<ul class="summary-list"><li>Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski are all in the running for the men's prize in the Best <keyword id="57149" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="FIFA">FIFA</keyword> Football Awards.</li><li>Liverpool's Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Thiago are also on the 11-man shortlist, which is completed by Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar. </li><li>Messi scooped the prize in 2019, however Lewandowski is favorite this year. </li></ul><p>Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski are all in the running for the title of the best male <keyword id="3071" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Soccer">soccer</keyword> player in the world at The Best FIFA Football Awards for 2020.</p><p>Four Liverpool players – Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Thiago – are also on the 11-man shortlist, which is completed by Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos, and Paris Saint Germain duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—FIFA.com  (@FIFAcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1331526935206383617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2020</a></blockquote><p>The award is voted for by the public on FIFA's website, with the winner to be announced at an award ceremony on December 17.</p><p>The Best FIFA Football Awards were launched in January 2017 in an attempt to revive the FIFA World Player of the Year award which was abolished in 2010.</p><p>Ronaldo won the award for 2016 and 2017, Luka Modric scooped the prize in 2018, and Messi was the most recent recipient in 2019.</p><p>Bayern Munich's Lewandowski, who has scored 39 goals for club and country in 2020, is favourite to win this year after missing out on the Ballon d'Or, which was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic. </p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/best-young-footballers-in-the-world-2020-golden-boy-award-2020-11">These are the 20 best soccer players in the world under the age of 21</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/erling-braut-haalands-most-impressive-scoring-records-and-statistics-2020-11">Soccer's most exciting talent broke another scoring record last night. Here are the stunning stats behind 20-year-old Erling Haaland's incredible run.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/premier-league-team-of-the-season-so-far-grealish-mendy-2020-11">A superb Senegalese shot-stopper, an all-purpose Polish midfielder, and an unstoppable attacking duo — this is the Premier League's team of the season so far</a></p>

These are the best 11 soccer players in the world right now, according to FIFA

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e0f1f78855cc23ef51bc282-2000/pjimage%20-%202020-01-03t105936771.jpg" alt="Liverpool/Trump" /><p class="source"><span>Getty/Andrew Powell/Drew Angerer</span></p><p class="caption">Lineker joked only Trump can stop Liverpool now.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Liverpool FC extended its lead at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) to 13 points on Thursday with victory over Sheffield United.</li><li>And pundit Gary Lineker joked the only thing that can stop it winning the league is Donald Trump and the threat of World War 3.</li><li>"Seems DonaldTrump is the only man who's worked out how to stop Liverpool winning the Premier League," <a href="https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/1213040125183172613">Lineker tweeted on Friday.</a></li><li>The former England striker made the quip as an apparent response to "WWIII" trending on Twitter following the US airstrike on Iran which killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.</li><li>Liverpool won 2-0 on the night thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, extending it's unbeaten run in the EPL to a calendar year. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/soccer-news?r=US&amp;IR=T">Read more of our soccer stories here.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Liverpool FC extended its lead at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) to 13 points on Thursday as it beat Sheffield United 2-0 at Anfield. </p><p>Jurgen Klopp's team is so dominant this season that the only thing that can stop it from taking home its first ever title now is Donald Trump and the threat of a third world war.</p><p>That's according to Britain's most prominent football pundit, Gary Lineker. </p><p>"Seems Donald Trump is the only man who's worked out how to stop Liverpool winning the Premier League," Lineker joked on Friday.</p><p>The former England international and FC Barcelona striker made the comment shortly after the Pentagon announced it had landed an airstrike in Iran, <a href="https://www.insider.com/iranian-military-commander-soleimani-killed-in-airstrike-report-2020-1">killing the country's elite Quds force commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani,</a> at the order of President Trump. </p><p>Subsequent to the attack, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to take revenge against the U.S, saying in a statement, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-vows-revenge-after-us-drone-strike-kills-elite-force-commander/2020/01/03/345127d6-2df4-11ea-bffe-020c88b3f120_story.html">as per the Washington Post,</a> that "severe revenge awaits those criminals who have tainted their filthy hands with his blood and the blood of the other martyrs of last night's incident."</p><p>Shortly after, "WWIII", "Dear Iran", and "Franz Ferdinand", all began trending on Twitter across the world, seemingly prompting Lineker's post.</p><h2>Liverpool will take some stopping however, but not from Trump</h2><p>The Reds' victory on Thursday means they have now gone a whole calendar year in the Premier League without losing a game.</p><p>It also means they remain unbeaten this season, having won 19 of their 20 top flight games so far, drawing the other.</p><p>It didn't take Klopp's men long to get the ball rolling on the night, with Mohamed Salah finding the net in the fourth minute, converting Andy Robertson's low cross for his 14th goal of the season.</p><p>Dean Henderson denied Salah a second just minutes later with a fine save, before again keeping out the Egyptian on the half hour mark.</p><p>The English keeper however was unable to stop Liverpool extending the lead in the second half, when Sadio Mane played a neat one-two with Salah in the 64th minute, before slotting the ball home at the second attempt. </p><p>"I am really happy and really proud of the boys," <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50914077">Klopp told BBC's Match of the Day after the game</a>, adding: "It's obviously good [to go unbeaten for a year] but the target was not to extend this [run], but to win the game.</p><p>"I am really happy and really proud of the boys."</p><p>Liverpool next take on rivals Everton in the FA Cup third round on Sunday, before facing Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on January 11. </p><p><strong>Read more: </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nani-ferguson-let-us-train-drunk-on-new-year-at-manchester-united-2020-1">Manchester United players were once allowed to turn up to training drunk on New Year, a former player says</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-soccer-players-in-the-world-2019-10">The 50 best soccer players in the world in 2019</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manchester-united-reportedly-pull-plug-on-haaland-deal-over-raiola-demands-2019-12">Manchester United reportedly pulled out of a $24 million deal for one of Europe's hottest young strikers because it didn't want to give his father and agent a cut in his future sale</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-madrid-players-gifted-audis-for-christmas-2019-12">Real Madrid's 27-man first team was gifted new cars for Christmas by the club sponsor Audi, costing $2.4 million</a></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Seems <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> is the only man who's worked out how to stop Liverpool winning the Premier League.</p>- Gary Lineker  (@GaryLineker) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1213040125183172613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2020</a></blockquote>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-years-eve-ball-drop-tradition-sailors-times-square-2016-12">The surprising reason Americans drop a ball on New Year's Eve</a></h3>                    <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/CnPScjz0-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>            

Liverpool FC is running away with the English Premier League and Britain's most prominent football pundit joked that the only thing that can stop it is Donald Trump and the threat of World War 3

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ddba00ffd9db2565420fc74-2000/gettyimages-988392854.jpg" border="0" alt="Messi/Mbappe" data-mce-source="Getty/NurPhoto" data-link="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/lionel-messi-of-argentina-and-kylian-mbappe-of-france-news-photo/988392854?adppopup=true" /></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Kylian Mbappe is backing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/lionel-messi?r=US&amp;IR=T">Lionel Messi</a> to win a record sixth Ballon d'Or award next month when the winner is announced on December 2.</li><li>Messi has scored 45 goals this calendar year for club and country, guiding FC Barcelona to the La Liga title and Argentina to the Copa America semis.</li><li>Mbappe told <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/plus/kylian-mbappe-ich-weiss-schon-ich-bin-nicht-gott-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000167093496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Der Spiegel</a> that Messi "was the best this year."</li><li>Mbappe is also part of the final 30-man shortlist for the prize, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, and Liverpool duo Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/soccer-news?r=US&amp;IR=T">Read more of our soccer coverage here.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Kylian Mbappe is backing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/lionel-messi?r=US&amp;IR=T">Lionel Messi</a> to win the 2019 Ballon d'Or award.</p><p>Messi has won the prize a joint record five times alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, meaning should he win in Paris next month, he will become the award's most frequent ever recipient with six titles.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neymar-suarez-and-modric-omitted-from-ballon-dor-shortlist-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">The Argentine faces stiff competition</a> from Ronaldo, Liverpool duo Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk, and Mbappe himself, but the Paris Saint Germain forward believes there can only be one winner.</p><p>And told <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/plus/kylian-mbappe-ich-weiss-schon-ich-bin-nicht-gott-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000167093496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Der Spiegel</a> that it should be Messi. "In individual terms, he was the best this year."</p><p>Messi has scored 45 goals this calendar year for club and country, guiding FC Barcelona to the La Liga title and Argentina to the Copa America semifinals.</p><p>Nine of those goals have come in his last eight games for Barca, helping it sit at the top of the Spanish league again.</p><p>In contrast, long term rival Cristiano Ronaldo has managed 33 goals, however almost a quarter of those (7) came in the space of two games against international minnows Lithuania.</p><p>Messi is one of four FC Barcelona players up for the award, with Frenkie de Jong, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Antoine Griezmann also part of the final 30-man shortlist.</p><p>Liverpool is the team with the most players nominated however with seven, those being Mane, Van Dijk, Alisson, Mohamed Salah, Georginio Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.</p><p>Manchester City has five nominees (Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and Raheem Sterling), while Real Madrid has two (Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema.)</p><p>Mbappe is just one of two PSG players given the nod, the other being Brazilian defender Marquinhos.</p><p><strong>You can see the full list of nominees here:</strong></p><p>The most notable omissions for the final shortlist are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neymar-suarez-and-modric-omitted-from-ballon-dor-shortlist-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">Barcelona forward Luis Suarez, Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, and World Cup winner Paul Pogba.</a></p><p>The winner of the award, voted for by journalists and national team captains, will be announced on December 2.</p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lionel-messi-sends-photo-collage-of-himself-as-gift-to-dortmund-teen-2019-11" data-analytics-position="1" data-analytics-module="">Lionel Messi sent Borussia Dortmund's 15-year-old striker a selection of birthday presents which included a photo collage of himself</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/antonio-conte-advises-his-inter-milan-players-how-to-have-sex-2019-11" data-analytics-position="2" data-analytics-module="">One of the best football managers in Europe wants his players to have sex for 'short periods' with 'minimum effort' and preferably under their partners</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/erling-braut-haland-says-manchester-united-rumors-are-boring-2019-11" data-analytics-position="12" data-analytics-module="">A 19-year-old scores so many goals he's starting to sleep with his winning footballs, calls them his 'girlfriends,' and says Manchester United links are 'boring as f---'</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-madrid-consider-half-a-billion-bid-for-kylian-mbappe-2019-11" data-analytics-position="17" data-analytics-module="">Real Madrid is reportedly considering spending more than half a billion dollars to snatch PSG's 20-year-old French forward Kylian Mbappe away from Barcelona</a></p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d'Or 🙌<br><br>Pick your winner 👇 <a href="https://t.co/x2uj6zBoEt">pic.twitter.com/x2uj6zBoEt</a></br></br></p>- Goal  (@goal) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1186532037769023488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Kylian Mbappe is backing Lionel Messi to win a record sixth Ballon d'Or award simply because he is 'the best'

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5daec8664af90941c03a2592-2000/pjimage%2079.jpg" border="0" alt="Modric, Neymar, Suarez" data-mce-source="Getty" /></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Neymar, Luis Suarez, and last year's winner Luka Modric have all been omitted from the <a href="https://www.francefootball.fr/diaporama/La-liste-complete-des-30-nommes-pour-le-ballon-d-or-france-football-2019/7757/#1">30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d'Or award.</a></li><li>France Football, which presents the award, says Neymar missed out because of a <a href="https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Pas-retenu-dans-la-liste-des-30-du-ballon-d-or-france-football-2019-neymar-a-vecu-une-annee-noire/1072132">"black" and "very complicated" year</a>, while Modric did so due to <a href="https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Luka-modric-premier-ballon-d-or-france-football-sortant-a-etre-absent-de-la-liste-des-nommes-l-annee-suivante/1072122">failing to match the standards he set last season.</a></li><li>Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, World Cup winning duo Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, and Paris Saint Germain striker Edinson Cavani also missed out.</li><li>The winner of the award will be announced in Paris on December 2.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/soccer-news?r=US&amp;IR=T">Read more of our soccer coverage here.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Neymar, Luis Suarez, and last year's winner Luka Modric have all been omitted from the shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d'Or award.</p><p>The annual award is handed to the "world's best soccer player," as voted by journalists from across the world.</p><p>France Football<a href="https://www.francefootball.fr/diaporama/La-liste-complete-des-30-nommes-pour-le-ballon-d-or-france-football-2019/7757/#1">,</a> which presents the award, <a href="https://www.francefootball.fr/diaporama/La-liste-complete-des-30-nommes-pour-le-ballon-d-or-france-football-2019/7757/#1">revealed its 30-man shortlist on Monday</a>.</p><p>Neymar missed out for the first time since 2010, with <a href="https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Pas-retenu-dans-la-liste-des-30-du-ballon-d-or-france-football-2019-neymar-a-vecu-une-annee-noire/1072132">France Football citing a "black" and "very complicated" year</a> as reason for the Brazilian's exclusion.&#xa0;</p><p>Meanwhile, Luka Modric, who scooped the prize in 2018, will not feature because he is <a href="https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Luka-modric-premier-ballon-d-or-france-football-sortant-a-etre-absent-de-la-liste-des-nommes-l-annee-suivante/1072122">"struggling more than expected to get back to the top of his game."</a> It is the first time since the award's inception in 1956 that the previous winner has not been nominated the following year.&#xa0;</p><p>FC Barcelona forward Luis Suarez, Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, and World Cup winner Paul Pogba also missed out on a place in the final 30, as did Chelsea's N'Golo Kante and Paris Saint Germain striker Edinson Cavani.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barcelona-transfer-news-mbappe-perfect-but-kane-rashford-a-waste-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">FC Barcelona has a shortlist of 3 high-profile players to replace Luis Suarez but 2 of them would be a massive waste of money</a></em></p><p>Liverpool FC has the most players nominated from a single club with seven of Jurgen Klopp's men - Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Roberto Firmino, and Georginio Wijnaldum - making the cut.&#xa0;</p><p>Premier League rival Manchester City has five players nominated in the form of Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Sergio Aguero, while FC Barcelona has four in Lionel Messi, Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.</p><p>Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is again nominated for a record 16th time.</p><p><strong>The full list of nominees can be seen here:&#xa0;</strong></p><p>The winner of the award will be announced in Paris on December 2.</p><p><em>Associate Translation Editor Ruqayyah Moynihan contributed to this article.&#xa0;</em></p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>7️⃣ Reds named on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BallonDor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BallonDor</a> 30-man shortlist! 👏👏👏 <br><br>UP THE REDS! 🔴 <a href="https://t.co/IT6aIfqtTd">pic.twitter.com/IT6aIfqtTd</a></br></br></p>- Liverpool FC  (@LFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1186379805283045377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d'Or 🙌<br><br>Pick your winner 👇 <a href="https://t.co/x2uj6zBoEt">pic.twitter.com/x2uj6zBoEt</a></br></br></p>- Goal  (@goal) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1186532037769023488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Neymar, Luis Suarez, and last year's winner Luka Modric have all been omitted from the 2019 Ballon d'Or shortlist

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dadb1784af90974c9333782-2000/pjimage%2076.jpg" border="0" alt="Nainggolan, Ronaldo, Ramos" data-mce-source="Getty" /></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Europe's biggest clubs returned to action this weekend after a two-week-long international break.</li><li>Real Madrid's first defeat of the season, Inter Milan's seven goal thriller against Sassuolo, and a wonder goal from Radja Nainggolan were amongst the highlights.</li><li>Catch up with everything that happened in the past week across Europe's top five leagues below.&#xa0;</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/soccer-news?r=US&amp;IR=T">Read more of our soccer stories here.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><h2>Serie A&#xa0;</h2><p>Italy's top flight provided the most exciting action from around Europe this weekend.</p><p>The highlight of the weekend came in the unlikely form of Cagliari midfielder Radja Nainggolan, who produced the goal of the season so far with a stunning, swerved volley from outside the area.</p><p>Game of the weekend went to Sassuolo and Inter Milan, who saw out a 3-4 thriller at the Mapei Stadium. Antonio Conte's newly formed strike duo of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku scored two-a-piece to cancel out goals from Dominico Berardi, Filip Duricic, and Jeremie Boga.&#xa0;</p><p>Cristiano Ronaldo was on the scoresheet for Juventus as the league leaders beat Bologna 2-1 at home, whilst AC Milan remains in the bottom half of the table following a 2-2 draw with Lecce.&#xa0;</p><h2>Premier League</h2><p>Liverpool kept up its unbeaten record in the league this season as it saw out a drab 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Marcus Rashford had given United the lead early on, before Liverpool was denied a Sadio Mane equalizer thanks to a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) call for handball. Thankfully for Jurgen Klopp's side, substitute Adam Lallana saved the day with just five minutes to go.</p><p>Elsewhere, Chelsea continued its impressive start to the season with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Newcastle United - Frank Lampard's side managed 15 shots on goal before it finally found the net through Marcos Alonso.</p><p>Manchester City kept up the pressure on Liverpool with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Tottenham Hotspur's dreadful form continued with a 1-1 draw with Watford.</p><p>It could have been worse for Spurs had it not been for a controversial goal from Dele Alli, who appeared to handle the ball before slotting it home.</p><h2>La Liga</h2><p>FC Barcelona was the weekend's big winner in Spain as it beat Eibar 3-0 to jump into first place in the league. Attacking trio Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Antoine Griezmann were all on the score sheet, which will have been a huge relief for fans amid rumours of unrest in the dressing room.&#xa0;</p><p>Real Madrid had been unbeaten prior to the weekend, but came crumbling down at the hands of RCD Mallorca on Saturday. Lago Junior scored the only goal as the newly promoted side beat Eden Hazard-less Madrid 1-0.</p><p>Atletico Madrid saw out a tense 1-1 draw with Valencia, Sevilla beat Levante 1-0, and high flying Granada maintained its surprise third place position with a 1-0 win over Osasuna on Friday night.&#xa0;</p><h2>Ligue 1</h2><p>Unsurprisingly, Paris Saint Germain is running away with the Ligue 1 title again for the seventh time in eight seasons. Thomas Tuchel's side scored four for the third time already this season, beating OGC Nice 4-1 away from home.</p><p>The pick of the goals came in the form of Angel Di Maria's deft lob - his second of two on the day and 10th this season.</p><p>After a poor start to the season, AS Monaco won its third game in the last four to move further away from the relegation spots. Leonardo Jardim's side beat Rennes 3-2 in an enticing affair at the Stade Louis II. Wissam Ben Yedder (2) and Islam Slimani proved the heroes on the day.</p><p>Like Monaco, Olympique Lyonnais has also endured a difficult start to the campaign. After sacking Sylvinho, <a href="https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2019/official-lyon-appoint-rudi-garcia-as-manager/">the club appointed Rudi Garcia as its new manager last week</a>, but the Spaniard will have to wait for his first win after Lyon - who is now above the drop zone on only goal difference - drew 0-0 with Dijon.&#xa0;</p><h2>Bundesliga</h2><p>Jadon Sancho stole the headlines in Germany - but not for the right reasons. The English teenager was dropped and fined by Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre after returning late from international duty, <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11899/11839341/jadon-sancho-dropped-and-fined-by-borussia-dortmund">according to Sky Sports.</a> Fortunately for Favre (not so much for Sancho, however), the youngster's absence didn't prove costly as Dortmund secured a vital 1-0 over league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach courtesy of a second half Marco Reus goal.</p><p>Dortmund's win moved it level on points with Bayern Munich, who slipped to a shock 2-2 draw at FC Augsburg. Goals in the 1st and 91st minutes from the home side cancelled out Robert Lewandowski&#xa0; - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-highest-goalscorers-in-european-football-right-now-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">who now has 17 goals already this term</a> - and Serge Gnabry's strikes.&#xa0;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sunday evening is going to involve watching this Radja Nainggolan goal over and over and over and over again.<a href="https://t.co/RT2mcAaZ2s">pic.twitter.com/RT2mcAaZ2s</a></p>- MUNDIAL  (@MundialMag) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1185949564089573384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Handball? Dele Alli couldn't look more guilty 😂<br><br>This goal was given, but Sadio Mane's strike against Man Utd was ruled out 🤨<a href="https://t.co/RbT2vwrcB0">pic.twitter.com/RbT2vwrcB0</a></br></br></p>- Goal  (@goal) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1186191390818082816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Ohhhh Angel Di Maria that is special 😍<br><br>PSG are two goals to the good against Nice thanks to a sublime chip from the Argentine!<br><br>Magnifique 👌 <a href="https://t.co/02BKCJsCy7">pic.twitter.com/02BKCJsCy7</a></br></br></br></br></p>- Football on BT Sport  (@btsportfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1185272488202256385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Here's everything you missed in European soccer this weekend

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ac5fd6787826b42008b45d5-2000/manchester%20city%20team%20bus.jpg" border="0" alt="Manchester City team bus" data-mce-source="Reuters"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">The Manchester City team bus.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Liverpool FC fans lit flares, threw bricks, and trashed the Manchester City team bus so badly it was put out of commission.</strong></li><li><strong>Manchester City players were not fazed by the incident.</strong></li><li><strong>In fact, City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne said it was "a nice feeling."</strong></li><li><strong>Regardless, the police are investigating the incident.</strong></li></ul><hr><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Fans of Liverpool FC gave Manchester City a welcome to remember ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal clash at Anfield on Wednesday evening.</p><p>Unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons.</p><p>As the City team coach approached the stadium, Liverpool fans lit flares, <a href="https://twitter.com/MENnewsdesk/status/981883296564088832" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw bricks</a>, and trashed the bus so badly it was eventually put out of commission, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/apr/04/manchester-city-team-bus-anfield-champions-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to The Guardian</a>.</p><p>In scenes that would not have looked out of place in a hooligan movie, the City team bus was pelted with hand-held projectiles like beer bottles and flares.</p><p>The driver's door was smashed to bits before the bus had even dropped the players off at the stadium.</p><p><strong>A photo of the scene is here:</strong></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ac62031fc23b320008b468d-2000/manchester%20city%20team%20bus.jpg" border="0" alt="Manchester City team bus" data-mce-source="Reuters"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Liverpool fans greet the Manchester City team.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Watch footage of Liverpool's welcome below:</strong></p><p>The damage was so bad that it put the bus out of commission.</p><p>Here is the bus leaving the stadium after the match kicked off.</p><p>Liverpool went on to win the game 3-0 thanks to first-half goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Sadio Mané.</p><p>But City refused to blame the loss on the bus attack. "The bus incident had no effect on us," club captain Vincent Kompany is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/apr/04/manchester-city-team-bus-anfield-champions-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quoted by The Guardian to have said</a>.</p><p>Kompany's teammate Kevin de Bruyne even went as far as to say he is "okay" with supporters behaving that way. "I've had it a couple of times for my team and it's a nice feeling," he said.</p><p>Regardless, the incident is being investigated by Merseyside Police. Superintendent Paul White told <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43648184" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC Sport</a> that the force "will conduct enquiries to identify who was responsible and bring them to justice."</p><p>UEFA, the body that runs the Champions League, has opened its own disciplinary proceedings as well.</p><p>Though Liverpool won the first leg, the club still has to contest the second leg at Manchester City on April 10, before the overall aggregate winner can proceed to the Champions League semifinal.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Liverpool apologised to Man City before the match for the damage done to their team bus. This was my view of their arrival at Anfield <a href="https://t.co/gG3pZcQLoN">pic.twitter.com/gG3pZcQLoN</a></p>- Dan Roan (@danroan) <a href="https://twitter.com/danroan/status/981798172929544192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Man City's team bus has left Anfield after it was damaged en route into the stadium prior to kick-off. <a href="https://t.co/slWf0WRrty">pic.twitter.com/slWf0WRrty</a></p>- Football on BT Sport  (@btsportfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/981621211649081344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/remove-apps-facebook-privacy-issue-data-tip-fix-2017-11">How to stop your Facebook friends from giving away your data</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/nFQB8RWL-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div></hr>

Liverpool fans lit flares, threw bricks, and trashed the Manchester City team bus so badly it was put out of commission

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bbb96eb8053830c8e4320f4-1287/lionel-messi.jpg" border="0" alt="Lionel Messi" data-mce-source="Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images"><p class="source"><span>Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">France football has released the list of 30 players in contention for the 2018 Ballon d'Or.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Each year, France Football awards its most prestigious trophy - the Ballon d'Or - to the world's best men's soccer player.</li><li>Throughout the day on Monday, France Football released the list of 30 players in consideration for the 2018 Ballon d'Or, including Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paris St. Germain's Neymar.</li><li>France Football also unveiled the 15-person shortlist for its first-ever women's Ballon d'Or Monday afternoon.</li></ul><p><br>Each year, France Football awards its most prestigious trophy - the Ballon d'Or - to the world's best men's soccer player. The organization revealed the 30 players in contention for the 2018 Ballon d'Or throughout the day Monday, and many of the biggest names in soccer have made the list.</br></p><p>Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the trophy home in each of the last two years, but Portugal's early departure from the World Cup combined with his rocky start with new club Juventus and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cristiano-ronaldo-rape-allegations-kathryn-mayorga-2018-10">recent rape allegations levied against him</a> could doom his chances at a three-peat.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Lionel Messi - who also has five Ballons d'Or - could reclaim the honor for the first time since 2015, but his inability to lead Argentina to success at the World Cup has undoubtedly dampened his chances.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Likewise, Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar is an unlikely pick to break through to win his first Ballon d'Or this year due to his international performances. Brazil failed to live up to expectations for the 2018 World Cup, falling to Belgium in a major quarterfinal upset.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>The favorite to win the 2018 Ballon d'Or, however, is midfielder Luka Modric. The Real Madrid veteran captained Croatia to its first ever World Cup final, after which he earned&#xa0;the Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament. Modric has already earned FIFA World Player of the Year honors and is widely expected to add the Ballon d'Or to his collection of awards after posting an absolutely stellar year. Messi and Ronaldo have had a monopoly on the Ballon d'Or for the past decade, but Modric may be the man to end their collective reign.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>France Football also released the shortlist of players nominated to receive the first-ever women's Ballon d'Or, which includes five-time&#xa0;<span>FIFA World Player of the Year winner Marta, Australian blackflipper and&#xa0;all-time NWSL leading scorer Sam Kerr, and U.S. Women's National Team captain Megan Rapinoe</span>. Lyon dominated with seven of fifteen nominees playing for the club.</p><p>Check out the complete list of men's and women's Ballon d'Or nominees:</p><h3><strong>Men's nominees:</strong></h3><div>Sergio Agüero&#xa0;(ARG / Manchester City)</div><div>Alisson&#xa0;(BRE / Liverpool)</div><div>Gareth Bale&#xa0;(GAL / Real Madrid)</div><div>Karim Benzema&#xa0;(FRA / Real Madrid)</div><div>Edinson Cavani&#xa0;(URU / PSG)</div><div>Thibaut Courtois&#xa0;(BEL / Chelsea)</div><div>Cristiano Ronaldo&#xa0;(POR / Juventus Turin)</div><div>Kevin De Bruyne&#xa0;(BEL / Manchester City)</div><div>Roberto Firmino&#xa0;(BRE / Liverpool)</div><div>Diego Godin&#xa0;(URU / Atlético Madrid)</div><div>Antoine Griezmann&#xa0;(FRA / Atlético Madrid)</div><div>Eden Hazard&#xa0;(BEL / Chelsea)</div><div>Isco&#xa0;(ESP / Real Madrid)</div><div>Harry Kane&#xa0;(ANG / Tottenham)</div><div>N'Golo Kanté&#xa0;(FRA / Chelsea)</div><div>Hugo Lloris&#xa0;(FRA / Tottenham)</div><div>Mario Mandzukic&#xa0;(CRO / Juventus Turin)</div><div>Sadio Mané&#xa0;(SEN / Liverpool)</div><div>Marcelo&#xa0;(BRE / Real Madrid)</div><div>Kylian Mbappé&#xa0;(FRA / PSG)</div><div>Lionel Messi&#xa0;(ARG / FC Barcelone)</div><div>Luka Modric&#xa0;(CRO / Real Madrid)</div><div>Neymar&#xa0;(BRA / PSG)</div><div>Jan Oblak&#xa0;(SLO / Atlético Madrid)</div><div>Paul Pogba&#xa0;(FRA / Manchester United)</div><div>Ivan Rakitic&#xa0;(CRO / FC Barcelone)</div><div>Mohamed Salah&#xa0;(EGY / Liverpool)</div><div>Sergio Ramos&#xa0;(ESP / Real Madrid)</div><div>Luis Suarez&#xa0;(URU / FC Barcelone)</div><div>Raphaël Varane&#xa0;(FRA / Real Madrid)</div><div><div><div><div></div></div></div></div><h3><strong>Women's nominees:</strong></h3><div>Lucy Bronze (ENG / Lyon)</div><div>Pernille Harder (DEN / Wolfsburg)</div><div>Ada Hegerberg (NOR / Lyon)</div><div>Amandine Henry (FRA / Lyon)</div><div>Lindsey Horan (USA / Portland)</div><div>Sam Kerr (AUS / Chicago)</div><div>Fran Kirby (ENG / Chelsea)</div><div>Saki Kumagai (JPN / Lyon)</div><div>Dzsenifer Marozsan (GER / Lyon)</div><div>Amel Majri (FRA / Lyon)</div><div>Marta (BRA / Orlando)</div><div>Lieke Martens (NED / Barcelona)</div><div>Megan Rapinoe (USA / Seattle)</div><div>Wendie Renard (FRA / Lyon)</div><div>Christine Sinclair (CAN / Portland)</div><div></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>7/30<br><br>👌 <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cristiano</a><br>🇵🇹 Portugal<br>⚽ Forward<br>📍 <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juventusfc</a><br>3⃣3⃣ years old<br>🏆 5-time winner (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)<br><br>The nominees ▶ <a href="https://t.co/PuSb2n2x5Z">https://t.co/PuSb2n2x5Z</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ballondor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ballondor</a> <a href="https://t.co/FFFctI1IZQ">pic.twitter.com/FFFctI1IZQ</a></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>- #ballondor  (@francefootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1049240988911357952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>21/30<br><br>👌 Lionel Messi<br>🇦🇷 Argentina<br>⚽ Forward<br>📍 <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBarcelona</a><br>3⃣1⃣ years old<br>🏆 5-times winner (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015)<br><br>The nominees ▶ <a href="https://t.co/97jAzy0DYQ">https://t.co/97jAzy0DYQ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ballondor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ballondor</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZCS6t1xAOp">pic.twitter.com/ZCS6t1xAOp</a></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>- #ballondor  (@francefootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1049344188507193345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>23/30<br><br>👌 <a href="https://twitter.com/neymarjr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@neymarjr</a><br>🇧🇷 Brazil<br>⚽ Forward<br>📍 <a href="https://twitter.com/PSG_inside?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PSG_inside</a><br>2⃣6⃣ years old<br><br>The nominees ▶ <a href="https://t.co/tQyB9Jlx2u">https://t.co/tQyB9Jlx2u</a>  <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ballondor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ballondor</a> <a href="https://t.co/1oRqY0Oq3M">pic.twitter.com/1oRqY0Oq3M</a></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>- #ballondor  (@francefootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1049348207543824384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>22/30<br><br>👌 Luka Modric<br>🇭🇷 Croatia<br>⚽ Midfielder<br>📍 <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadrid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realmadrid</a><br>3⃣3⃣ years old<br><br>The nominees ▶ <a href="https://t.co/y3VLt9O2WY">https://t.co/y3VLt9O2WY</a>  <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ballondor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ballondor</a> <a href="https://t.co/jf1GUMylt9">pic.twitter.com/jf1GUMylt9</a></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>- #ballondor  (@francefootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1049346786811400192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chrissy-teigens-trainer-reveals-workout-secrets-2018-9">Chrissy Teigen's trainer reveals her workout secrets</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/xMZEECq1-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

You Searched For "Sadio Man" and got 7 results

These are the best 11 soccer players in the world right now, according to FIFA

Barnaby Lane

Liverpool FC is running away with the English Premier League and Britain's most prominent football pundit joked that the only thing that can stop it is Donald Trump and the threat of World War 3

Barnaby Lane

Kylian Mbappe is backing Lionel Messi to win a record sixth Ballon d'Or award simply because he is 'the best'

Barnaby Lane

Neymar, Luis Suarez, and last year's winner Luka Modric have all been omitted from the 2019 Ballon d'Or shortlist

Barnaby Lane

Here's everything you missed in European soccer this weekend

Barnaby Lane

Liverpool fans lit flares, threw bricks, and trashed the Manchester City team bus so badly it was put out of commission

Alan Dawson

The 2018 Ballon d'Or nominees have been revealed

Meredith Cash