Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer to Ballon d'Or award – as it happened
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Version 0 of 1. 7.30pm GMT19:30 That's your lot for this evening ... Here’s a run-down on who won what in Zurich. Congratulations to all and commiserations to Stephanie Roche. Ballon d’Or: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid) Fifa Women’s World Player of the Year: Nadine Kessler (Germany/Wolfsburg) Fifa Men’s Football Coach of the Year: Jogi Low (Germany) Fifa Women’s Football Coach of the Year: Ralf Kellerman (Wolfsburg) Fifa Presidential Award: Hiroshi Kagawa Updated at 7.54pm GMT 7.19pm GMT19:19 The awards ceremony is now over ... And I can confirm that when vorting for his trio of the best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo voted for his team-mates Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. Lionel Messi voted for Angel Di Maria, Andres Iniesta and Javier Mascherano. Astonishingly, Germany skipper Bastian Schweinsteiger voted Manuel Neuer as his player of the year, followed by Philipp Lahm and Thomas Muller. England captain Wayne Rooney voted for Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale. Scotland captain Scott Brown voted for Ronaldo, Arjen Robben and Manuel Neuer. Wales captain Ashley Williams went for Bale, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Eden Hazard. Rep of Ireland captain Robbie Keane plumped for Ronaldo, Messi and Bale. I’d tell you who the Northern Ireland captain voted for, but can’t find him on the list. You can find which international captains, managers and media representatives voted for who by clicking on this link. Much like some of the England teams he puts out, Roy Hodgson’s selections are particularly baffling. Updated at 7.41pm GMT 7.09pm GMT19:09 Haven't worked it all out yet, but I'm pretty sure the Irish can somehow blame Thierry Henry for that #PuskasAward result? 7.06pm GMT19:06 This just in ... @bglendenning it was basketball's Dirk Nowitski who was paying tribute to Manuel Neuer. 7.05pm GMT19:05 Sound the CR7 is crying klaxon! If you bet on him to turn on the waterworks, you can go and collect. He steps up to the podium, takes a number of very deep breaths and then the tears flow, albeit nowhere near as profusely as last year. “I can see my son,” he explains. He composes himself and gives a speech in which he thanks his mum, late father, son and the people of Portugal, among others, then rounds off his speech with a bewildering hoot that sounds like a barbaric yawp. Updated at 7.20pm GMT 7.02pm GMT19:02 And the Ballon d'Or goes to ... Tonight’s nominees are Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer. Thierry opens the all important envelope and announces that the winner is ... Cristiano Ronaldo. Well done him. Will he cry this year? We’ll soon find out. Updated at 7.03pm GMT 7.01pm GMT19:01 Sound the Thierry Henry montage klaxon! The recently retired Frenchman is presenting the Ballon d’Or tonight. Here’s a montage somebody else made earlier. 6.58pm GMT18:58 Women's World Player of the Year ... From the shortlist of Abby Wambach, Marta and Nadine Kessler, the award goes to Nadine Kessler, from Wolfsburg. “No matter how sensational this moment is, we have the tragedy of Junior Malanda at our club overshadowing this evening,” she says. “This is a moment for me to say thank you to many people: my team, my coach.” 6.55pm GMT18:55 Manuel Neuer is summoned ... He’s interrogated by Kate and has video tributes from his club manager Pep Guardiola and some American football player whose name, sadly, I didn’t get. Pep says that he’s to hurry back to training for Bayern, as he shouldn’t be gadding about at posh awards bashes when there’s penalty-saving practice to be done. Updated at 6.59pm GMT 6.50pm GMT18:50 The Puskas Award for Goal of The Year ... We’re shown the three goals, scored by James Rodriguez, Stephanie Roche and Robin van Persie. And the winner is ... James Rodriguez, who scored for Colombia against Uruguay at the World Cup. Hard luck, Stephanie. Well done James. His acceptance speech is short and couldn’t be more humble. Updated at 6.52pm GMT 6.48pm GMT18:48 Back at the Awards ceremony: Hostess Kate interviews Marta, Abby Wambach and Nadine Kessler, the three nominees for the Women’s Player of the Year Award, then introduces Christian Karembeu, who speaks on the urgent need to raise awareness of Ebola. He is aided by a video in which Cristiano Ronaldo gives a quick tutorial on the art of hand-washing. 6.45pm GMT18:45 More on Sepp’s earlier tribute: Having paid homage to journalists, specifically referencing those who died in the attack on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, I am reminded of Sepp’s views on cartoonists. This from David Hills’s always excellent Said & Done column in the Observer back in December 2013, when Sepp’s lawyers won an injunction in Zurich “to ban a cartoon book about his life at Fifa. Olé Andersen’s satirical book – starring a Sepp doppelgänger in a ‘Fair Play’ T-shirt – has ‘no aesthetic value’ and threatens their client’s ‘good reputation … If published, he could never repair the damage’. Nice one, Sepp. 6.41pm GMT18:41 Now time for a musical interlude: Swiss popster Bastian Baker takes to the stage to sing 79 Clinton Street. He’s no Hadaway, but this is what you’re missing ... 6.35pm GMT18:35 There’s a pause for a World Cup montage: England don’t take up much of it. Jogi Lowe and Philipp Lahm arrive on stage to tell Kate Abdo what it was like to win the tournament. In a nutshell, they thought it was great. 6.31pm GMT18:31 Lionel Messi is summoned to the stage ... A rather disheveled looking former River Plate and Argentina midfielder Pablo Aimar pays tribute in a video where he looks like he’s just been dragged backwards through a hedge. “I’ve always admired this player when he started with River Plate, I admired his attitude,” says Messi, before adding that Aimar could at least have run a brush through his hair. OK, that may not be true, but it’s almost certainly what he was thinking. 6.23pm GMT18:23 @bglendenning Any chance Messi is just a massive fan of David Tennant? pic.twitter.com/mQZEcRXaac 6.21pm GMT18:21 Fifa Fair Play Award ... This one’s all about ethics in football, a subject on which Fifa are undisputed experts. The award goes to the armies of volunteers who work for free at all Fifa tournaments, so that Sepp and his associates can make as much money as possible. The thorny issue of whether or not the construction workers who are dropping like flies as they prepare Qatar for the World Cup in 2022 are included among these thousands of prize-winners is not mentioned, but one suspects that as actual poorly paid labourers, they don’t qualify. The award for the volunteers is presented to five of them who worked at the World Cup in Brazil and their trophy will be displayed in the World Football Museum, which isn’t yet open in Zurich. 6.14pm GMT18:14 Fifa Men's Coach of the Year Joachim Loew, Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone are the nominees and it’s no surprise to see Germany coach Loew receive it. “I am nothing without well trained players,” he says, as he thanks the German Football Federation for their assistance. He also thanks the Bundesliga, without whose help it would be impossible to for him to such a great team. “What would a great coach be without a fantastic team?” he asks, asking a question that Sunderland boss Gus Poyet might be able to answer. Updated at 6.23pm GMT 6.10pm GMT18:10 Fifa Women's Coach of the Year ... From the shortlist made up of Ralf Kellerman, Maren Meinert and Norio Sasaki, the gong goes to Wolfsburg manager Kellerman. The German dedicates his award to the whole team and pays special tribute to Wolfsburg player Junior Mananda, who was killed in a car crash last week and says that, while he has plenty of people to thank for his honour, he will do so privately in his own time. Updated at 6.17pm GMT 6.05pm GMT18:05 More from Sepp: After presenting Hiroshi Kagawa with his award, following last week’s tragic events in Paris, he paid tribute to journalists everywhere, which must have stuck in his craw. Next up Kate, interviews Cristiano Ronaldo, who is also the subject of a video tribute from tennis playing’s Rafael Nadal. Updated at 6.15pm GMT 6.02pm GMT18:02 More on Lionel Messi’s tux, from our red carpet correspondent @bglendenning I am choosing not to like it on basis that wearing something so similar is a wasted opportunity. @bglendenning clearly gifted both last year and went for the jazzier ketchup option, now busting out the beety choice as if we won't notice @bglendenning why wont they just try wool/tweed? Ramos looks nice. Ronaldo Parton doing classic "it takes a lot of money to look this cheap" 5.59pm GMT17:59 An email from Daniel Schulwolff: “I guess being the ‘heart’ of a defense shipping seven goals in a world-cup semifinal is good enough to qualify as one of the four best defenders of 2014?” he writes. “What a joke. I would have gone for Godin or Boateng, but then again I don’t get 22,000 dollar watches just for showing up to a tournament I’m not even playing in, so I don’t have much say in the matter.” Now, now Daniel, nobody likes a cynic. 5.57pm GMT17:57 Fifa Presidential Award ... Sepp Blatter has long been a big fan of journalists and their probing questions, so it’s no surprise that his award for a superlative contribution to the sport of football is going to a hack. No, it’s not our own David Conn or Owen Gibson, but Japanese player turned journalist Hiroshi Kagawa, who has attended 10 World Cups and is being rewarded for raising football’s profile in Japan and Asia. Well done him. 5.54pm GMT17:54 5.53pm GMT17:53 That Fifa/Fifpro World XI team in full: Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich), Sergio Ramos (Spain/Real Madrid), David Luiz (Brazil/PSG), Philipp Lahm (Germany/Bayern Munich), Thiago Silva (Brazil/PSG), Andres Iniesta (Spain/Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Argentina/Manchester United), Arjen Robben (Netherlands/Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid). 5.51pm GMT17:51 Fifa/Fifpro World XI Forwards: Arjen Robben (Netherlands/Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid). A competition winner from Finland asks the trio to nominate their most important goal and say why they consider it so. Arjen Robben nominates his Champions League-winning effort in 2013, Leo Messi says his most important goal was scored against Manchester United in the Champions League final in 2009 and Cristiano Ronaldo says his most important goal is always “my next one”. That’ll be his scuffed consolation against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, then. 5.47pm GMT17:47 Fifa/Fifpro World XI Midfielders: Andres Iniesta (Spain/Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Argentina/Manchester United). 5.43pm GMT17:43 Fifa/Fifpro World XI Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Spain/Real Madrid), David Luiz (Brazil/PSG), Philipp Lahm (Germany/Bayern Munich), Thiago Silva (Brazil/PSG). David Luiz presumably got his nod on the back of that 7-1 shellacking Brazil suffered at the hands of Germany at the World Cup, a game in which he looked like a member of the public who’d won a competition where first prioze was a chance to play in a World Cup semi-final. Updated at 5.45pm GMT 5.41pm GMT17:41 Here comes Alessandro del Piero Fifa/Fifpro World XI Goalkeeper: The Italy legend is brought on to present the awards to the winners of the Fifa/Fifpro World XI. It’s no surprise to learn that Manuel Neuer will be playing in goal. 5.37pm GMT17:37 Our host this evening is ... Sky Sports News presenter Kate Abdo, who is fluent in four languages and looking delightful in a nice gold ball gown with what can only be termed by this fashion expert as “a bloody great slit down the front”. She walks on stage and introduces Nadine Kessler and Cristian Ronaldo , Marta and Lionel Messi and Abby Wambach and Manuel Neuer, the six footballers up for the two major gongs for the evening. They walk on stage to polite applause and are promptly dismissed. Kate then announces that there’s still time to vote for the winner of the Puskas Award. You know what to do. Updated at 5.50pm GMT 5.26pm GMT17:26 @bglendenning he wore that last year, I remember liking the quality street qualities. As it were. @bglendenning but if he's wearing the same suit again I will be thrilled. 5.24pm GMT17:24 This just in from fashion expert Poppy Dinsey, who seems oblivious to a Fifa attitude towards time, that is as elastic as their attitude towards everything else. Rest assured the photo of Leo I posted was taken earlier today, but the 2014 on the backdrop relates to the year for which the awards are being dished out. More from our red carpet correspondent as we get it ... @bglendenning I hate to break it to you but you're covering last year's ceremony. 5.21pm GMT17:21 Tonight’s schedule: For those of you who may not know, tonight’s ceremony kicks off about 5.30pm (GMT) and is expected to finish around 8.30pm ... on Thursday. Honk! Updated at 5.21pm GMT 5.18pm GMT17:18 Sending out an SOS ... It being that time of year, I have Tweerted my close personal friend (who I have never met) the fashion expert Poppy Dinsey to ask for her thoughts on Leo Messi’s ensemble. Here’s hoping she’ll get back to me tout suite ... @PoppyD It's that time of year again, Poppy. How would you describe Leo's tux, please? pic.twitter.com/cjsXfe0X3M 5.12pm GMT17:12 He's gone for shiny maroon again ... 5.10pm GMT17:10 5.02pm GMT17:02 What you won't see in Zurich's Kongreehauss A splendidly biting, coruscatingly funny and near-the-knuckle opening monologue is the foundation block of any decent awards ceremony and we almost certainly won’t get one at this Fifa gala this evening. Why not? Because the pompous blazers at football’s world governing body just don’t “do” self-deprecation. For an example of what we could have won, here is the zinger-laden effort presented by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey at last night’s Golden Globes instead. If you haven’t already seen it, you’re in for a treat. Updated at 5.13pm GMT 4.57pm GMT16:57 Thierry Henry has been tasked with presenting tonight’s main award. THe content of this tweet from the great man would suggest he has never attended one of these ceremonies before. It's an honour to present the #BallonDOr2014. Very soon we will find out who to.... 4.50pm GMT16:50 This afternoon Leo Messi turned up looking like a young delinquent up to no good on a side street off Barcelona’s main thoroughfare Las Ramblas. 4.46pm GMT16:46 A key question ... Last year Lionel Messi pitched up at the Ballon d’Or Awards wearing a natty burgundy tuxedo, but he arrived this afternoon wearing an Adidas hoodie. Presumably he won’t be wearing that for the ceremony and will at the very least swap it for a natty burgundy Adidas hoodie with a dicky bow. 4.38pm GMT16:38 Fifa Bah Humbug award ... And the nominees are various people who have been saying that Stephanie Roche should not win the Puskas Award, because the criteria stipulate that “the importance of the match should be taken into account (objective - limited to “A” international teams, confederation championships and national top division club matches: the more important the goal the better). This blatant snobbery against a player who scored the inaugural winners of the Irish Women’s National League (founded: 2011) manifested itself on the airwaves this morning, when former Irish politician and businessman turned enlightened Newstalk radio host Ivan Yates (think David Mellor, except without the money ... or the charm), dismissed her inclusion on the shortlist. “Ah, it’s the height of tokenism,” said Yates. “Even Andy Carroll can score against Wexford Youths. She was playing for Peamount United! Give me a break. To compare Van Persie, a world class goal in a World Cup. I mean, what sort of defence would Wexford Youths put up? The fact of the matter of it is, it’s tokenism because she’s a woman. The fact that she’s Irish, fantastic and good luck to her. But there’s no way she deserves the Puskas award. No way! It’s sham amateurism.” Our own Anna Kessel interviewed Roche for yesterday’s Observer and you can read up on their chat by clicking on this link. You can vote for Roche’s goal by clicking on this one. 4.38pm GMT16:38 Fifa Puskas Award One of the evening’s more exciting awards, what with the inclusion of a certain Irish lady I think it’s probably fair to say most of us would love to see win. The nominees are ... Stephanie Roche (Ireland) Her astonishing three-touch screamer was scored for Peamount United against Wexford Youths in front of less than 100 people and was lucky to be captured on film. Robin van Persie (Netherlands) A pretty mediocre header for the Dutch against Spain at the World Cup, for which Iker Casillas was largely to blame. Decent, but Stephanie Roche could have scored a better goal against that dreadful Spain team. James Rodriguez (Colombia) A perfunctory tap-in for Colombia against Uruguay at the World Cup and certainly nothing special compared to the heroics of Stephanie Roche. Of course if you only watch one video, make it this fantastic brick-by-brick Guardian Sport re-imagining of all three shortlisted goals ... 4.37pm GMT16:37 Women's Football Coach of the Year ... Your shortlist of three ... Ralf Kellermann (Germany) The former goalkeeper has been in charge of Wolfsburg since 2008 and oversaw a successful defence of their Champions League crown. Maren Meinert (Germany) A former midfielder for her country’s national team, Meinert is coach of the German U-20 women’s team and has lifted numerous trophies with assorted German youth teams. Norio Sasaki (Japan) The Japan women’s coach led his side to victory in the Asian Women’s Cup for the first time, beating China and holders Australia on the way. Sasaki previously won this award in 2011, after winning the Women’s World Cup with Japan. 4.37pm GMT16:37 Men's Football Coach of the Year And the nominees are ... Carlo Ancelotti (Italy) The popular Italian took over at Real Madrid and exceeded all expectations in his first season as manager of Los Blancos by winning the Copa del Rey and the club’s much coveted tenth Champions League title. Joachim Loew (Germany) The dapper German marked over eight years in charge of his country’s national football team by leading them to victory at the World Cup in Brazil. Diego Simeone (Argentina) The occasionally bonkers Argentinian broke the nine-year hegemony of Barcelona and Real Madrid by leading Atletico Madrid to victory in La Liga. They were also just seconds away from making it an unlikely double, until Real’s Sergio Ramos popped up deep in injury time. 4.35pm GMT16:35 Women's Player of the Year award The nominees in this category are ... Nadine Kessler (Germany) The Wolfsburg skipper captained her side to victory in the German women’s Bundesliga and Women ‘s Champions League. Marta (Brazil) The 28-year-old five-times winner of the Fifa World Player of the Year award helped FC Rosengard to victory in the 2014 Swedish Damallsvenskan. Abby Wambach (USA) The USA’s leading goalscorer, with 177 in 228 matches, Wambach is a two-times Olympic gold medalist and previously won this award in 2012. 4.34pm GMT16:34 Ballon d’Or The nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or are ... Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal fame, who won the award for the first time last season. Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina, who won the award for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich and Germany, who is a first time nominee for international football’s top individual gong. 4.34pm GMT16:34 So, what’s it all about? The Fifa World Player Gala has been running since 1991and these days, since merging with France Football’s Ballon D’Or award to form the Fifa Ballon D’Or. This evening, gongs will be handed out in the following categories. 4.30pm GMT16:30 Good evening everybody. Welcome to our live coverage of the orgy of self-congratulatory back-slapping that is the Fifa Ballon d’Or Gala for 2014, which is being staged in Zurich’s Kongresshaus. Updated at 4.37pm GMT |