The winner of France Football s 2017 Ballon d Or is set to be announced on Thursday, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi the two frontrunners to be crowned the world s best player yet again.

Kaka was the last player to beat either of them to first place in 2007, with every single one taken home by the Real Madrid and Barcelona stars since.

Ronaldo, the current holder, is thought to be the favourite once again and, should he win, he will go level on five with Messi as the player with the most Ballons d Or.

The pair have enjoyed an immense rivalry over the years which has arguably helped to drive them both on to become the incredible performers that they are.

in 2009, Leo Messi then only 22 won the Ballon d Or award for the first time.

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As we all know this World Cup is the first ever held in the continent of Africa. The South African supporters and people have been amazing.

Unfortunately for the people of South Africa their team has exited the competition, despite beating France 2-1 in their final group game.

Spirited

The South African team showed a lot of heart and passion but in the end went out the tournament on goal difference. The South African’s became the first host nation not to make it into the last 16. Bafana Bafana wasn’t the only African side to go out the competition early either.

Strugglers

In fact most of the continents teams are heading home early. The likes of Ivory Coast and Nigeria have players playing in the top flights of the best European leagues. Yet t…

Adrien Rabiot says France must stay united if they are to avoid the failures that saw them crash out of Euro 2020 at the round-of-16 stage.

France went into that tournament as world champions and advanced as group winners from a tricky pool that included both Germany and Portugal.

But their campaign was derailed in stunning fashion, as Switzerland scored two late goals to force extra-time from 3-1 down.

Kylian Mbappe then missed the crucial penalty in the shootout, as France were knocked out amid rumours of dressing room discontent.

Rabiot s family were reportedly involved in dissension too, with his mother allegedly clashing with the relatives of Paul Pogba and Mbappe after the Switzerland defeat.

Their disappointing tournament sparked memories o…

A September matchup with potential playoff implications is among the late games on the NFL betting board in Week 3, as the 1-1 Seattle Seahawks travel to face the Minnesota Vikings.

Despite a second half collapse at home in Week 2, Seattle will head to Minnesota as slight 2-point favorites against a Vikings team feeling hard done by at 0-2. 

How will the latest installment in this simmering NFC rivalry play out? Keep reading for our free Seahawks vs. Vikings picks and predictions, with kickoff on September 26.

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The Tennessee Titans not only begin their road to the Super Bowl in the AFC Divisional Round but are out to prove they’re a worthy No. 1 seed when they host the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.

The NFL betting odds have Tennessee as a 3.5-point favorite, with that spread bolstered by the expected return of Titans RB Derrick Henry. The Bengals, who topped the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card Round, could be missing some key bodies on the defensive line – bad timing for this run-in with run-heavy Tennessee.

Here are our free NFL betting picks and predictions for Bengals at Titans on January 22.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be hosting the final game of Wild Card Weekend at Raymond James Stadium this Monday night, but the Dallas Cowboys boast the better record, and are deserving favorites on the road.

Part of the reason why the Cowboys went 12-5 in the regular season was another productive year from Ezekiel Elliott. I’m bullish on a trio of his NFL props in this spot, and feeling particularly good about one of those three wagers, which I’ll single out as my Best Bet.

Without further ado, here are my Ezekiel Elliott player prop picks for Monday night.

Also, be sure to check out Jason Logan’s full Cowboys vs. Buccaneers betting preview, as well as our best Monday Night Football prop picks. 

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We’re heading into the one-third mark of the NFL season, meaning we’re starting to get a reasonable sample of data about who (and what) every team is truly made of, what we can reasonably expect from players, and how to zone in on NFL player props.

Then, well, injuries happen — and everything you think you know about the NFL odds gets blown into Narnia so it’s back to the drawing board.

We’re not quite at that spot as we look through the Week 6 odds, but I’ve got nearly a full fantasy lineup of NFL picks this week!

Read on to see how I’m betting a quarterback who finally has his favorite target back, two running backs getting injury-related boosts, a wide receiver who does better with a backup QB, a tight en…

It’s Week 18 and that might scare some bettors away from the NFL odds, but there are some massive TD prices out there for players who might get more run this weekend with teams resting plenty of key starters.

For the regular-season finale of NFL player props, I’m backing a second-string QB in poor passing conditions, getting a piece of the Giants’ passing attack vs. the generous Eagles, and betting on more routes from an emerging rookie indoors. 

Here are my three best NFL picks for anytime touchdowns in Week 18. For more great NFL prop picks, check out Jared Hochman’s NFL Week 18 player props column.

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Sam Darnold surprised everyone with a passing masterclass in Week 1 and will now take on his former team in the Minnesota Vikings’ home opener. Can he keep the ball rolling or will the San Francisco 49ers’ much more stout defense spoil his hot start?

We break down the matchup in our 49ers vs. Vikings predictions and free NFL picks below. 

49ers vs Vikings prediction

My best betAaron Jones Over 2.5 receptions (-135 at BetMGM)

My analysisAaron Jones started the second chapter of his career with a strong showing last week, tallying 109 total yards and a touchdown en route to the Minnesota Vikings’ 28-6 win last week. This week, he hopes to put up another strong performance against a team that bounced him from the playoffs three …

The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi has called on the Premier League to stop the acquisition of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia, saying that completion of the deal would tarnish English football and make it complicit in the “cover-up” of the journalist’s murder by the kingdom.

In a letter sent by her solicitors, Hatice Cengiz also challenged whether the £300m takeover of a majority stake in Newcastle by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was compatible with the Premier League’s charter. The charter prohibits a club from being controlled by an individual who has engaged in conduct that would be “an offence” if it had occurred in the UK.

Cengiz’s…