The following are the final players that are in the running for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award. Good luck to everyone nominated!!

Andrei Arshavin (Russia, Arsenal)

Karim Benzema (France, Lyon/Real Madrid)

Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United/Real Madrid)

Diego (Brazil, Werder Bremen/Juventus Turin)

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea)

Ryan Giggs (Wales, Manchester United)

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia, Wolfsburg)

Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, FC Barcelona/Inter Milan)

Cesc Fabregas (Spain, Arsenal)

Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool)

Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Atletico Madrid)

Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool)

Yoann Gourcuff (France, Bordeaux)

Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United)

Thierry Henry (France, FC Barcelona)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Inter Milan/FC Barcelona)

Iniesta (Spain, FC Barcelona)

Julio Cesar (Brazil, Inter Milan)

Kaka (Brazil, Milan AC/Real Madrid)

Frank Lampard (England, Chelsea)

Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United)

Maicon (Brazil, Inter Milan)

Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona)

Luis Fabiano (Brazil, Sevilla)

Franck Ribery (France, Bayern Munich)

John Terry (England, Chelsea)

David Villa (Spain, Valencia)

Xavi (Spain, FC Barcelona)

Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast, FC Barcelona)

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola’s shirt statement is a lovely reminder that we need to take care of this world because this is the only one we have. I must say that after seeing this photo, I felt compelled to throw my waterbottle into the recycle bin at school.

Thankies to Kickette for the photo.

Jose Bored In Barca

Jose Mourinho was caught almost sleeping at yesterday's Barca home opener. For the video, please follow this link...since I don't have a clue at all how to place videos on my blog. If anyone knows how to, I would love to know!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqFYCYD5iFg

Klasnic coming to EPL

Bolton Wanderers have confirmed the signing of striker Ivan Klasnic on a season-long loan from Nantes.

Trotters boss Gary Megson has acted in the dying moments of the summer transfer window in a bid to turn his side's fortunes around.

Bolton have yet to record a win so far this season but Megson is hopeful Croatia international Klasnic could prove a key weapon for the new campaign.

He said on the club's official website: "Ivan is a player who we have been tracking for quite a while. His goalscoring record is very good and he has an excellent pedigree at international level with Croatia and domestically in Europe."

Niko passes medical and is now with Spurs

Tottenham have completed the deadline-day signing of Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar from Portsmouth.

The 25-year-old, signed by Harry Redknapp for Pompey in 2008, rejoins his former boss after a deal of about £2m was agreed between the clubs.

Kranjcar successfully passed a medical near Spurs' training ground and agreed personal terms on Tuesday morning.

"I'm really delighted. I signed Niko for Portsmouth. He's a fantastic player," said Spurs boss Redknapp.  "I've already got two fantastic Croatian players - [Luka] Modric and Vedran Corluka - who can help him settle in."

Kranjcar is expected to provide immediate cover for injured compatriot Modric, who fractured a bone in his leg against Birmingham on Saturday.

In the long-term he will battle for a midfield spot alongside the likes of David Bentley, who had been linked with a move to Manchester City or Everton, but who remains a Tottenham player with the window closed.

More transfer news as soon as it becomes available.

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday! So, while writing this, I was going through a firedrill... So, I was thinking and thinking, while I was outside in the freezing cold waiting for the firetrucks to come, (The school always has to make our firedrills so....real) what should I write about today? There are so many things. For one, Guti isn't going to make it to El Clasico, Ribery saying that he wants to leave, and Mark Hughes saying that he is NOT after Eto'o. So, instead, here are some links for you to read on your own. (I am a little hurried, the class period ends in 15 minutes.)

Ribery open for possible departure from Bayern--SI.com

Barca stars blast Blues---Sky Sports

Hughes NOT after Eto'o---Sky Sports

Ronaldo questions ref...again

Toure hails Almunia---Sky Sports

Van ready to leave Everton

More later, but it is time for me to change classes. XD So, I will write back later during lunch.

**A BIG thank you goes out to our friends at Reuters for the article!**

Real Madrid midfielder Guti will miss Saturday's Clasico at home to league leaders Barcelona after he suffered ligament damage to his left ankle. 

Guti, who scored a superb freekick in the 4-2 comeback win at Sevilla last weekend, hurt the ankle in training and the injury was picked up by a scan.

His absence, for a yet-to-be-determined number of matches, is a blow for coach Juande Ramos and the champions as they seek to cut Barca's four-point lead at the top with five matches remaining.

Meanwhile, former Real coach Fabio Capello has said tiredness could ruin Barcelona's pursuit of treble success this season and offer Real hope of catching their arch-rivals to win La Liga.

The teams meet at the Bernabeu with Barca, who led by 12 points at one stage, now four points ahead of Real with five matches to play.

Pep Guardiola's side are still gunning for Champions League glory and also have a Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao only two weeks away.

"There are too many finals and semi-finals. This is dangerous for a team," Capello told Marca. "Although everyone says Barca have a squad of twenty-something players, the truth is there are very few who can really make a difference."

England manager Capello steered Real to an unlikely league title in 2007, when they came back to finish level on points with Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona taking the title on the head-to-head rule on the final day of the season.

So, it is offical...Messi is going steady with this lovely lady.

The chicas at Kickete say about it:

New girlfriend was born and bred in Argentina, is 22 years old and studies nutrition in college.

That is all any of us know about her, but thank goodness that the rumors about Leo and that 14 year old model chick were false. I know that little Leo here wouldn't be a pedo. :P

Anywho, if any of you know more about her, it would be lovely to hear from you. :)

(To Be Played Wednesday)

After confirming their qualification for the knockout stage last time out, the top two sides in Group C, FC Barcelona and Sporting Clube de Portugal, will meet in Lisbon on Matchday 5 to try and decide who will advance as section winners.

• If Barcelona's progress was anticipated from the start, Sporting have broken new ground by reaching the last 16 of the modern-day UEFA Champions League for the first time and they can now look to gild the lily by chasing the victory against their Spanish visitors that would lift them to the group summit.

• Barcelona presently hold a one-point lead over their Portuguese rivals, meaning that only an away win at the Estádio José Alvalade would settle the question of who finishes first. A Sporting victory or a draw would leave the matter open until Matchday 6.

• Josep Guardiola's Barcelona won the teams' meeting at the start of the group stage, prevailing 3-1 at the Camp Nou on 16 September through goals from Rafael Márquez (21), Samuel Eto'o (60 pen) and Xavi Hernández (87). Tonel (72) was the scorer for Sporting.

• Barcelona had collected further wins at both FC Shakhtar Donetsk (2-1) and FC Basel 1893 (5-0) by the time they made sure of their last-16 place with a 1-1 home draw against Basel last time out.

• Sporting have not conceded a goal since their opening loss in Barcelona, defeating Basel 2-0 on Matchday 2 before then taking six points off Shakhtar with successive 1-0 victories in Donetsk and Lisbon.

• While Sporting had failed to reach the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League in four previous attempts, they do have some pedigree in the Europe's élite club competition, having reached the quarter-finals in 1982/83 where they went down 3-2 on aggregate to another Spanish side, Real Sociedad de Fútbol.

• Paulo Bento's team have won their last four home games in the UEFA Champions League and can point to a decent home record against Spanish opposition. In their seven previous matches against visitors from Spain in UEFA club competition, they recorded five wins, one draw and one defeat.

• The Lisbon club ran out 2-1 winners against Barcelona in the clubs' only previous encounter in the Portuguese capital. Having lost to a solitary Julio Alberto strike in the first leg, however, they ended up beaten on away goals in that UEFA Cup second-round tie in 1986/87.

• Manuel Negrete (41) and Raphael Meade (61) were Sporting's scorers in the second leg, with Roberto Fernández hitting the crucial away goal for Barcelona after 83 minutes.

• Barcelona's record away to Portuguese opposition is P9 W2 D3 L4. Their most recent cross-border trip yielded a 0-0 draw at SL Benfica in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, the Catalan club subsequently prevailing 2-0 on home soil en route to an eventual final triumph against Arsenal FC in Paris.

• Guardiola's team should arrive at the José Alvalade high on confidence given their formidable recent away record in the UEFA Champions League proper, where they have won seven and lost just one of their last ten games on the road.

• Sporting's Brazilian midfielder Fábio Rochemback – who rejoined the club from Middlesbrough FC in May – spent the 2001/02 and 2002/03 seasons with Barcelona, making 45 league appearances before embarking on his first two-year spell with the Lisbon outfit.

• Guardiola faced another Portuguese side, FC Porto, three times in the UEFA Champions League as a player – and finished on the winning side on each occasion, including the 1993/94 semi-final.