My Favourite Sportsman

My Favourite Sportsman

The  year of 2013 is the last year for the preparation of  our country for the XXII Olympic Winter Games. But it will  only be the following year, and awaiting so important an event we should not forget about the current no less significant events in the sport. And what is the most popular sport in the world? Of course, football! That’s why today I would like to tell you about the annual continental club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – The UEFA Champions League.

It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football. This year it is the 58th season of the tournament which runs from September 1, 2012 until May 25, 2013. The final will be played at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. There are 76 teams-participants in the season 2012-2013. The League’s games consist of many stages and rounds. At the moment there are 2 rounds to the final. The favorite teams of this stage are «Real Madrid», «Manchester», «Arsenal», «Milan» and  «Barcelona».  Despite of the fact that «Barcelona» has not performed so well as has been expected it is still one of the favorites in the League.

As for me this team is one of the best in Europe thanks to such footballers as Lionel Andres Messi, an argentinian footballer who is currently playing for the Spanish «Barcelona», the captain of Argentina. Messi was an Olympic champion in 2008 and the best player and top scorer of the tournament in 2005. The «Barcelona» is the five times champion of Spain. In 2009 Lionel Messi was named the best player of the year in the club in European football UEFA and the best striker in the Champions League.

Messi won the «Golden Ball» in 2009 as the best footballer in Europe. On December 19, 2009 in Abu Dhabi Messi became the champion of the World Cup as he scored the winning goal in the final game. On December 21, 2009 Lionel Messi received another award of the «Diamond Ball» becoming the best player of 2009 by FIFA.

On January 10, 2011 Lionel Messi was named the best player in the world in 2010. Messi became the first winner of the «Golden Ball FIFA», a combined award of the French Football and FIFA. Messi left behind his «Barcelona» teammates  Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. On August 25, 2011 Messi was awarded as the best player in Europe by UEFA. Lionel Messi was ahead of his teammate Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo of «Real». On January 9, 2012 Messi again received the «Golden Ball FIFA» outgoing Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

On March 20, 2012 Lionel Messi scored 3 goals in the Spanish La Liga match against FC «Granada» at the Camp Nou stadium , thus setting a record performance in all official matches of «Barcelona», scoring in total 234  goals. The previous record belonging to Cesar Rodriguez was 232 goals,  the «Barcelona» owing it for 50 years of the twentieth century.                                                              

On January 7, 2013 Lionel Messi became the first player in history ever to receive the «Golden Ball» four times. The voting of the coaches and captains of the national teams in the world,  as well as the voting of journalists from the leading sports media shows that the 25-year-old Argentinian is ahead of his teammate Spainish Andres Iniesta, as well as the leader of  the «Real» Madrid and Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo.

Let’s hope that Messi and «Barcelona» will continue to delight us with beautiful victories despite of their small previous  losses in the League. I wish them good luck and victory!