Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was awarded with his second ESM Golden shoe for scoring the most goals in Europe – with a record total.

Messi scored an incredible 50 league goals during the 2011-12 season to finish four goals ahead of his closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid winger scored six more goals than when winning the award last season but could not rival the prolific Argentinian.

This is the second Golden Shoe award picked up by Messi who also claimed the accolade in the 2009-10 season with 34 goals.

His record haul came from 37 La Liga appearances and included six hat-tricks and two four-goal games.

It was a good season for strikers with Robin van Persie, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney also recording their highest-ever tallies for a league campaign.

ESM Golden Shoe standings
1. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) 50 x 2 = 100
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF) 46 x 2 = 92
3. Robin van Persie (Arsenal FC) 30 x 2 = 60
4. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (FC Schalke 04) 29 x 2 = 58
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan) 28 x 2 = 56
6. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United FC) 27 x 2 = 54
7. Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München) 26 x 2 = 52
8. Bas Dost (sc Heerenveen) 32 x 1.5 = 48
8= Falcao (Club Atlético de Madrid) 24 x 2 = 48
8= Diego Milito (FC Internazionale Milano) 24 x 2 = 48
8= Burak Yilmaz (Trabzonspor A?) 32 x 1.5 = 48

Rules
Only the leading five countries – Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England – in the UEFA rankings have two as their multiplier. This is to emphasise the difference in (international) performance level between clubs from those countries and those of other nations.

A player cannot play first in a summer league (e.g. Norway) and then in a winter league (e.g. Spain) and combine the points totals for each season.

Source: Mirror

But Real Madrid’s superstar striker found himself the butt of a German joke when his fancy footwear was nicked in Munich this week.

The Portuguese complained that three pairs of his precious boots were part of a haul thieves made off with from Real’s dressing room before kick-off in their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

And now a local disc jockey has sent the former Manchester United player a pair of Bavarian brogues – as worn by traditional southern German dancers in the national costume.

Stephan Lehmann, a presenter on radio station Bayern 1 and also the Bayern Munich stadium announcer, appealed to his listeners for a pair of brogues to send to Ronaldo and some were donated by a shoemaker.

“We need Bavarian brogues, size 43, for the most expensive footballer in the world,” Lehmann said. The package also included a personal note to Ronaldo, telling him he would look “really snazzy” in the new footwear.

It read: “Dear Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Hospitable people live here in Bavaria. We may steal maypoles, but not shoes. We therefore wanted to replace what you lost.

“Here are a pair of genuine Bavarian brogues for you. With them you won’t be able to score any goals, but you will look really snazzy.

“Kind regards, Stephan Lehmann and the Bayern 1 team.”

Munich police are looking into the incident after Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Karim Benzema complained they had ­belongings nicked from their changing room.

Jose Mourinho’s side lost the game 2-1. The second leg will take place in the Spanish capital on Wednesday when Bayern may well hope Ronaldo plays in his new shoes.

Source: Mirror

Hat-tricks: Ronaldo –  7     Messi – 6

Goals (Games):  Ronaldo – 40 (32)   Messi – 39 (31)

Assists: Ronaldo - 11    Messi – 14

Average shots/game: Ronaldo – 6.9   Messi – 5.5

Pass % completion: Ronaldo – 80.9%  Messi – 84.1%

Key Passes/game:  Ronaldo – 1.6   Messi – 2.6

Successful dribbles/game: Ronaldo – 1.8  Messi – 4.8

Average dispossessed/game: Ronaldo – 1.9  Messi – 2.7

Average passes/game: Ronaldo  - 37.6   Messi – 64.9

Accurate through balls/game: Ronaldo - 0.5 Messi – 1.5

% of team’s goals scored: Ronaldo 41.6  Messi  - 36.6

Penalties scored: Ronaldo – 11 Messi –  5

Champions League

Goals: Ronaldo –  8  Messi – 14

Assists: Ronaldo - 2 Messi – 4

MOM awards: Ronaldo - 3    Messi – 8

Shots per Game: Ronaldo - 7.4   Messi – 7.1

Attempts on target: Ronaldo - 24   Messi – 34

Dribbles per match: Ronaldo - 2.9   Messi – 3.9

Accurate long balls/game: Ronaldo - 0.8  Messi – 1.7

Accurate through balls/game: Ronaldo - 0.4  Messi – 1.4

Fouls against: Ronaldo - 14 Messi  - 23

Other Competitions/International

Goals in all competitions: Ronaldo -   52   Messi – 61Hat-tricks:  Ronaldo –   7     Messi –  8

International goals (games) Ronaldo -   6(7)     Messi -  5(7)

So who is the best player?

Danny Campbell, 18, said ’I thought I was going to die’ when the accident involving the Manchester City star happened.

Mr Campbell was pulled from his wrecked Vauxhall Corsa injured while Balotelli walked away unhurt.

But Mr Campbell, who was treated in hospital for concussion and whiplash, said the Italian striker, 21, did not bother to check if he was OK.

According to some reports, Balotelli was said to be ‘shook up’ but was unhurt and apparently joked with onlookers.

Mr Campbell, a Manchester United fan, told The Sun: ‘If the impact had been closer to the driver’s door, it would have killed me.

‘It spun my car around 360 degrees and I was in total shock.’

The smash happened on Thursday after Mr Campbell, who has been driving for six months, dropped his father Sam off near Deansgate Locks in Manchester city centre.

He believes his £1,700 car is a write-off after it suffered severe damage to the front offside. Balotelli’s £120,000 Bentley was also damaged by the impact.

The Italian striker stopped further up the road after the accident but it is claimed that he did not get out of his car.

Mr Campbell was taken to Tameside General Hospital on Thursday night after he began feeling sick.

Greater Manchester Police said their inquiries were ongoing. Manchester City were unavailable for comment.

Manchester City confirmed the 21-year-old was involved in a prang with another vehicle close to Deansgate Locks in Manchester City Centre.

City stated said that Balotelli was not at fault and was unharmed along with the driver of the other car.

Balotelli’s career in England has been blighted by a series of off-field antics with his club becoming increasingly concerned at his behaviour.

Earlier on Thursday he revealed a weight has been lifted from his shoulders following revelations that he had a fling with a prostitute linked to Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

Balotelli admitted that his knowledge of the story had been a heavy burden.

Balotelli’s agent, Mino Raiola, pre-empted embarrassing headlines by revealing details of a ‘brief involvement’ with Jennifer Thompson, who claimed in 2010 that Rooney had paid her £1,200-a-night for sex while his wife Coleen was five months pregnant.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, he added: ‘I know I must still learn to keep my private life separate from my profession. It’s not easy, but I have taken this step to free me from the weight of this story.

‘Recently, I admit, I have been troubled – because of this story, but not only. My natural parents in some interviews have been disrespectful to my family.

‘Now that this weight has been lifted, I am certain that I will find the positive energy to make the best run for the title with Manchester City, and prepare in the best way for the European Championship.

‘Now that this weight has been lifted, I am certain that I will find the positive energy to make the best run for the title with Manchester City, and prepare in the best way for the European Championship.’

Source: DailyMail

The following is taken from the Telegraph, which I just had to share now that we’re approaching the end of a long EPL season.

Newcastle United: 1995-1996
Lead: 12 pts.
Final position: 2nd.

1) Neymar, (20, Santos) €30-55m

2) Mario Gotze (19, Borussia Dortmund) €30-45m

3) Mario Balotelli (21, Manchester City) €30-40m

4) Eden Hazard (21, Lille) €27-35m

5) Jack Wilshere (20, Arsenal) €22-30m

6) Thiago Alcentara (20, Barcelona) €20-30m

7) Yann M’Vila (21, Rennes) €20-25m

8) Phil Jones (20, Manchester United) €18-25m

9) David de Gea (21, Manchester United) €16-20m

10) Alan Dzagoev (21, CSKA Moscow) €16-20m

11) Jack Rodwell (20, Everton) €16-20m

12) Iker Munain (20, Athletic Bilbao) €15-22m

13) Romelu Lukaku (18, Chelsea) €15-20m

14) Jordan Henderson (21, Liverpool) €15-18m

15) Andrew Schurrle (21, Bayer Leverkusen) €14-18m

16) Bojan Kirkic (21, Roma) €13.5-18m

17) James Rodriguez (20, FC Porto) €13-20m

18) Erik Lamela (19, Roma) €13-20m

19) Christian Eriksen (20, Ajax) €13-20m

20) Danny Welbeck (21, Manchester United) €13-18m

21) Kyle Walker (21, Tottenham) €13-18m

22) Xherdan Shaqiri (20, FC Basel) €12.5-18m

23) Douglas Costa (21, Shakhtar Donetsk) €12-16m

24) Wojciech Szczesny (21, Arsenal) €12-15m

25) Aaron Ramsey (21, Arsenal) €11-16m

26) Miralem Pjanic (21, Roma) €10.5-16m

27) Danilo (20, FC Porto) €10-18m

28) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (18, Arsenal) €10-20m

29) Gaston Ramirez (21, Bologna) €19-15m

30) Lucas (19, Sao Paulo) €10-17m

A young football fanatic will never forget his first-ever Manchester United match – a wayward shot from Wayne Rooney broke his wrist.

Nine-year-old Jamie Thomas was in the stands at Molineux last Sunday when he tried to block Rooney’s splitting strike during the warm-up before United’s 5-0 Barclays Premier League win.

He was sat in the front row of the Jack Harris Stand with his Dad but missed most of the match as he was attended to by first aiders before being taken to hospital.

It is understood Rooney is not aware of the incident but young Shropshire lad Jamie now has his hand in plaster for the next month.

‘The players were warming up and Rooney and Hernandez were taking a few shots. Rooney missed one and it was coming straight towards Jamie so he put out his hands to stop it hitting him and it broke his wrist,’ Jamie’s father Andy told the Shropshire Star.

‘At first we thought it was just bruising but Jamie wasn’t enjoying the game so we went to first aid. We ended up missing most of the second half.

‘It was his first Man Utd game and we were in the Wolves end because somebody got us tickets.

‘They wanted us to go to Wolverhampton hospital but we were catching the train so we went to Shrewsbury instead.

‘They said it was a clean break and he has to go back in a couple of weeks.’

The saga has not put the youngster off from going to more games, however, and his Dad believes Rooney would have apologised immediately had he have known about it.

‘It shook him up a bit but he’s fine about it now and I don’t think it’s put him off going to other games,’ he added.

‘I don’t think Rooney realised what he had done otherwise I am sure he would have come over.’

Source: DailyMail

The three-time World Player of the Year topped the latest rich list after pocketing £27.4million from wages, bonuses, sponsorships and endorsements.

The Barcelona star topped his £13m annual salary from the Spanish giants with sponsorship deals from the likes of adidas and Pepsi.

Messi pipped former England captain David Beckham to the top spot in the survey by France Football magazine.

Becks, 36, collected £26m and maintained his high profile despite plying his trade in America with LA Galaxy.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for third and £24m despite leading the scoring charts in La Liga with 32 goals in 26 games this season.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was the Premier League’s top earner with £17m.

The Manchester United striker picks up £8m a season from his latest five-year contract and, although he ran into trouble with Coca-Cola last year following off-the-field problems, commercial interest in the England star remains strong.

Jose Mourinho was the top-paid coach with £12.3m with Real Madrid.Paris St Germain boss Carlo Ancelotti came second (£11m) with Barca’s Pep Guardiola (£7.88m) third.

The List:

£27.5m
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 

£26.2m
David Beckham (LA Galaxy) 

£24.3m
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 

£19.4m
Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi) 

£17.2m
Wayne Rooney (Man United) 

£15.7m
Sergio Aguero (Man City) 

£14.7m
Yaya Toure (Man City) 

£13.9m
Fernando Torres (Chelsea) 

£12.9m
Kaka (Real Madrid) 

£11.9m
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) 

Source: DailyMail

Barcelona

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Star man: Lionel Messi

Best result: Four-time winners (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011)

Form so far: Devastating. Their record of five wins and a draw in the group stage was impressive anyway but that was before the 10-2 aggregate demolition of Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.

The Spanish champions are close to averaging nearly four goals-a-game while they have conceded only six in the tournament all season.

Danger rating – 5/5: Hot favourites to become the first team to retain the trophy in the Champions League era.

Only AC Milan have been able to compete with them so far and that was only for about 45 minutes. They are the side that no one wants to draw but someone has to beat them eventually.

Chelsea

Manager: Roberto Di Matteo

Star man: Didier Drogba

Best result: Finalists (2008)

Form so far: It has not been vintage Chelsea in Europe this year. Only a win against Valencia on the last day of the group stage booked a last 16 place.

In the knock-out rounds they again looked on the brink of an exit against Napoli before a change of manager lifted spirits and secured the only quarter-final berth for a Premier League side.

Danger rating – 4/5: The old guard of Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba have been criticised many times this season but their experience has been priceless at this level.

The defence looks shaky but the ever-reliable spine to the team means they are still a threat, especially at Stamford Bridge where they have scored 14 goals in four games.

Bayern Munich

Manager: Jupp Heynckes

Star man: Mario Gomez

Best result: Four-time winners (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001)

Form so far: Are you watching Manchester United? The German side did what Sir Alex Ferguson’s men couldn’t do and that was defeat Basle to send them packing in the last 16.

They made it look like a cakewalk too as their 7-0 victory at the Allianz Arena set the new record winning margin in a Champions League knock-out match.

Danger rating – 4/5: As Manchester City found out in the group stage this is not a side to be messed with.

It is one of the strongest the Bundesliga outfit have produced in recent years.

The key will be stopping striker Mario Gomez who has netted 10 times in seven games.

Real Madrid

Manager: Jose Mourinho

Star man: Cristiano Ronaldo

Best result: Nine-time winners (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002)

Form so far: Conceding a late equaliser at CSKA Moscow in the last 16 has been their only slip-up in the entire tournament.

But even that was forgotten after a 4-1 win in the return leg at the Bernabeu and the competition’s record winners look more dangerous than ever under Mourinho.

Danger rating – 5/5: Barcelona are the bar in world football but Madrid are 10 points clear of them in La Liga and won every game in the Champions League group stage.

While no one will go as far as suggesting Barcelona’s dominance is coming to an end, it does show just how strong Madrid are this season.

AC Milan

Manager: Massimiliano Allegri

Star man: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Best result: Seven-time winners (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007)

Form so far: In the Champions League they have been the Italian version of Chelsea – great going forward but a disaster at the back.

They were nearly victims of a shock comeback (even by their standards) after losing 3-0 at Arsenal in the last 16, but they just managed to edge through 4-3 on aggregate.

Danger rating – 3/5: The last time Milan reached the quarter-finals they won the tournament but it would be a shock if they were to lift the trophy for an eighth time.

The Serie A leaders are a good side but the ease in which Arsenal clawed back three first-half goals at the Emirates Stadium will only act to inspire other teams.

Benfica

Manager: Jorge Jesus

Star man: Nicolas Gaitan

Best result: Two-time winners (1961, 1962)

Form so far: The Portuguese side have been involved since the third qualifying round back in July and have only lost one game.

But they made amends for the 3-2 defeat at Zenit in the last 16 by winning the second leg 2-0 at the Estadio da Luz to book their first quarter-final spot for six years.

Danger rating 3/5: Manchester United know about the threat they pose after being held to draws home and away in the group stage.

There is a strong team ethic and there is star quality too. Gaitan has been lethal in creating opportunities for likes of Oscar Cardozo this term.

Marseille

Manager: Didier Deschamps

Star man: Loic Remy

Best result: Winners (1993)

Form so far: Procrastination has been a staple of their campaign. Two goals in the last five minutes at Borussia Dortmund just about saw them into the last 16 and it did not stop there.

Injury time strikes home and away sealed a 2-2 aggregate draw at Inter Milan where they progressed on away goals.

Danger rating – 2/5: Absolutely none…up until around 85 minutes.

Deschamps’ team have often played a cautious defensive game and only turn up the heat in the latter stages.

Fine against naive teams but better sides like Barcelona could be well out of sight before then.

APOEL

Manager: Ivan Jovanovic

Star man: Nuno Morais

Best result: Quarter-finalists (2012)

Form so far: Amazing. When they took to the field in a second round qualifying match at Skenderbeu, nobody could have predicted they would be eliminating Lyon in the last 16 eight months later.

It may have been on penalties but the Cypriots topped their group previously – so they can play.

Danger rating – 1/5: Such is the shock they are still involved, APOEL would have snatched at a quarter-final place in the Europa League if you had offered them that at the start of the season.

They are the team everyone wants to face but the pressure is off the minnows.

Who was in charge: Claudio Ranieri

Big players bought: Damien Duff (Blackburn, £17m), Hernan Crespo (Inter Milan, £16.8m), Claude Makelele (Real Madrid, £16.6m), Adrian Mutu (Parma, £15.8m), Juan Veron (Manchester United £15m), Scott Parker (Charlton, £10m), Wayne Bridge (Southampton, £7m), Geremi (Real Madrid, £7m), Joe Cole (West Ham £6.6m), Glen Johnson (West Ham, £6m), Alexei Smertin  (Bordeaux, £3.5m).

What went on: Ranieri was already under pressure before a ball had been kicked but armed with a blank cheque book, the Italian came so close to instant success.

However, an agonising Champions League semi-final exit to Monaco and double defeats against Arsenal in the league ensured the Blues ended the season potless and Ranieri was soon dismissed.

Premier League finish: Runners-up

Trophies: None

2004/05

Who was in charge: Jose Mourinho

Big players bought in: Didier Drogba (Marseille, £24m), Ricardo Carvalho (Porto, £19.9m) Paulo Ferreira (Porto, £13.2m), Arjen Robben (PSV, £12m), Tiago (Benfica, £8m), Petr Cech (Rennes, £7m), Mateja Kezman (PSV, £5m).

What went on: Losing just one game, Chelsea won the league title by a gigantic 12 points and defeated Liverpool after extra time to claim the Carling Cup. The Reds got revenge though by eliminating the Special One’s men in a controversial Champions League semi-final.

Premier League finish: Champions

Trophies: Premier League, Carling Cup

2005/06

Who was in charge: Jose Mourinho

Big players bought in: Michael Essien (Lyon, £24.4m), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City, £21m), Asier Del Horno (Athletic Bilbao, £8m), Lassana Diarra (Le Havre, £1m).

What went on: The Blues retained the Premier League title comfortably by eight points but missed out on the double when Liverpool again defeated them in an FA Cup semi-final. A last 16 Champions League exit to Barcelona and a third round Carling Cup defeat to Charlton ensured no other trophies came close to arriving at Stamford Bridge.

Premier League finish: Champions

Trophies: Premier League

2006/07

Who was in charge: Jose Mourinho

Big players bought in: Andrei Shevchenko (AC Milan £30m), Salomon Kalou (Feyenoord, £8m), Khalid Boulahrouz (Hamburg £7m), Ashley Cole (Arsenal, £5m plus William Gallas) John Mikel Obi (Lyn Oslo, undisclosed), Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich, free).

What went on: Too many draws denied Chelsea a third straight title as they finished six points behind Manchester United. But defeating United in the FA Cup and Arsenal in the Carling Cup secured a domestic cup double. Liverpool again dashed Chelsea’s hopes in the Champions League semi-finals by knocking them out on penalties.

Premier League finish: Runners-up

Trophies: FA Cup, Carling Cup

2007/08

Who was in charge: Jose Mourinho (Aug-Sep)/Avram Grant (Sep-May)

Big players bought in: Nicolas Anelka (Bolton, £15m), Florent Malouda (Lyon, £13.5m), Branislav Ivanovic (Lokomotiv Moscow, £9m), Juliano Belletti (Barcelona, undisclosed), Alex (PSV, undisclosed).

What went on: After Mourinho’s shock departure, Grant came in and was a John Terry slip away from winning the Champions League against Manchester United on penalties.

United again denied them on the last day of the season to lift the Premier League title while Tottenham’s extra-time heroics in the Carling Cup final left Chelsea without a single trophy instead of three. Grant paid for it with his job.

Premier League finish: Runners-up

Trophies: None

2008/09

Who was in charge: Luiz Felipe Scolari (Aug-Feb) Guus Hiddink (Feb-May, as caretaker)

Big players bought in: Jose Bosingwa (Porto, £16.2m), Deco (Barcelona, £8m)

What went on: A huge decline in form during winter saw Chelsea fall out of the title race resulting in Scolari’s exit. Hiddink came in and lost just one game during his tenure, which ended in FA Cup success.

There was more Champions League semi-final heartache though as Barcelona defeated them on away goals in controversial circumstances.

Premier League finish: Third

Trophies: FA Cup

2009/10

Who was in charge: Carlo Ancelotti

Big players bought in: Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow, £18m), Daniel Sturridge (Manchester City, £3.5m).

What went on: Ancelotti was appointed based on his impressive Champions League record but it was domestically the Italian would shine by securing the club’s first league and FA Cup double. But the Champions League expert flopped in Europe, losing home and away against Mourinho’s Inter Milan to bow out in the last 16.

Premier League finish: Champions

Trophies: Premier League, FA Cup

2010/11

Who was in charge: Carlo Ancelotti

Big players bought in: Fernando Torres (Liverpool, £50m), David Luiz (Benfica, £21m), Ramires (Benfica, £19.8m), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, £5m).

What went on: A spectacular mid-season collapse that brought just two wins from 11 games effectively conceded the title to Manchester United. Another double defeat in the Champions League, this time by United, ended the Blues hopes in the quarter-finals. Ancelotti was sacked minutes after losing at Everton on the final day of the season.

Premier League finish: Runners-up

Trophies: None

2011/12

Who was in charge: Andre Villas-Boas (Aug-Mar)

Big players bought in: Juan Mata (Valencia £23.5m), Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht, £18m), Raul Meireles (Liverpool, £12m), Oriol Romeu (Barcelona, £5m).

What went on: With the worst points total under Abramovich after 27 games, Villas-Boas lasted little longer than Scolari before being given the boot. The league title is 20 points out of reach for Chelsea while their Champions League hopes dangle by a thread after losing 3-1 at Napoli in the last 16.

Premier League finish: Fifth (after 27 games)

Trophies: None (Still competing in FA Cup and Champions League)

Source: DailyMail