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The Ballon d’Or awards ceremony takes place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris this evening when football’s most prestigious prize is presented to the best footballer from the 2022/23 season. Lionel Messi, the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or, is the most decorated winner of all time with seven triumphs to his name. His heroics in helping Argentina win the World Cup mean Messi looks likely to extend his record with an eighth win but he faces competition from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland who had a record-breaking season of his own and PSG’s Kylian Mbappe after he won Ligue 1 and played a huge part in taking France to the World Cup final. The women’s award, the Ballon d’Or Féminin, will also be handed out this evening. Spain’s Aitana Bonmati is the favourite to succeed Alexia Putellas as the award winner after leading Spain to their Women’s World Cup triumph and Barcelona to the Women’s Champions League but there may be some surprises in store at the ceremony. Follow along for the latest updates from the Ballon d’Or awards in Paris with our liveblog below:

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England coach Sarina Wiegman says the Lionesses are under no illusions about what is expected of them these days, insisting England are ready to keep producing victories game after game. A stellar run over the past few years has seen the women’s national team win the European Championship and reach the Women’s World Cup final, where they lost to Spain. Now they are targeting success in the Uefa Nations League – and a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics too for Team GB – and face Belgium in their fourth Group A1 game. Wiegman says the squad are comfortable with the pressures on them, and believes they can improve on the 1-0 victory over the same opposition last week. “The expectations are very clear. Everyone expects us to win,” said Wiegman ahead of the game in Leuven. “We expect ourselves to win but we want to improve on our game. That makes the chances of winning higher. “I was happy with how we played Friday. We could have made it a little bit easier for ourselves, but how we were on the pitch, how we wanted to play out of possession and in possession, we did really well. “What we want to do in possession is be a little better in the final third. We create chances but the final pass, the final position and the execution, we want to do better. “What I really liked on Friday, there was so much energy in the team. You saw real intention. If we lost the ball, we really wanted to win it back. We had only one stage in the game [where] we dropped a little bit, then picked it up again. I want to see the same energy, intention of the whole team and the togetherness.” England are two points ahead of Belgium heading into the match and level with Netherlands, with Scotland bottom. Meanwhile, midfielder Georgia Stanway suggested the Ballon d’Or ceremony must be better planned in future to allow the top women to attend, given many are preparing for an international match on Monday night when the awards are dealt out. Regarding the upcoming match, she noted that England’s progression play was impressive, but more could be done in the final third to improve further. “The Belgium game we played the other day was a real show of who we are,” said Stanway. “We dominated possession and created a lot. But we didn’t get it over the line as many times as we wanted to. “After losing a [World Cup] final, it’s sometimes not motivating to turn up to training every day, but I think we hit the ground running. “Everybody has been firing in training. We have Fran Kirby back, which is also a real highlight. I love playing with her, so it’s important to have numbers all over the pitch.” Read More Fran Kirby felt like she’d never been away on return to England side England come out on top but it’s far from a complete performance against Belgium Mary Earps reveals difficulties with fan relationship with rise of women’s football England vs Belgium LIVE: Women’s Nations League latest updates Beth Mead ‘not close’ to England recall, Sarina Wiegman admits Fran Kirby returns to Lionesses squad as Sarina Wiegman reveals Beth Mead decision

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Former Spanish Football Association president Luis Rubiales has said he intends to appeal against his three-year ban from all football-related activity imposed by FIFA. Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation following Spain’s victory over England in the World Cup final on August 20, but Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual. World football’s governing body announced earlier on Monday that Rubiales had been banned for a breach of article 13 of the FIFA disciplinary code. Rubiales confirmed in a statement on social media he will appeal against FIFA’s punishment. He ended his lengthy post by saying: “I will go to the last resort so that justice is done and the truth shines through.” FIFA’s statement released earlier on Monday read: “The FIFA disciplinary committee has banned Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of article 13 of the FIFA disciplinary code.” FIFA said its decision was subject to a possible appeal before its appeal committee. After Rubiales’ resignation from RFEF was made public on September 10, he stated his desire to “defend my innocence” and insisted he had “faith” in the truth. The actions of the former UEFA vice-president at the World Cup final were widely condemned at the time, after he also celebrated his nation’s victory by grabbing his crotch while standing alongside Spain’s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia in the VIP box in Sydney. Rubiales did apologise for his actions in a video statement a day after, but later in August insisted he would not resign and claimed the kiss was consensual during a speech in front of Spain’s regional federations, clubs, players, coaches and referees in Madrid. All of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad subsequently indicated they would be unavailable for national team duty while Rubiales remained in post before he was banned by FIFA from all football-related activities for an initial 90-day period on August 26. Spain manager Jorge Vilda was sacked soon after on September 5 and the RFEF apologised at the time for the “enormous damage” caused by Rubiales’ actions. After Hermoso formally submitted a complaint about Rubiales to Spain’s national prosecutor’s office that same week, days later the complaint of sexual assault and an allegation of coercion was filed by the office to the high court. Former Levante defender Rubiales’ did eventually resign, but later in September refused to apologise directly to Hermoso and continued to insist it had been a “consensual” kiss. Read More Aryna Sabalenka ‘really disrespected by the WTA’ after poor organisation How Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have fared since their big-money transfers Police investigate ‘freak accident’ death of Adam Johnson in ice hockey match Jurgen Klopp impressed by Alexis Mac Allister in Liverpool’s win against Forest Sam Burgess hopes to bring ‘fresh approach’ to get Warrington back on track FIFA sends ‘support and prayers’ to Luis Diaz as search for his father continues

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Luis Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activities for three years after kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips in the aftermath of Spain’s Women’s World Cup final victory, Fifa has announced. The former president of the Spanish FA, who was forced to resign from his post in disgrace after Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual, was ruled to have breached Fifa’s disciplinary code under the section of “offensive behaviour”. Rubiales was suspended for 90 days by football’s governing body in the wake of Spain’s 1-0 victory over England, which was marred by the former president’s behaviour during the trophy presentation. Fifa has since been investigating the events that followed the Sydney final on 20 August. Rubiales also grabbed his crotch in celebration while standing alongside Spain’s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia in the VIP box and initially refused to step down or apologise for his actions, insisting that his kiss with Hermoso was “mutual”. In Fifa’s statement announcing the ban, football’s governing body said Rubiales had been notified of its decision and would have 10 days to request an appeal. Under the ban, Rubiales will not be allowed to take part in any football-related activity at national or international level until 2026. Rubiales, 46, is also facing a criminal investigation in Spain into his conduct and a Madrid judge issued a restraining order to keep him away from Hermoso, who is Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer. A former player who rose to the head of Spanish’s football federation, Rubiales had initially played down the significance of the unsolicited kiss and called his critics “idiots” in the aftermath of the World Cup final. Rubiales eventually announced his resignation as president of the Spanish FA during an interview with Piers Morgan but has still not apologised for the incident. Read More Reporter challenges Ten Hag on not starting Varane: ‘Did you actually say why?’ Major military search begins after kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s father How Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have fared since their big-money transfers

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham continued their stunning starts to life at their new clubs with multi-goal performances over the weekend. Bellingham’s brace fired Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona in El Clasico while Kane hit a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 8-0 rout of Darmstadt in the Bundesliga. Here, the PA news agency looks at the England duo’s season to date. Goals galore Kane kick-started the second-half scoring in Bayern’s wild win on Saturday, in a game which at half-time was goalless with Bayern playing with 10 men to Darmstadt’s nine. His eventual treble, completed in the 88th minute and including one from his own half, sees him one ahead of Bellingham in the scoring stakes this season but the latter’s contribution on Saturday stands out as all the more impressive. With Real trailing to Ilkay Gundogan’s early goal for Barca, Bellingham blasted a stunning 30-yard equaliser midway through the second half before popping up with a close-range volley in stoppage time to give his side the Clasico spoils and a four-point lead over their rivals in LaLiga. It is the third time this season he has scored twice in a game, following the wins over Almeria and Osasuna, giving him a goal-a-game record in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants. Kane, in the same number of matches, has 14 goals, including another hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Bochum and a brace against Augsburg. Both men scored in England’s 3-1 win over Scotland, one of three appearances this season for the national team as they sat out the friendly with Australia. That gives Bellingham 14 goals in 16 games for club and country and Kane, who added a brace against Italy, 17 in 16. Bellingham, of course, has produced those numbers from an attacking midfield position and while acclimatising to a more advanced role than he had been used to with former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham, or with England. Kane leads the line and has already benefitted from four penalties for Bayern and another against Italy. Brits abroad Kane and Bellingham are already on their way to establishing themselves among the most prolific English or British players overseas. Gary Lineker scored 20 goals in his debut LaLiga season with Barcelona, and 52 in 138 games for the club across three seasons in all competitions. Michael Owen netted 16 times in his one season at Real, where David Beckham won a league title in his fourth and final season and Steve McManaman won two Champions Leagues, scoring in the 2000 final. Wales’ record scorer Gareth Bale was another British star to ply his trade at the Bernabeu and scored over 100 goals for Real, with nine in his first 13 games – while often operating from the bench – setting up a tally of 22 in his debut season. Kevin Keegan scored 12 in his first season at Hamburg in 1977-78, a total already surpassed by Kane and Bellingham, while Wales forward Mark Hughes managed only five goals alongside Lineker at Barca and seven in a season on loan at Bayern. Mark Hateley’s most prolific seasons at AC Milan and Monaco brought 11 and 14 goals respectively. Jadon Sancho, a team-mate of Bellingham at Dortmund, took time to establish himself after moving from Manchester City’s youth academy. He did scored 13 goals in his first season as a regular starter, though eight of those came from December onwards. Tammy Abraham got 27 in his first season at Roma, albeit with nine in the unheralded Europa Conference League. Bellingham himself scored only 12 league goals in three years with Dortmund – he is only two away from that already with Real, and more than halfway to his 24 in all competitions for the German side. Read More Police investigate ‘freak accident’ death of Adam Johnson in ice hockey match Jurgen Klopp impressed by Alexis Mac Allister in Liverpool’s win against Forest Sam Burgess hopes to bring ‘fresh approach’ to get Warrington back on track FIFA sends ‘support and prayers’ to Luis Diaz as search for his father continues Manchester United ‘have got to move on’ from humbling derby experience Bukayo Saka does not fear burnout and is keen to feature in every Arsenal match

Jonny Evans says Manchester United have to move on from their derby disappointment and believes injuries have played a part in Erik ten Hag’s second season struggles. A promising first campaign under the Dutchman has been forgotten as a challenging start to this term continued with Sunday’s humbling at home to Manchester City. Erling Haaland’s brace and a late Phil Foden goal sealed City a derby victory at Old Trafford that was more one-sided than even the 3-0 scoreline suggested. Outclassed, outthought and outmanoeuvred for the most part, it was an embarrassing end to the Red Devils’ admittedly unconvincing three-match winning run in all competitions. “It’s never easy – everyone’s disappointed,” said experienced defender Evans, who was frustrated by the decision to award a first-half penalty for Rasmus Hojlund’s tug on Rodri. “You wish you could turn back the clock, but you know we’ve got to move on now. “We’re disappointed obviously. We put a lot into the second half to get back and you know 2-0, maybe the chance with Rashy (Marcus Rashford) we sort of get back in it. “But you know (it’s) probably disappointing that we didn’t create too much in the second half.” Sunday’s defeat means United have lost five of their opening 10 league games, leaving them 11 points behind leaders Tottenham and Evans believes that absentees are a mitigating factor. United boss Ten Hag has had deal with a swathe of injuries, with Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Amad Diallo ruled out of the derby. Four of those played key roles in February’s Carabao Cup triumph against Newcastle, who head to Old Trafford in the fourth round on Wednesday as the holders look to bounce back from Sunday’s City humiliation. “At this club that’s what it’s all about, you’ve got to (move on),” defender Evans, who returned to the club in the summer, told MUTV. “We’ll be preparing for the next game now and making sure preparations are ready. “I think we’ve been disrupted with a lot of injuries this season in terms of key personnel. “Probably a lot of our starting players would be, you know, they’re missing. “I think the manager’s found out difficulties having to sort of work on team, on tactics and having to change the personnel quite a lot with only two days in between games. “So that’s been difficult, hopefully we can get more players back and get a real sort of opportunity to create freshness within the playing squad.” City lost at Newcastle in the previous round, so Pep Guardiola’s side get a rare midweek off before hosting Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday. Haaland will be expected to add to this season’s 13-goal haul when the Cherries come to town, fresh from using Old Trafford taunts to fuel his brace and assist on Sunday. “The performance was incredible,” the striker told the club website. “Fantastic from every single player. Fantastic from every Manchester City player. It was fantastic. “I think we performed throughout the 90 minutes, every single minute. “We controlled the whole game. Big shoutout to everyone. I’m happy to play in this team.” Read More Bukayo Saka does not fear burnout and is keen to feature in every Arsenal match Early exit puts Champions Trophy at risk – England’s dismal World Cup defence A Premier League winner and ex-England international – Danny Drinkwater retires On this day in 2008: David Beckham heads to Milan to boost England hopes The sporting weekend in pictures Joel Embiid scores 35 points in big win for Philadelphia 76ers

Georgia Stanway says it is frustrating the Ballon d’Or ceremony taking place on the eve of a round of women’s international games was not “planned a little bit better”. The England and Bayern Munich midfielder is among the nominees but will not be at Monday evening’s ceremony in Paris as she prepares for the Lionesses’ match against Belgium in Leuven, part of a busy schedule of Nations League fixtures on Tuesday. Stanway, whose international team-mates Mary Earps, Millie Bright and Rachel Daly have also been shortlisted, told a press conference regarding her nomination: “It’s very cool, and nice to get the accolade as well as a lot of the team-mates in the Lionesses. “There’s a few people I would also add to the list who have had very, very successful years. It’s a real achievement to be amongst those names. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t be there. That’s something we spoke as a player group (about), and we just kind of said it would be nice in the future if it wasn’t on a matchday minus one, so that we could enjoy the experience. “It is (frustrating), because it’s potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You never know if you’re ever going to get selected for such an accolade like that again, so it would be really nice to enjoy the experience and be there and feel like a star amongst the stars. It would be nice in the future if it wasn’t on a matchday minus one, so that we could enjoy the experience. Georgia Stanway “If it was planned a little bit better, then maybe it would be easier for a lot of female footballers to be there.” Asked for her thoughts on the matter, and on there only being one female Ballon d’Or category, England boss Sarina Wiegman added: “You hope that develops too. “We talk about the planning now. Everyone is working so hard and of course we have to do a job, that’s what we’re here for. “So you can’t attend that, and it would be really nice if things like that are organised so that players have the opportunity to join too.” Read More Bukayo Saka does not fear burnout and is keen to feature in every Arsenal match Early exit puts Champions Trophy at risk – England’s dismal World Cup defence A Premier League winner and ex-England international – Danny Drinkwater retires

FIFA has banned former Spanish Football Association president Luis Rubiales from all football-related activity for three years. Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation following Spain’s victory over England in the World Cup final on August 20, but Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual. While Rubiales initially attempted to carry on in his role, he subsequently resigned last month and has now been punished for a breach of article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code,” a statement read. “This case relates to the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on 20 August 2023, for which Mr Rubiales had been provisionally suspended for an initial period of 90 days. “Mr Rubiales has been notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. “In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, he has 10 days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The decision remains subject to a possible appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee. “FIFA reiterates its absolute commitment to respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld.”

With another gameweek in the bag, Fantasy Premier League managers are recovering from a weekend of either frustration or elation after some predictable results, plenty of goals and even a win for Everton. This week is another opportunity to reset, make some tweaks to your team or finally play your wildcard to ring in a number of wholesale changes while in-form players are still, relatively, cheap. As the Premier League enters its 11th week, here are five players we think could impress, though managers need to decide whether using a transfer earlier in the week is a gamble worth taking, or if waiting until the midweek Carabao Cup action is finished will aid their efforts to bring success in the upcoming gameweek. Erling Haaland - Manchester City, forward (14m) A blistering strike against Brighton in gameweek 9 seems to have kick-started Erling Haaland’s season as he followed it up with a star performance in the Manchester derby, scoring two goals and setting up a third for Phil Foden. A 24-point return from his last two matches raises the eyebrows and he will be keen to extend his tally against Bournemouth this week. Potentially tricky encounters against Chelsea and Liverpool are on the horizon and his extorionate price may turn off some managers looking for a more balanced side but he could be worth a one week blast to rack up some points against the 17th placed Cherries. Eddie Nketiah - Arsenal, forward (5.5m) If you’re weak in the forward line or just fancy switching things up, Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah could be the way to go. He’s not a guarantee of points, especially with the Gunners facing Newcastle on Saturday, but with Gabriel Jesus injured he’s highly likely to start. A hat-trick against Sheffield United this weekend proves his quality with the England forward also having a unique quirk of scoring in big games. At just £5.5m too, he’s definitely one to take a risk on for a few weeks with Arsenal also facing Burnley and Brentford in November. Bryan Mbeumo - Brentford, midfielder (6.6m) This pick is all about striking whilst the iron is hot and could back fire immediately so you have been warned. The Brentford midfielder has blanked on half of the gameweeks this season but his two most recent outings have seen him be a consistent scorer with 14 and 13 points earned against Burnley and Chelsea respectively. Has he got one more week of high scoring in him? Perhaps. The Bees are playing West Ham who come into the game on the back of three league matches without a win. A 1-0 loss to Everton at the weekend leaves David Moyes’ side vulnerable and Mbeumo’s form could see him punish the Hammers. Afterwards Brentford take on Liverpool and Arsenal which could be a step too far for even Mbeumo despite his recent purple patch. Bringing him in would be a risky gamble yet could pay off in the short term. Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool, defender (6.1m) We now enter the realm of expensive defenders and there is only one real pick to go for if you’re looking for stability. Liverpool’s captain has played every minute of the Reds’ previous five league games, keeping clean sheets in his last two outings. When it comes to goals conceded only Man City and Arsenal better Liverpool’s nine and with matches against Luton and Brentford next in the fixture list Van Dijk seems the easiest choice to guarantee some added points from the back line. Marc Guehi - Crystal Palace, defender (4.5m) The cheaper defensive option though comes in Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi. A poor October for the Eagles means the defender is only £4.5m to buy yet his selection could pay off handsomely as Palace take on Burnley, Everton and Luton in November. Roy Hodgson will see all these matches as winnable and Palace have been quite good in defending against teams near to them in the table. Guehi will play in every match, if he doesn’t get injured, so is he worth a punt for three potential cleansheets? Absolutely. Read More FPL GW10: Phil Foden, Kieran Trippier and five players to consider for transfers FPL GW9: Watkins, Gordon and five players to consider for transfers A Premier League winner and ex-England international – Danny Drinkwater retires A Premier League winner and ex-England international – Danny Drinkwater retires Erik Ten Hag’s deluded message leaves Man Utd with a brutal reality How Pep Guardiola turned Old Trafford into Man City’s playground