Sports
FULL LIST: Messi, Haaland And Bonmati Lead Ballon d’Or Nominees

Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are among the leading contenders to win this year’s men’s Ballon d’Or, while Spain World Cup star Aitana Bonmati leads the nominees announced on Wednesday for the women’s prize.
Messi, who recently left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami, is in with a chance of succeeding Karim Benzema and winning the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his remarkable career after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year.
Haaland may be his main rival for the prize after scoring 52 goals in 53 games to help Manchester City win the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season.
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The Norway striker last week won the UEFA player of the year award for last season.
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Haaland’s City teammate Kevin De Bruyne also feature among the 30 nominees for the prize, the winner of which will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on October 30.
Benzema, who ended a 14-year spell at Real Madrid in June when he moved to Saudi club Al-Ittihad, is also nominated.
Bonmati, winner of the UEFA women’s player award, appears the favourite to claim the Ballon d’Or after being the outstanding player as Spain lifted the World Cup in Sydney last month.
She also starred as Barcelona won the Champions League and will hope to succeed her club and international colleague Alexia Putellas, winner in the last two years.
READ ALSO: Ballon d’Or 2023: When Nominees Will Be Announced, Ceremony Date, Favourites To Win
Putellas is not nominated this time having hardly played for Barcelona last season after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate knee ligament in July 2022 which kept her out for nine months.
Bonmati is one of four members of Spain’s World Cup-winning team nominated, along with Olga Carmona, Salma Paralluelo and Alba Redondo.
Their compatriots Patricia Guijarro and Mapi Leon are also named.
Both of Barcelona, they did not go to the World Cup after being among a group of 15 players who said last year they no longer wanted to play for Spain in a protest against the Spanish federation and coach Jorge Vilda.
Others included in the 30 nominees are Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr and England goalkeeper Mary Earps.
AFP
Sports
EPL: Mikel Obi Reveals Why Chelsea Failed To Beat Arsenal in 1-1 Draw

Former Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has claimed Chelsea failed to defeat Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, because of an early red card to Moises Caicedo.
The two London rivals played out a pulsating 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute following a VAR check.
READ ALSO:EPL: Why Arsenal Could Win The Title This Season – Guardiola
But it was Chelsea who took the lead after the break, thanks to Trevor Chalobah’s header.
But the Gunners equalized through Mikel Merino.
So far this season, Chelsea have received seven red cards in 20 games across all competitions this season.
READ ALSO:EPL: Alan Smith Names Only Two Clubs To Compete For Title
“That’s four red cards this season; it’s not good enough. I’ve spoken about it; the manager needs to talk with the players, because it’s costing us games as well,” Mikel Obi said on his podcast.
“If you look at that game, if we finished with eleven men, I think we could’ve won. Maybe not easily, but comfortably, we could’ve secured a win.”
Sports
EPL: Slot Reveals When Salah Will Leave For AFCON

Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, has revealed that Mohamed Salah was “not happy” to be dropped for their 2-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.
Salah was named on the bench at the London Stadium for the Premier League fixture.
Slot took the bold decision, as he looked to arrest a poor run of form, that saw the Reds lose nine of 12 matches.
READ ALSO:EPL: Berbatov Names Team That Can ‘Surprise’ Arsenal In Title Race
Salah was not summoned from the bench for the entire 90 minutes, as goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo sealed victory.
“It was a normal reaction for a player who is good enough to play for us,” Slot said.
“I say that mildly as he’s been so outstanding for this club and will be in the future. He wasn’t happy he wasn’t starting but he wasn’t the only one.”
READ ALSO:EPL: Man Utd Suffer Fresh Injury Blow Ahead Of Everton Clash
Salah could yet return to the starting line-up as Liverpool host Sunderland in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old will remain available for the next four matches, before he leaves to join Egypt’s squad for the African Cup of Nations.
“It’s 15 December,” Slot confirmed.
“But always in these situations there is the player and the national team involved and there are always talks about what is best for all three of us.”
Sports
Davido Reacts As Gov Adeleke Dumps PDP

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted to the shock resignation of his uncle, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The singer kept it short but loaded, posting “Jeje… ” widely interpreted as a subtle message of calmness, quiet movement, or strategic withdrawal as the political storm around the governor intensifies.
Governor Adeleke’s resignation, though only discovered on Monday night was actually tendered on 4 November 2025, ahead of the party’s national convention in Ibadan. His aide, Olawale Rasheed, leaked the letter online, confirming the governor had walked away from the troubled party weeks ago.
READ ALSO:Gov Adeleke Resigns From PDP
In the letter addressed to his Ward 2 chairman in Ede North, Adeleke cited the unresolved crisis at the PDP national level as the reason for quitting. He appreciated the party for backing his rise as senator and later governor.
The revelation has thrown today’s scheduled Osun 2026 governorship primary into confusion. While the state chapter announced a postponement due to factional firestorms, the National Working Committee insists the primary must hold — even though Adeleke remains the only aspirant who bought the form.
There is growing speculation that the governor is now eyeing a second term under the Accord Party, which several of his aides are rumoured to have already infiltrated and taken over in Osun.
His earlier attempt to defect to the APC reportedly hit a brick wall, with party leaders rejecting his move.
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