₦airaland Forum

World champs miss out on Ballon d'Or nominations
By Soccernet staff

Real Madrid's record signing Cristiano Ronaldo leads a list of 30 nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or that does not include a single player from current world champions Italy.

Gianluigi Buffon: Missed out on the nominations.

Ronaldo, 24, won the prestigious award last year and will be one of the favourites for this year's title after his stunning start to his career at the Bernabeu.

The Portuguese attacker has scored nine goals in seven games since joining the Spanish giants for a world record £80 million from Manchester United in the summer.

Ronaldo, who is currently sidelined by an ankle injury, headed Madrid's significant summer spending which also saw them sign Kaka and Karim Benzema - who were both also included in the list.

There was, however, no room for any players from world champions Italy. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Luca Toni were the Azzurri's only nominees last year.

European champions Spain are the best represented nation with six players listed, while the Primera Liga boasts the most players from a single league with 12. The Premier League is next best with 10 players while Serie A has just four.

Champions League and La Liga winners Barcelona top the list in terms of club representation with six players - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Yaya Toure and Xavi.

Chelsea and Manchester United both had three players selected on the list. The Blues' nominees are England captain John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba while United's selection affords another accolade to 35-year-old midfielder Ryan Giggs, as well as Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic.

The Ballon d'Or is an award handed out to the world footballer of the year. It is voted for by journalists and organised by France Football magazine. The winner will be announced on December 1.

Full list: Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Diego (Juventus), Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg), Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Kaka (Real Madrid), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Maicon (Inter Milan), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luis Fabiano (Seville), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), David Villa (Valencia), Xavi (Barcelona), Yaya Toure (Barcelona).

Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=686639&sec=europe&cc=5739

yousouph:
Make Wenger talk to Arshavin o. Must he always talk about his team performances and belief?

I think the main problem here is Arshavin's poor Anglais
He's Russian, he struggles with the language and ends up saying things he ought not to say.

The pressmen usually find these people as easy targets. They leave words that could be twisted into different interpretations.
This is what they did to Fab4 a couple of months ago.
Some teams actually spend time training players on how to escape from difficult questions from the media.

At the end of the day, Asharvin wants what's best for the team.

Eminem's Verse in Forever

there they go, back in stadiums
as shady spits his flow
nuts they go, macadamia they go so balistic whoa,
we can make them look like boso’s,
he’s wondering if he should spit this slow,
Bleep no go for broke,
his cup just runneth over oh no
he aint had a buzz like this since the last time he overdosed
they’ve been waiting patiently for pinocchio to poke his nose
back into the game and they know
rap will never be the same as before
bashing in the brains of these hoes
and establishing a name as he goes
the passion and the flame is ignited
you can’t put it out once we light it
this shit is exactly what the Bleep i’m talking about when we riot
you dealin with a few true villians
whose staying inside of the booth truth spillin
and spit true feelings, till our tooth fillings come flying up out of our mouths
now rewind it
payback muthafucka for the way you got at me so how’s it taste?
when i slap the taste out your mouth with the bass so loud that it shakes the place
i’m hannibal lecter so just in case your thinking of saving face
you aint gonna have no face to save by the time im through with this place
so play some Drake….

[Eminem Verse in Renegade]

Since I'm in a position to talk to these kids and they listen
I ain't no politician but I'll kick it with 'em a minute
Cause see they call me a menace; and if the shoe fits I'll wear it
But if it don't, then y'all'll swallow the truth grin and bear it
Now who's these king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics
Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics
Usin his music to steer it, sharin his views and his merits
But there's a huge interference - they're sayin you shouldn't hear it
Maybe it's hatred I spew, maybe it's food for the spirit
Maybe it's beautiful music I made for you to just cherish
But I'm debated disputed hated and viewed in America
as a motherfuckin drug addict - like you didn't experiment?
Now now, that's when you start to stare at who's in the mirror
and see yourself as a kid again, and you get embarrased
And I got nothin to do but make you look stupid as parents
You fuckin do-gooders - too bad you couldn't do good at marriage!
(Ha ha!) And do you have any clue what I had to do to get here I don't
think you do so stay tuned and keep your ears glued to the stereo
Cause here we go - he's {*Jigga joint Jigga-chk-Jigga*
And I'm the sinister, Mr. Kiss-My-Ass it's just the

Who's watching the match??
How well is James Collins playing??

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=302710.msg4751012#msg4751012 date=1255779899]@Eldee
I just saw your team and i'm laughing in Auto-tune. .Rooney is your skipper!! Ain't that a female dog?

A significant number of peeps have all 3 players or at least two of Gerrard,Rooney and Torres.Gaps would either be stretched or closed down.I wonder what side of the divide i'll find maself[/quote]I'm lucky cus my captain selection strategy is by value . . . so I've got Fabreagas as my skipper
But I have Rooney, Gerrard and Torres out . . . and my reserve bench is the poorest in the FPL.
I'll have to jst accept that this week is gone for me . . .

[quote author=~Borat~ link=topic=302710.msg4751011#msg4751011 date=1255779898]Stalkers. . .i like that
Eldee fc, your ass is mine [/quote]Dude get a life man . . .
I've told you, as long as Spurs is still in the top ten, I'm not bothered

Good News for all Eldee FC fans and stalkers!!!
Gerrard, Rooney, and Torres are injured . . . now my team is in shambles
Etuhu will start today . . . this is as good as it gets

Album Revew-kel's The Investment

If rap records were reviewed based on beauty,this sexy rapper would have won my coveted classic tag but fortunately they are not.with her laid back flow & nimble word play,kel strives to make her mark with her debut album,which she does more often than not.

She shows off her robust lyrical delivery on the lead single "wa waa alright" and lines like "i write like i was born to rhyme,make it count everytime. physically iam well designed,mentally iam on my grind" makes us know that baby girl ain't playing.she totally blows our mind with the alaye & may d assisted "too fine" and on "omoyapayaski" featuring durella she kept it hood.while on the ragga flavoured "push" featuring nyore she offers something totally different.

With production handled by the suspect,dr frabz,ty mix,j martins & jesse jags the album doesn't suffer much in terms of production although it is hard to overlook the lethargic production on tracks like "sitting on top,jeun soke & beautiful life".the low points on this album come when she tries to rap about love on "need you in my life" and the unconvincing storytelling on "boy meets girl" leaves you dissatisfied.when you listen to this album you get this almost there feeling,like there is something missing and it doesn't require much intellect before you know what it is.this album suffers seriously from lack of subject matter.

With her deft lyricism she has convinced us that she is a serious contender for naija's number 1 rap chick throne,but the question is can she hold it down on her own as her album has more guests than a 5 star hotel.apart from the previously mentioned tracks there is a lot of solid & i pod worthy material on this LP.songs like "die hustling,dem don dey move & nobody else" add the much needed jolt of adrenaline to this album.

Despite the fact that she is a rookie,kel's debut album is a solid & cohesive effort and deserves all the accolades it gets.she will definitely get better with time.with the present economic climate kel is a great and worthy investment.

RATING-7/10

PLAY-too fine,wa waa alright,push,nobody else,dem don dey move
SKIP-jeun soke,sitting on top,boy meets girl

@Sauron
Have you dropped the offline??
Cus I can't find it.

And do you mind me downloading it now??

'The day Barack got elected, the gangster got irrelevant' - Jay-Z

Could you please let me do the one for Bayern Munich??

Aiite that's it . . .

Another verse from each netcee, sent to the Warcraft email ad by 18-10-09.

So Newcastle fans are not 'true footie fans'??
I don't know why Nairalanders are still stuck with this gloryhunter mentality.

THE AMAKA:
i dont care what you said.
its still bullshit to me.
so calm your nerve.

Hehehe . . . whatever helps you sleep at night hun.

THE AMAKA:
okay, whatever.
*rolls eyes*

Isn't learning just so much fun??

uniknet:
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Honourable Wole Oke, yesterday said President Umaru Musa  Yar’Adua’s absence  at the  recent United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York,  was a deliberate diplomatic protest.
Oke said it was  "a deliberate  diplomatic   protest against the United States of America, whose  body language towards Nigeria in recent times  had been seen by   the Federal Government  as unfair."

Hmmn . . . this American body language must stop.

THE AMAKA:
thats very true and its very annoying.
MAMA clearly say MTV AFRICAN Music Awards
i dont see why they keep nominating Americans.
what is the obsession? do these American artist really care if they win some petty African music award?
they are talking Grammy's and things like that.
but i guess its a way to bring more attention to the African music awards that take place.

Get your facts right, it's MTV Africa Music Awards. . . it's about celebrating music that's listened to on MTV's Africa Network
Jay-Z and Kanye West are popular in Africa so they deserve their nominations.
If one album produces a different hit every year for ten years, there's no law against giving it the artiste the award for all ten of em.

streetwize:
and please what dooes dis have to do with eldee

Apparently . . . I helped you cheat by showing you Ibime's verse so you could prepare for him.

Are you guys having a laugh??
Making me set up the whole thing and now you don't want to vote??
Abeg, y'all should read these lines and start voting ASAP!!!

Its just funny how people say he hasn't done anything.
Are you expecting him to get Iran to lay down their nclear arsenal before they give him??

You people need to understand one thing . . . unlike the prize for literature and science, you don't need to achieve somethingto win a Nobel Prize for Peace.
The Nobel Prize for Peace can be awarded for just starting the process or being a catalyst.
Arafat won one for a job he didn't even live to complete.

How can anyone say Obama has not put in efforts towards achieving world peace??

Mailmalc's Verse

I flip the openings/ by starting this war wit ur closing prayers/
then encrypt ur whole sh!t/ so it becomes a bunch of grossy datas/
malc wreck inks like my pen sails on pads wit mad techniques/
forcefully drivin ur flow to a still so it lack mech'nics/
It's ur rush hour, bet ur entire verse will be full of 'dead lines'/
even if you smash your skull against ur screen, u still wouldn't head mine/
i get u off tha elite network faster than fones without sim cards/
wen i spit bars- i tie ur weak ass to a sinker nd watch u create a sitzmark/
step over toilets to display ur shit/ur like a minor in a major league/
u gon need a tailor quick cos i leave u wit broken moments like taylor swift/

winning me is priceless/ even voters can't afford to buy the idea/
these rhymes r timesless/ ur future lines still gon be placed right behind 'em/
r ma win u to ur game even if u play the ref in this feat/
my verse is a guideline to beat street like i template his defeat/
call this ur pain in action/ i spit chainsaws so u'll feel the chain reaction/
my whole train of thoughts, ridin thru ur head nd leavin ur brain in fractions/
u think u's a terror, bitch! . u ar like remy ma. . the infant version/
straight up ventilation as i cut thru ur whole inner section/
like strikin a match on windy grounds, ur fire quench on start/
time i swap the records fast/ i'm back being first. .even streetwise seconds dat/

Streetwize' Verse

Mac got inspiration/ when divination/ foretold his spar with me comin in
But i'll show him a sine's really a curs . . . seen from a different point of origin

He rakes up deceit/ if he says. . . he unlocks d flavor ta spit
but u'll realize I'm d right key . . . cuz u bout ta C major defeat
I blaze up d street/ and lemme clear all confusion here
Yeh I have dis scum in suspension[i/] . . . but d [i]solution's clear
D delusion here/S dat I done lost my cool
dat I'm too chicken[i/] to [i]cow[i/] dis dude. . . but its all [i]cock and bull[i/]
I rock and rule/ made outta d stuff of gods
Its like I put my [i]dick in my dic. . . d way I make Mac lust for words

After one battle they king me/ cuz their old record I smashed with quick speed
Mac could break a record[i/] . . . only . . . if he [i]cracked a CD[i/]
I'll have dis bitch bleed/ and I'm surprised when he strays past
cuz I see a [i]p*ssy through my windows so where's dis male mac
I spray raps/dat break backs/ and really ya flows distress me
So if eva my pun-ar-dul. . . jus know. . its a taste of ya own medicine
you dispose estrogen/ and I'll be quick to porcupine ya face
cuz it doesnt matter. . . . what stuff ur made of . . . u can't occupy my space

Now ur on all fours/ cuz ma rhymes knock ya socks off
I spout acid. . . ur below my base. . . so convert. . . or log off. .
b4 I put holes in ya jacket/ till ya blood flow is erratic
and d coronar above u . . trust me!!. . wont mean ur a mechanic

See. . I spit in floods/ and now dat I'm done. . . dis bitch is dust
And I know U'll try to get even. . . but trust me . . . u can't beat d odds

Rules

- 20 - 24 lines
- No verses should be posted on the thread
- To use italics, type your reply on NL as you would, with all the italics, copy and email to the NL Warcraft mail ad.
- Both verses should be e-mailed to nairalandwarcraft@yahoo.com
- Comments are welcome.
- First 9 credible votes count . . . winner must win by a difference of two or more votes.

TRACK RECORD

Mailmalc
NL's Greatest Rapper Tourney Finalist, three years of lyrical mercilessness . . . has victiories over netcees like Ibime and Sauron on his CV.
His skills cannot be questioned . . . he's the dark knight of Nairaland.
Showig off his xenophobia by openly challenging Streetwize to an open contest.
Will he be the one to end the career of this NL newbie??

Bleep violence, i'll make sure my punches and his face unite

i''mma end your life wit a sentence so u'll be gettin a life sentence/


Streetwize (AKA Newbie)

Relatively untested . . . but he's passed one of the biggest tests a newbie you could give someone that's only posted three verses on the battle section.
Of course he's surpassed everyone's expectation in tearing Ibime apart with what many people have called the NL Verse of the Year, but to many Mailmalc included, he still remains a flash in the pan.
It's a one match unbeaten record but that CV has left many netcees shakingin their boots.
He's the next big thing . . . about to try to prove that defeating one of the most respected NL champs is not a fluke.
He's fighting just for one thing, a reason to remember the name.

Those old verses you penned are skilless/ and show proverbial weakness
and ya current flow. . . Im sorry!! . . . shows no potential difference


your drunk with pride?. . . . I'll dangle u 4rm a bridge and make you hang-over

[center] **********************XENOPHOBIA**************************** [/center]

This is a battle I foresaw two years ago . . . a year before Mailmalc believed he has the skills to battle the best of the best, a year before he found out that he had the lyrical knowhow required to depose the likes of Ibime and Streetwize.
If you think ANARCHY was anything . . . if you liked KNOW YOUR ROLE, AFTERMATH and SPIT OR QUIT then here you have it.
This is bigger than Mailmalc and Streetwize, it's about protecting territories . . . it's about credibility, it is WARCRAFT, it is XENOPHOBIA.

You shoulda just said that from the beginning.
You don't care how ther people feel as long as you get what you want. . . we shouldn't complain bout African politicians then.

ceasyc:
@eldee
i dont care man
i've stated my opinion
i cant pls u/any1 and displease mysef

mc donalds, kfc, chicken n chips, burger king etc r all good 2 go 4 me
its my choice innit?
but i hardly eat our 9ja food on d bus tho
i dont think i've ever done dat, well maybe rice

[color=Black]eating on d bus/train/plane/public transport - no b me start am
n no b me go end am ohhh[/color]

As I said before, it's not about it being Nigerian . . . it's about how strong the smell is.
Chicken and chips gets quite irritating