As captains of their respective national teams, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were given votes in deciding The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018. It’s an award that the two have dominated — in it’s various guises — ever since Kaka was named FIFA World Player of the Year back in 2007 (Messi finished second and Ronaldo third that year).
Luka Modric has claimed The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018 award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah (and dare I say it at risk of being murdered, Lionel Messi), but that contentious decision pales compared to everything else that unfolded at a star-studded gala (sans Messi and Ronaldo) in London on Monday evening.
On Wednesday, USWNT coach Jill Ellis released her list of 20 players that will represent the U.S. in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship set to take place next month. The tournament, which will be held in three different U.S. cities from October 4-17, will serve as the North American qualifiers for the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Eight teams will battle it out for the top three spots to book their ticket to France. Here are the American women who will hoping to lead the defending champions to the World Cup finals:
Italy is synonymous with soccer. They have always been one of the top-ranked teams in the world. The Italian national team has won the World Cup four times (tied with Germany for second, behind Brazil). They've been a team others have simultaneously envied and been afraid to play. A team that generated stars like Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero. A team with grace, class and a wondrous reputation.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was reminded the hard way that fame and fortune does not make you immune to the law.
The Frenchman, who captained his country to World Cup victory this summer, pleaded guilty to a drunk-driving charge on Wednesday. He will have to pay a $65,000 fine and is banned from getting behind the wheel for 20 months.
The Scotland women’s national team made history on Tuesday. A 2-1 victory over Albania saw it lock up the top spot in Group 2 and secure its place in the World Cup finals next summer for the first time ever.
Scotland’s WWC debut was made possible thanks to a little help from Poland. In one of the more surprising results of this qualifying series, Poland held 18th-ranked Switzerland to a 0-0 draw. A Swiss win would have put it in first to automatically qualify, but with points dropped, opportunity awaited Scotland and they seized the moment.
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise given the outcome of the 2017-18 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award voting (finishing order: Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah), but the three finalists for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018 are Modric, Ronaldo and Salah, leaving the likes of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne on the outside looking in.
Germany flamed out of the 2018 World Cup with two losses and one last-minute victory. Die Mannschaft brought to Russia many of the same players and ideas the Germany squad had used to win the 2014 World Cup, but with a far worse result.
While members of the French national team were dancing in the rain, kissing their new trophy and celebrating a well-deserved FIFA World Cup victory in Moscow on July 15, waiting for them back in the locker room was a unique surprise.
The world watched as Croatia president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic soaked in the moment, Russian president Vladimir Putin refused to allow himself to get wet and France reveled in its second world championship.
Japan won the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup with a 3-1 rout of Spain on Friday in France, avenging an earlier loss in impressive fashion. Japan scored the game’s first three goals, including a scorcher from Hinata Miyazawa in the first half.
Spain defeated Japan 1-0 in Group C play, the Spanish ladies taking first place in a group of death that also included the United States. The two met again in Vannes, France, with the tournament on the line.
In the final of the U-20 Women's World Cup, Japan showed it was the best in the world in this age group.