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F I F A B A L L O N D ’ O R

12 JANUARY 2015 ENGLISH EDITION

“Yes!”

F I F A B A L L O N D ’O R

FIFA Ballon d’OrCRISTIANO RONALDO (POR)

FIFA Women’s World Player of the YearNADINE KESSLER (GER)

FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s FootballJOACHIM LÖW (GER)

FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s FootballRALF KELLERMANN (GER)

FIFA Puskás AwardJAMES RODRIGUEZ (COL)

FIFA Fairplay AwardVOLUNTEERS OF THE WORLD CUP 2014

FIFA Presidential AwardHIROSHI KAGAWA (JPN)

FIFA FIFPro World XIGoalkeeper MANUEL NEUER (GER/Bayern Munich)Defenders PHILIPP LAHM (GER/Bayern Munich)

DAVID LUIZ (BRA/Paris Saint-Germain) SERGIO RAMOS (ESP/Real Madrid) THIAGO SILVA (BRA/Paris Saint-Germain)

Midfielders ANGEL DI MARIA (ARG/Manchester United) ANDRES INIESTA (ESP/Barcelona) TONI KROOS (GER/Real Madrid)

Forwards LIONEL MESSI (ARG/Barcelona) ARJEN ROBBEN (NED/Bayern Munich) CRISTIANO RONALDO (POR/Real Madrid)

Given this uncertain and turbulent world of ours, I have only one thing to say this evening: we have yet to see the true power of peace, or that of football. Therefore, let us be the ambassadors

of a positive vision of the world. Let us be the ones to proclaim the message of peace loud and clear. Let us do good.

This evening has a very French flavour because the Ballon d’Or has its origins in France, as I always like to remind people. The award was founded in 1956, in collaboration with my friends at France Football. It was launched by friends, in a spirit of friendship, around a round table. Tonight, in keeping with that sentiment, we are all French in some way and our thoughts go out to our neighbours, who have been shaken to the core by the violent events of the last few days, which prompt me to repeat my call for peace, calm and tolerance.

I call on you, if you are willing, to shake the hands of your oppo-nents at every level in the world of football, a gesture that will help make this world of ours a better place. The Handshake for Peace is a unique symbol and embodies the values of friendship, respect and forgiveness. It is for those reasons that I want to see this gesture become commonplace. I want people to shake hands and look each other in the eye before and after each football match, at every level, starting with the youngest players. What an example it would be! What a step forward it would represent! While it goes without saying that it will not bring an end to war, it will help foster mutual under-standing between people.

There is something that is moving and cannot be stopped, and that something is the desire for peace that burns within us, as does the desire to share and to support each other. We are seeing it more and more on an everyday level and we can see it in our fight against Ebola. We are assuming our responsibilities and showing our solidarity, and I would like to congratulate all the players who have devoted their time to spreading the message.

Tonight, though, is a celebration first and foremost, a night on which we pay tribute to the stars of football, which is always a difficult thing to do because this is a team sport. Yet here we are, celebrating the skills of individual players. It is a little bit of a paradox if you ask me, though I do think that the triumphs of the talented men and women who have gathered here this evening are not just personal in nature. They are the triumphs of a whole team: the wider footballing community.

So let us talk, share our views with each other and revel in the things that make us different. After all, there is always more we can find out about one another. As my friend Nelson Mandela liked to say, let us celebrate humanity.

Dear football friends

Best wishes, Sepp Blatter

For more news from the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala, visit:http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor

Extract from the FIFA President’s opening speech

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F I F A W O R L D P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

Real Madrid’s Portuguese star received the FIFA Bal-lon d’Or trophy in Zurich on Monday evening after being voted the world’s best footballer once again. Having previously won the award in 2008 and 2013, Ronaldo has now been named best player in the world on three occasions, but the great man will only

rest when he has accumulated more Ballon d’Or trophies than any of his competitors. The earliest he can achieve that objective, however, is January 2017.

Argentine star Lionel Messi, who came away emp-ty-handed for the second year running, has won the award four times to date. Assuming Ronaldo makes the final Bal-lon d’Or shortlist again in December, another victory for the 29-year-old next year would draw him level with the Barcelona man.

Just how likely is the above scenario? Very, if Ronaldo remains injury free over the next twelve months. The man-ner with which he swept everything before him last season and during the first half of the current campaign has been breathtaking, extraordinary, almost hallucinatory at times.

Many believe the last twelve months have been the best in his career. If that is true, any goals Ronaldo chooses to pursue in 2015 are surely well within his capabilities. Indeed, if he didn’t keep surprising us all with his genius, one might say he is at the peak of his game right now. His stats certainly

take some beating: top goalscorer in La Liga and Golden Shoe winner (top scorer in Europe) last season, nobody has ever scored more UEFA Champions League goals in a single campaign than Ronaldo did last term. The Portuguese me-gastar has practically reinvented the art of goalscoring while attaining new heights of efficiency and cadence.

Five weeks ago, Ronaldo became the fastest player to reach the 200-goal mark in Spain’s top flight, reaching the milestone in just 178 appearances. His hat-trick against Celta Vigo was his 23rd treble in La Liga – another league high.

He wouldn’t be the phenomenal player he is, though, if only his personal achievements were of any real signifi-cance. It goes without saying that Ronaldo’s individual performances have made a key contribution to his team’s success. He helped Real Madrid win the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Copa del Rey last season. Barely four weeks have passed since Madrid completed their trophy haul by winning the FIFA Club World Cup for the very first time.

As ever, Cristiano Ronaldo will do everything he can to ensure his game continues to appear effortless and his scor-ing tally continues to grow. His long-term objective, name-ly a fifth Ballon d’Or award, also remains firmly in his sights. Å

Perikles Monioudis

CRISTIANO RONALDO

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F I F A W O M E N ’ S W O R L D P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

With her tackling prowess, creativ-ity and exemplary leadership, Nadine Kessler is a pillar of the VfL Wolfsburg side and the driv-ing force behind their success. In 2014 the defensive midfielder

spearheaded the team’s successful de-fence of their Women’s Bundesliga and Champions League crowns and, if that were not impressive enough, also under-lined her keen eye for goal with 17 strikes in all competitions for her club last sea-son. “She’s made a crucial contribution to our titles,” said her coach Ralf Keller-mann, adding: “I’m 100 per cent certain she’ll be named FIFA Women’s World Play-er of the Year.” The coach's words were to prove prescient. Just a few month after being named Europe’s player of the year, Kessler added the world title to her collec-tion at Monday evening’s award ceremony.

Nadine Kessler is in the form of her life – or rather she was. After undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on her knee in October, the Germany international is still experiencing discomfort despite originally planning to make a comeback at the start of the year. Her coach is cur-rently unable to give an estimated date for her return.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old knows how to battle her way back from such frus-trating injury layoffs. She overcame re-peated setbacks at the start of her career, having already established her reputation as one of Germany’s brightest footballing talents. And although Kessler’s career hung by a thread after she underwent sev-en knee operations between 2008 and 2010, she worked hard to return to com-petitive action. This fighting spirit was once again evident in the 2012/13 Cham-pions League final, when she played on with a broken little toe. Nadine Kessler is also an important figure within the Ger-man national team. She made a decisive contribution to the eight-time European champions’ World Cup qualifying cam-paign, where they won all seven of their matches to ensure they travel to Canada among the favourites to lift the trophy. Kessler found the net five times in six games to make her one of Die Nationalelf ’s most prolific scorers. It is hoped that she will make a speedy return to full training in time to help write another Germany summer fairytale – this time at the Wom-en’s World Cup 2015 in Canada. Å

Sarah Steiner

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M E N ’ S W O R L D C O A C H O F T H E Y E A R

JOACHIM LÖW

There are games that change lives, and games that change history. The World Cup Final is perhaps the greatest of those, and the winning goal its most memorable moment. For Germany head coach Joachim Low, however, his turn-ing point came earlier in the tournament.

Low led his team, one that he will soon have man-aged for nine years, to World Cup glory in Brazil. Along the way, the tactician made a number of unpopular decisions that were key to his side’s success, but the match that real-ly changed Joachim Low and Germany’s football history was not the final. It was the Round of 16 tie against Algeria.

At the end of June, having pocketed seven points from a tough group that included Portugal, Ghana and the USA, things were looking good for Germany as they breezed into the knockout stage. Little concern was expressed about the danger posed by their next opponents, Algeria. As it turned out, the north Africans played the game of their lives,

Germany looked out of sorts in Porto Alegre and Low’s men were nearly knocked out of the competition. Nearly.

The positive effect of flirting with such a premature exit was huge. While 80 million fans back home asked themselves how their boys could now beat a formidable France team in the quarter-finals, the Germany squad de-veloped a new hunger. Crucially, Low, who was harshly crit-icised after the Algeria game, had not lost his head. Without a dent to his pride, he admitted that an entire country was right about captain Philipp Lahm returning to his position in defence.

Low is the first Germany coach to win the World Cup never having previously played for his country. He had it tough as head coach because his decisions were not always understood. Since Brazil, not only are his decisions under-stood, they are also respected. Å

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Years of phenomenal growthFIFA decided to stage the first FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 1991 (China PR) to give the best female players in world football the opportunity to play on a world stage, thus marking a milestone for the growth of women’s football all around the globe. Around half a million spectators attended the matches. Since then, the women’s game has taken huge strides forward in every aspect, whether in terms of the players’ technique, physical fitness and tactics, or the media coverage, TV viewers and sponsorship interest.

One of the pillars of FIFA’s mission is to touch the world through our tourna-ments. We take great pride in staging these entertaining and unique festivals of football across the globe.The FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is a shining example of our commitment to ensuring that women’s football goes from strength to strength in the future.

JAMES RODRIGUEZ“T

he search is over”, wrote daily newspaper El Espectador after Colombia’s second-round win against Uruguay in Rio de Janei-ro at the FIFA World Cup 2014. The headline was a reference to

the 16-year wait that Colombians had endured until the successor to the great Carlos Valderrama had been found. James Rodriguez scored both goals in the 2-0 win and deservedly won FIFA’s Man of the Match award, but it was his first effort against Uruguay, a glorious, swerving volley from 25 yards that went in via the underside of the bar that sent the millions of his compatriots back home into rap-tures. Valderrama, Colombia’s record appearance-maker, said of the then 22-year-old: “He plays the game differently to me. He’s a unique talent and he can achieve great things. He has the potential to be the best Colombian footballer of all time, and perhaps one of the finest in the history of the game.” Six goals at the tournament earned Rod-riguez the Golden Boot award for the top scorer after he found the back of the net in every one of his country’s matches, and he contin-ued to make history even after the World Cup. Following his transfer to Real Madrid from AS Monaco, Madrid shirts with his name and number ten on the back became the best-selling item of clothing per hour in the entire European textile industry. The Cucuta-born mid-fielder was a wanted man after the tournament, but it was Los Blan-cos that won the race to sign him, and club President Florentino Perez has delighted in the impact the new arrival has made. “He’s surprised everyone – except us at Real Madrid. We knew how good he was. We’ve been watching him for years.” Å

Alan Schweingruber

W O M E N ’ S W O R L D C O A C H O F T H E Y E A R / P U S K Á S A W A R D

RALF KELLERMANNI

t is said that while getting to the top is hard, staying there is even harder – but Ralf Kellermann appears to have found the secret formula. In 2013 he guided a VfL Wolfs-

burg side led by 2014 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Nadine Kessler to a historic treble consisting of the Wom-en’s Bundesliga, DFB Cup and Champions League titles. Further triumph followed in 2014 as the Duisburg native guided Wolfsburg to championship glory once more and oversaw the defence of their European crown with a spec-tacular 4-3 victory against Sweden’s Tyreso.

Kellermann made his reputation as a coach after limited success during his playing career. As a goalkeeper he was on Duisburg's books when they were promoted to Germa-ny’s second tier in 1989 and to the top flight in 1991, before switching to lower-league football after failing to break into the first team. By 2008 Kellermann was working in Wolfs-burg’s scouting department and coaching SV Brunsrode/Flechtorf in the eighth tier of German men's football when he received the offer to manage the VfL women’s team. De-spite his limited experience of the women’s game, he took the job – a decision he is unlikely to have regretted.

Ralf Kellermann is not a man who craves the limelight. Instead he prefers to be out on the training pitch, plotting his team’s next win with great care and commitment. Above all, the 46-year-old is no individualist and greeted the news of his nomination by saying: “Although I’m delighted, I’ll be representing everyone in the team that contributed to our success.” Å

Sarah Steiner

Puskás Award

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THE FIFA BALLON D’OR GALA 2014

P E O P L E

Marta and Stephanie Roche

Arjen Robben

Philipp Lahm Lionel Messi

Alessandro Del Piero

FIFA FIFPro World XI 2014

8 T H E F I FA W E E K LY

P E O P L E

Hiroshi Kagawa

Cristiano Ronaldo

Jean-Etienne Amaury Ralf Kellermann

Linda Barras and Sepp Blatter

Carlo and Luisa Ancelotti

Sergio Ramos and Pilar Rubio

Manuel Neuer and Kate Abdo

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THE FIFA BALLON D’OR GALA 2014

Cristiano Ronaldo and Sepp Blatter

Diego Simeone

P E O P L E

Cristiano Junior and Cristiano Ronaldo

Toni Kroos

Cristiano Ronaldo

Thierry Henry

Sepp Blatter

10 T H E F I FA W E E K LY

You can find more pictures from the FIFA BALLON D’OR 2014 at:http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/photos/index.html

P E O P L E

Daniela Ospina and James Rodriguez

Abby Wambach and Sarah Huffman

Ottmar Hitzfeld and Joachim Löw

Angel Di Maria

Nadine Kessler

All the winners

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MAGIC MOMENTS

An extraordinary year in football has ended, with Brazil 2014 its crowning glory. We bring you three impressions.

On that day, no-one could have anticipated everything would boil down to this one image. Not that it was entirely impossible to imagine beforehand that German attacker Mario Goetze would come on as a substitute in the World Cup Final on 13 July 2014 at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro and accept an assist from fellow

sub Andre Schurrle before scoring the decisive extra-time goal against the Argentinians. But there were so many other ways the Final might have ended – and the associated dreams as well.

On the day before the Final the city was jammed with vehicles bearing Argentinian licence plates; a throng of fans dressed and decorated in white and light blue stretched as far as the eye could see. They cooked up the vegetables, rice, beans and fruit they had brought with them to the Copacabana. The Albiceleste supporters shared one heartfelt desire too: their team had to emerge from the World Cup Final with one more victory. But for the hordes who spent so many days in their cars criss-crossing the country of their

greatest adversaries Brazil, it was to remain a mere dream and they drove home again, heartbroken, shortly after the match.

The German fans, in contrast, arrived by plane, including IT con-sultant Thorsten Hill from Aachen. Independently of his trip he or-ganised an online prediction game for charity, with the €1,600 raised earmarked for a day-care facility in Brazil. He arrived in Rio with a cardboard cut-out picture of the World Cup Trophy sticking out of his rucksack, a one-metre long omen.

His terminally ill father also took part in the World Cup predic-tion game but would not live to witness Germany’s triumph. Thor-sten’s family insisted he fly to Brazil for the Final despite it all.

Back home in Aachen, he wrote an email to someone he briefly encountered on his trip. “It was a one-off experience,” and: “I wish you all the very best and that your dreams come true.” Å

Perikles Monioudis

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W O R L D C U P 2 014

No country is so closely associated with foot-ball or epitomises the world’s love for the game better than Brazil. Its people cheer,

celebrate and live for A Seleção – and earnestly suffer with them too. The anticipation was im-mense ahead of the 2014 World Cup as Brazil-ians looked forward to welcoming a copa das copas, as it was dubbed before the tournament, back to their shores. The euphoria was almost boundless, and no matter where you went, there was a palpable belief that the Verde-Amarela

would lift the trophy at home – for their people. No single player represented this plan better than Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, better known simply as Neymar. The hopes of a nation rested on the slight shoulders of a 22-year-old prodigy capable of astounding dribbling and technical skill – a player who never seems to tire and gives everything to help his team succeed. Neymar withstood the pressure to make a blis-tering start to the tournament, with two goals in the Opening Match against Croatia followed

by another brace against Cameroon. Brazil qual-ified for the Round of 16, where they were taken to penalties by Chile. Again, Neymar stepped up and scored to take his side another step closer to a much longed-for sixth World Cup title.

Then came the match against Colombia. In the 86th minute, with A Seleção leading 2-1 and one foot in the semi-finals, Juan Zuniga jumped into Neymar’s back. The Barcelona star col-lapsed and was carried from the pitch crying. An entire nation held its breath. Then came the diagnosis: a fracture of the lumbar vertebra. Brazil was plunged into a state of shock as the realisation hit home that Neymar would not be playing any further part in the World Cup.

The team had to carry on, of course, and attempt to see their grand dream through to the end. The presence of their talented youngster could be felt everywhere at the semi-final. The squad wore white baseball caps emblazoned with “Força Neymar” on their journey to the stadium past roadsides packed with hundreds of thousands of fans, nearly all of them wearing number 10 shirts or masks bearing the likeness of Brazil’s four-time goalscorer. The team con-tinued to pay homage to their absent star when David Luiz held Neymar’s shirt aloft during the national anthem. It seemed as though he was everywhere and nowhere all at once as Brazil then slumped to a crushing 7-1 defeat against eventual world champions Germany. A nation's dream lay in tatters and all that remained was the question of what might have been. Å

Sarah Steiner

A NATION WEEPS

In Rio de Janeiro, it takes a good half hour to drive from the Copacabana to the Ma-racana. If the streets are congested – and

they usually are – even the most experienced taxi driver takes 45 minutes to complete the journey. Our driver managed it in 20. It was a blisteringly quick ride. Right on time, we took our seats in the very same stands where Pele was lauded in the Seventies. The sheer number of Colombian fans meant that the Maracana was bathed in yellow with the odd dash of light blue. Could Uruguay make an impact on this Round-of-16 match without the suspended Luis Suarez?

The atmosphere in the stadium on 28 June 2014 was electric, with many Brazilians also turning out to witness proceedings. Two local boys sitting in front of us teased each other, taking it in turns to whisper things in each other’s ears. “It’s a public holiday,” the fan in the neighbouring seat told us.

The first half hour of the match could best be described as average. Then, in the 28th minute, Colombian prodigy James Rodriguez chested down the ball before hammering it under the bar from 23 metres out. The stadi-um, Brazilians included, erupted with joy.

At that moment, a text message reached us from Europe that simply read: “Did you

see that?” We replied: “You bet. We’re sit-ting in the stadium.” The friend answered: “Real Madrid will sign this lad after the World Cup.” We laughed.

Three hours later, we tucked into a juicy steak at a nearby restaurant. Delirious fans

A YELLOW, BLUE AND RED PARTY

at a large table nearby drank wine and sang Colombian folk songs, while the television set in the corner played the same scene on an endless loop: chest, volley – goal! Å

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FIFA’s magazine is available in four languages every friday.

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T H E E V E N I N G ’ S A W A R D S

guests have been invited to Zurich’s Kongresshaus for tonight’s FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala. Large crowds have gathered near the red carpet to welcome the footballing world’s most prominent figures, with space for 250 fans outside the venue.

is the age Ottmar Hitzfeld turns today. During an illustrious career, the German led Switzerland to two World Cups and won the UEFA Champions league with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The qualified maths teacher is one of five coaches – along with Carlo Ancelotti, Ernst Happel, Jose Mourinho and Jupp Heynckes – to have won Europe’s most prestigious club competition with two different teams.

T H E E V E N I N G I N N U M B E R S

THE FIFA WEEKLY is published weekly by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) INTERNET www.fifa.com/theweekly PUBLISHER FIFA, FIFA-Strasse 20, PO box, CH-8044 Zurich, Phone +41-(0)43-222 7777, Fax +41-(0)43-222 7878 PRESIDENT Joseph S. Blatter SECRETARY GENERAL Jérôme Valcke DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS Walter De Gregorio CHIEF EDITOR Perikles Monioudis STAFF WRITERS Alan Schweingruber (Deputy Editor), Sarah Steiner ART DIRECTION Catharina Clajus PICTURE EDITOR Peggy Knotz, Andreas Wilhelm (Deputy) LAYOUT Richie Kroenert (Lead), Tobias Benz, Susanne Egli PROOF READER Nena Morf (Lead), Martin Beran, Kristina Rotach, Alissa Rosskopf (Press-proof Assistant) CONTRIBUTORS Ronald Dueker, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Jordi Punti, Thomas Renggli, David Winner, Roland Zorn SECRETARIAL ASSISTANCE Honey Thaljieh PRODUCTION Hans-Peter Frei PROJECT MANAGEMENT Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub TRANSLATION sportstranslations.comReproduction of photos or articles in whole or in part is only permitted with prior editorial approval and if attributed “The FIFA Weekly, © FIFA 2015”. The editor and staff are not obliged to publish unsolicited manuscripts and photos. FIFA and the FIFA logo are registered trademarks of FIFA. Made and printed in Switzerland. Any views expressed in The FIFA Weekly do not necessarily reflect those of FIFA.

66 1100 59years have passed since the first player was awarded the Ballon d’Or. Stanley Matthews beat Alfredo di Stefano to the inaugural trophy in 1956. Despite already being 41 years old at that point, the Briton continued to play football for another nine years.

FIFA Ballon d’Or FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s / Men’s Football

FIFA FIFPro

World XI

FIFA Puskás Award

FIFA Presidential Award

FIFA Fairplay Award

FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year

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