the characteristics mentioned above its not hard to understand why. Derby games represent the issues that have divided humanity since the dawn of time. They embody both the strength and weakness of humanity, and wrap it into a 90 minute package, captivating audiences across the world.

We have put together a list of the World’s most famous club rivalries. They are organised by confederation:

• Major UEFA Football Rivalries
• Major CONMEBOL Football Rivalries
• Major CAF Football Rivalries
• Major CONCACAF Football Rivalries
• Major AFC Football Rivalries

Also Read: Football Rivals You Love To Hate, The Most Violent Football Rivalries and Footbo’s excellent mini-encyclopedia on Football Rivalries.

We encourage anyone who has personally experienced any of the derby fixtures from the above lists to write a feature article on their experiences and get it published on Soccerlens.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

All the major football rivalries from South America:

Argentina

Featured Derby: Superclasico, Buenos Aires, Argentina
River Plate vs Boca Juniors

The Superclasico is arguably the world’s biggest derby game. Pitting the most popular ( It’s commonly accepted that close to 70% of football fans in Argentina support either River or Boca) and successful clubs in Argentina against each other. There have been 320 Superclasicos. Boca Juniors currently hold a slight advantage, 116 wins to River’s 104 wins. 

The most noteworthy aspect of the Superclasico is the unbridled passion of the fans. Fireworks, flags, rolls of coloured paper and lively songs back and forth between supporters, bring the stands alive! The Observer in England listed attending the Superclasico as the top sporting event you must attend before you die.

Also read: Boca Juniors x River Plate: A Childhood Memory from a Classic Football Derby

Other Argentinian Derbies:

Independiente vs Racing Club
San Lorenzo vs Huracan
Rosario Central vs Newell’s Old Boys
Gimnasia vs Estudiantes
Ferro vs Velez Sarsfield
Colon vs Union

Brazil

Featured Derby: Fla-Flu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Flamengo vs Fluminese

Prior to 1911, Flamengo was a rowing club with no Football section. This would change when 10 unhappy players left Fluminese and joined Flamengo. The first Fla-Flu derby was contested in July of the  following year in front of 800 supporters.  This humble crowd is in stark contrast to the 194,603 people who packed into the legendary Maracana in 1963. To this day that game still holds the world record attendance figure for a Club match. The name Fla-Flu was first used by journalist Mario Filho.

Other Brazilian Derbies:

Palmeiras vs Corinthians
Sao Paulo vs Palmeiras
Fluminese vs Botafogo
Vasco da Gama vs Flamengo
Bahia vs Victoria
Atletico vs Cruzeiro
CSA vs CRB
Nacional vs Rio Negro
Botafogo vs Vasco da Gama
Corinthians vs Santos
Santos vs Sao Paulo

Rest of South America

Featured Derby: The old rivalry, Montevideo, Uruguay
Penarol vs Nacional 

The Montevideo derby is the oldest derby outside of the UK. Whilst the first game between these Uruguanian powerhouses was played on July 15th 1900, Penarol was playing as the football section of the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club. It wasn’t until 1913, when the football section broke away from the Cricket club, that Penarol existed as we know today. Since that time Penarol and Nacional have faced each other on 432 occasions with 154 victories to Penarol and 137 to Nacional.

Other South American Derbies:

Barcelona SC vs Emelec (Ecuador)
LDU Quito vs Aucas (Ecuador)
Universidad de Chile vs Colo Colo (Chile)
Universidad Catolica vs Universidad de Chile (Chile)
Alianza Lima vs Universitario (Peru)
Olimpia vs Cerro Porteno (Paraguay)
Caracas FC vs Deportivo Tachira (Venezuela)
Caracas FC vs UA Maracaibo (Venezuela)
America de Cali vs Deportivo Cali (Columbia)
Atletico Nacional vs Independiente Medellin (Columbia)
Santa Fe vs Millonarios (Columbia)
Bolivar vs The Strongest (Bolivia)

Back to the main Football Rivalries page.

We encourage anyone who has personally experienced any of the above derby fixtures to write a feature article on their experiences and get it published on Soccerlens.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News