Rapinoe, Messi honored as world’s top soccer players
Megan Rapinoe has won the Ballon d'Or for the best female player of the year after leading the United States to World Cup glory in July.
Rapinoe scored six goals in the tournament, earning her the Golden Boot as the top scorer and the Golden Ball as the top player.
England international Lucy Bronze finished second behind Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan third in the polling.
Lionel Messi won the men’s Ballon d’Or for a record sixth time and said he’s far from finished.
“I hope to continue for a long time,” Messi said. “I realize that I am very lucky, even if, one day, retirement will come. It will be difficult. But I still have a lot of good years ahead of me.
“Time goes by very quickly, so I want to enjoy football and my family.”
France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women’s award last year when Norway’s Ada Hegerberg won it.
“I can’t believe I’m the one winning in this field, it’s been an incredible year,” Rapinoe said in a recorded video message.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was second in the men’s polling this year, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo, who shared the record of five Ballon d'Ors with Messi until Monday.
Meanwile, Ronaldo was named the Italian league’s player of the year following his debut season at Juventus. Ronaldo was at the Gran Gala del Calcio in Milan to collect his prize, instead of attending the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The 34-year-old Ronaldo scored 28 goals in all competitions for Juventus, including 21 in the league.
Elsewhere: Alberto
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Cerri came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner as Cagliari fought back from two goals down to beat Sampdoria 4-3 in an extraordinary Serie A match in Cagliari, Italy. Cerri headed in the winner in the sixth minute of injury time to spark wild celebrations among the home team and fans as Cagliari moved back into fourth spot in the Italian standings. … In Germany, Mainz defeated local rival Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in a derby game delayed by flares and marked by more protests against the unpopular Monday night games in the Bundesliga. …
Francisco “Isco” Alarcon and Real Madrid are back on good terms. After enduring one of his worst seasons in Madrid, Isco again has become an important piece in coach Zinedine Zidane’s team. Isco has been showing the type of confidence he used to have when he helped Madrid win its recent Champions League titles.
ETC.
Olympics: Two-time
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Olympic judo champion
Peter Seisenbacher was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting two young girls he was coaching in the early 2000s. An Austrian regional criminal court found
Seisenbacher guilty of the abuse, which took place in Vienna between 1999 and 2004.
The women filed charges against their former coach in 2013.
Tennis: The Swiss
● government says it will produce a 20 franc silver coin with Roger Federer’s image on it. The government says it’s the first time it has dedicated a commemorative coin to a living person. A 50 franc gold coin with Federer’s image on it will be minted next year.
Auto racing: Six-time
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Formula One champion
Lewis Hamilton appeared to open the door for a possible future move to Ferrari when he refused to deny meeting with its chairman
John Elkann. Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that they discussed Hamilton potentially replacing Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari in 2021.