Lionel Messi Wins Ballon d'or Award

Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the Fifa Ballon d'Or trophy at a ceremony in Zurich tonight.

Messi, 23, won the prize - a combined trophy of the Fifa Player of the Year prize and Ballon d'Or, Messi beat his Barca team-mates Andres Iniesta and Xav to win the award.

"I'm surprised to win but pleased to be here with my friends," said Messi, who won the two separate awards last year.

Jose Mourinho, who won an unprecedented Treble with Inter Milan in 2010, was named the Coach of the Year.

Messi added: "To win it makes it even more special. I want to share it with all of my friends, my family, all the Barcelonistas and the Argentinians."

Sepp Blatter: England Are Bad Losers

Sepp Blatter gives his reaction to the losing bids

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has blasted England, labelling them as 'bad losers' following their failed 2018 World Cup bid, the decision sparked outrage after Fifa awarded 2018 World Cup to Russia last week.

England’s bid fell at the first hurdle after getting eliminated in the first round, only recording two votes with one coming from former FA chairman, Geoff Thompson. Russia and Qatar were last week chosen by Fifa's executive committee to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.

A BBC Panorama documentary and the Sunday Times revealed corruption within Fifa and that committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii accepted money in return for their votes.

Blatter insists he was shocked by the reaction in England, after England learned that they lost in their bid to host the 2018 World Cup and also criticised the reaction of all losing bidders.

"To be honest, I was surprised by all the English complaining after the defeat. England, of all people, the motherland of fairplay ideas," Blatter told Swiss magazine Weltwoche.

"Now some of them are showing themselves to be bad losers. You can't come afterwards and say so and so promised to vote for England.

"The results are known. The outcome came out clearly.

"I really sense in some reactions a bit of the arrogance of the western world of Christian background. Some simply can't bear it if others get a chance for a change.

"What can be wrong if we start football in regions where this sport demonstrates a potential which goes far beyond sport?"

Speaking on Corruption in Fifa’s organization, he added; "There is no systematic corruption in FIFA. That is nonsense," he said. "We are financially clean and clear."

But Blatter said FIFA could not act as if nothing had happened, adding he wanted to set up a taskforce to look into compliance issues, without giving details.

"We need to improve our image. We also need to clarify some things within FIFA," he said.

Asked if he would still be FIFA president to open the Qatar World Cup in 2022, Blatter said: "Definitely not. If God wills it, I will be invited to the opening party on crutches or in a wheelchair."

David Beckham hopes to secure World Cup bid

David Beckham hopes he can help in successfully persuading Fifa delegates to vote in favour of England's 2018 World Cup bid. Fifa's executive committee will meet this Thursday in Zurich and decide which country has won the right to stage the tournament. England face competition from Russia, Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Holland, and the decision is expected to be close

David Beckham will head to Zurich later this week, along with Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron in a final effort to secure the tournament for England. The former Three Lions captain is remains confident about England's chances of landing the World Cup and is keen to play his part in the process.

Speaking on England’s chances, he said: "Hopefully I will make a difference. There are many people, like Prince William, who have been involved and working hard for the bid and to get it to this final point.

"We are going to Fifa and a lot of delegates because we need to tell those people about why we feel it is the right thing for us to get the World Cup.

"I feel that at the end of the day it is down to what the bid team have done. England have a history and tradition (in football) and it is about the benefits that can be generated by having the World Cup in England.

"Obviously it is something that people have worked hard for and quite a long time for, and now it is up to the next few days.

"We are confident that we have put in the best bid that we can do."

Beckham expects to take part in promotional events and meet people ahead of the decision, but added: "But it is just the importance of us being there and the team being there.

"It is very important now to just stay positive and just hope for the best because really we have put the best bid in that we can do.

"The point that we have always hammered home is that we have always believed we can put on the best World Cup and that we can work as a team.

"We always believe the best about England and football but we are not over-confident.

"We believe we can host the World Cup best but we just need to let everybody know that we are ready for it. It is important for many generations of people, not just in our country but all over the world."