Fleetwood’s David Ball up against Lionel Messi and co for Fifa’s Puskás Award

Fleetwood Town striker David Ball is in the running to win Fifa’s Puskás Award for the best goal of the year, but faces stiff competition from Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Carli Lloyd .

Ball’s chip against Preston during the 1-1 draw back in March has been included as one of 10 nominees to claim the prestigious prize, which was won last year by James Rodríguez .

“It’s great for that goal to even be put in the same bracket as the ones which have been shortlisted,” Ball told the Fleetwood website. “I’m absolutely delighted. I’m obviously shocked to have been shortlisted and it’s a great thing for Fleetwood Town and myself. The likes of Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi are people I love watching. To be in the same category as them is something I’ll cherish forever.

“I remember the initial thought process of the goal and just trying it. Those sort of goals either do come off or they don’t come off,” Ball added. “I remember the scenes with the fans after I’d scored and the feeling with the lads too. It was just unbelievable and especially given it was a derby game as well. I’d love anyone to tell a friend or anyone they know to vote for the goal. If the supporters could help me it’d be a great achievement for myself.”

Messi, who has yet to win the award, is nominated for his brilliant solo effort for Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey back in May, while Tevez makes the cut for his goal for Juventus against Parma in November 2014 .

Cristiano Ronaldo: I want to retire with 'dignity', not in USA, Qatar or Dubai

Cristiano Ronaldo said Friday that he wants to end his career “with dignity” and not playing in “the United States, Qatar or Dubai”. The Real Madrid and Portugal star, the subject of a new documentary that premiered on Monday in London, said Thursday in an interview on ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show that he expected to play six or seven more seasons and hoped to finish his career at the highest level. The remarks ostensibly referenced the recent wave of top players who have finished their careers outside of Europe’s top leagues, among them MLS imports Didier Drogba, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa, along with Xavi, the lifelong Barcelona midfielder who signed with Qatari club Al Sadd in May. “That does not mean it’s bad play in the leagues of the United States, Qatar or Dubai, but I do not see myself there,” Ronaldo said. Ronaldo, who turns 31 in February, became Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer last month and has th...

Young people to lose access to unemployment benefits as part of welfare reforms

YOUNG people will not be able to get unemployment benefits until they turn 25 under reforms introduced by the Turnbull Government today. The coalition has unveiled wide-ranging welfare reforms in parliament today, including changes to the Newstart program. It hopes to stop people aged 22 to 24 getting Newstart or the Sickness allowance, and they will instead be shifted to the Youth Allowance payment. This will reduce the amount of money that they will be able to get, costing a single person living away from home about $90 a fortnight. They will also be required to study in order to qualify for the payments. “The key aim of this measure is to provide incentives for young unemployed people to obtain the relevant education and training to increase employability,” according to an explanatory memorandum for the bill. However, it says Youth Allowance does allow students to earn a higher amount of money from part-time or casual work than Newstart, before this begins imp...

Battle to keep guns from former Queensland policeman with PTSD

IT’S been almost 10 years since Ben Alexander Ephraim Dyball left the Queensland police under a cloud of trauma and allegations of bizarre behaviour. He’s had a tough time letting go of the past. That was apparent when officers from Warwick Police — where Mr Dyball was once stationed — raided his Elbow Valley property and allegedly found a stash of old police uniforms, official police notepads, gun holsters (including one of the concealable variety), handgun and rifle ammunition, several police identification cards, two pairs of police handcuffs and 450g of marijuana. A weapons licence Mr Dyball had previously declared stolen and a number of rifle bolts were also seized. The officers had waited until the 49-year-old was at the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) in Toowoomba appealing the suspension of his weapons licence, to exercise their search warrant. The Queensland Weapons Licensing Unit revoked Mr Dyball’s licence in September 2015 following a bizarr...

Two Times

Search This Blog