10 things to expect from the football world in 2016
Expect big things from Barcelona this termAfter a truly breathtaking 2015, the world of football shows no signs of slowing down as we enter the new year and football fans across the globe will be preparing themselves for an incredible 2016. There are plenty of big stories developing across football’s top leagues while various records could be broken too. When you also factor in the managerial carousel and potential transfers on the horizon, it should be set to be another blockbuster year for the beautiful game.This is why we love football, and here are 10 of the big stories that you can expect to see over the coming 12 months.
#1 Lionel Messi to win fifth Ballon dOr
The first major sporting award ceremony of 2016 is just around the corner, and three extraordinary players will be battling it out to be named the world’s best. In truth, though, Lionel Messi is the only contender with realistic hopes of winning.
Messi is up against Barcelona teammate Neymar, and long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Whilst the latter did score more goals in 2015 than anyone else, a lack of silverware is likely to cost him – especially as the Blaugrana lifted five trophies in total.
Neymar has arguably enjoyed a better start to 2015/16 than Messi, mainly due to the Argentina captain’s injury problems. However, there’s no doubt that Barcelona’s main man was the catalyst behind last season’s heroics.
The only real disappointment in 2015 for Messi was losing the Copa America final to Chile. Nevertheless, this won’t stop him from claiming a record-breaking fifth Ballon d’Or. In truth, it would be hard for anybody to argue against the decision.