Paper Talk: Hand up for Ballon d'Or

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PAPER Talk features virtuoso perfomances from Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery, Liverpool taking desperate measures for Luis Suarez, and the Kiwis' bad hair day.

BALLON D'OR BACK ON

For anyone who thought Lionel Messi was a walk up start for his fifth Ballon d'Or, think again.

Franck Ribery showed why he's the favourite in the eyes of many to win the award, dragging France by the collar out of an impossible position against Ukraine to qualify for the World Cup.

ut even that may have been topped by Cristiano Ronaldo's performance in Sweden, which will no doubt be looked back upon as one of his all-time greatest games.

Ronaldo scored a second leg hat-trick to single-handedly oust Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden on a day where even a super Zlatan brace couldn't turn the tide.

Ronaldo's celebrations were vociferous but after the game he denied that he was thumbing his nose at Sepp Blatter.

"I don't have to respond to anyone, my answers are given on the pitch," he said.

Reports have claimed that the Ballon d'Or voting - which was due to end last week - has now been extended to the end of November, meaning Ronaldo's performance on Tuesday could help him to the world title.

But he insists that is not something he is thinking about, adding: "I do not live my life obsessed with titles and do not have to show anything to anyone, because I have shown my worth, I've done 40/50 goals every season and it is not within the reach of anyone. I know what I am."

But you have to wonder if the injured Lionel Messi was sitting in his lounge room watching the deeds of Ribery and Ronaldo and wondering whether his gammy hammy may cost him another award.

NO EXPENSE SPARED FOR SUAREZ

Liverpool owner John W Henry is offering to lay on his private jet to speed up Luis Suarez's return for the Merseyside derby.

Suarez is currently in Uruguay ahead of the second leg of his country's World Cup play-off against Jordan, which will kick-off at 11pm British time on Wednesday.

Liverpool face Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime and in order to ensure Suarez is back in plenty of time, Henry, the club's principal owner, has made the significant gesture.

Not bad, considering transfer speculation continues to swirl around the SAS's headline act.

CRITICS COME FOR BEATEN ENGLAND

In England, it's never good to be beaten by Germany, the old enemy.

But Wednesday morning's (EDT) 1-0 defeat was a different kind of humiliation with one scribe summing it up like this: "Sadly for England there is little consolation in this defeat. They have been humbled again by their old rivals and failed to score a goal in 180 minutes at Wembley. They escaped the sort of embarrassment suffered in Bloemfontein (where they were hammered 4-1 in the 2010 World Cup) but were beaten by a team which would be flattered to be considered Germany's second string."

And the introspection continued, with former England stars Gary Neville and Danny Mills searching for reasons why England still appear a rung below world class.

"We have 26 per cent of English players in the Premier League (Germany has 48 per cent of German players) and we have to change that," Neville said.

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"Not just because of the English national team, but because it's right for the Premier League. If you said 'let's a have a 50/50 split', then that's right. 26 per cent is a nonsense!

"We don't want to be predictable. You see Andros Townsend, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge. I believe we have talent - and there is more coming through."

Mills, a former defender who is on the FA's newly-assembled commission, believes a call to John Terry might be the best short-term fix.

But England coach Roy Hodgson denied that a return to the past would fix anything.

"If you look at what we've done in the qualifiers, Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka played, and Chris Smalling did well. We knew Germany would be a major problem for us, given the big guys in their team, and we weren't at our tallest," Hodgson said.

"The major disappointment is twofold: we didn't show the quality I expected and having 150,000 people through to watch us and send them home disappointed.

"It's not nice to lose, especially a second game at home, so one can't be satisfied. But I'm not disappointed with the effort, work-rate and application."

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GREECE THROUGH, DESPITE OWN GOAL MADNESS

Greece got through their World Cup playoff tie with Romania relatively untroubled, eventually winning 4-2 on aggregate, but that's not to say they didn't have their moments of madness.

One in particular would have to be right up there as a nomination for own goal of the year.

With a 4-1 aggregate lead, the brain explosion came at an OK time, but it will still go down as an embarrassing moment for Orestis Karnezis, who left his goalkeeper stranded with a sensational strike from outside the box, which nestled in the top corner.

Watch it among the match highlights, here!

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CITY'S POGBA MISTAKE

Manchester City made 'a mistake' not signing Paul Pogba for free when they had the chance, so says their elite development manager Patrick Vieira.

Pogba left Manchester United on a Bosman free transfer under acrimonious circumstances in the summer of 2012, a move which prompted former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to claim the player has 'no respect'.

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"I saw him play for Manchester United and to not have signed him when he left that club was a mistake because he is an extraordinary player," Vieira said.

"Many tell me that [he plays like I do]. I think he is more attacking than me and perhaps more technically skilled. He's amazing."

PALACE UP THE ANTE

Crystal Palace's search for a new manager has become a long and drawn out affair, but it looks like the struggling club has just about settled on Tony Pulis as preferred choice.

After initially falling short of Pulis's wage demands, Palace look set to loosen the purse strings to ensure the capture of the Stoke chief.

The club have offered the manager a considerable January transfer budget and while the salary offer is still understood to be shy of Pulis' original GBP1.5million wage demands - the veteran boss will be handed a hefty bonus should he succeed in guiding Palace to Premier League survival.

KIWIS BLAME BAD HAIR DAY

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert will step down at the end of the team's 2014 World Cup campaign.

Staring down a 5-1 deficit after the first leg of their sudden death World Cup playoff with Mexico, New Zealand are hoping a Shane Smeltz haircut could be at the root of a miraculous turnaround.

Asked by journalists for a reason to believe all was not lost in the lead-up to Wednesday night's return leg, the Kiwis pointed to the return of Smeltz's blonde mohawk - a hairstyle he's worn through some of his goal scoring purple patches - as a sign it could rain goals in Wellington.

Clutching at straws it may be, but it's as good a reason as any for Mexico football icon Hugo Sanchez to re-think these comments, made after what some considered over-celebration from the Mexicans after the first leg - essentially at half-time.

"We beat a team that is no more than a group of buddies who were rejected because they couldn't play rugby in New Zealand well and they had no choice but to switch to soccer," Sanchez said.

Ouch!

VERTONGHEN DEMANDS RESPECT

Jan Vertonghen has again warned Andre Villas-Boas that he is not happy playing out of position and has urged the Tottenham manager to step up his search for a new left back.

Villas-Boas is competing with Manchester United for Real Madrid's Fabio Coentrao, and Vertonghen desperately hopes he succeeds after reluctantly filling in for the injured Danny Rose.

"We have had some injuries on the left of defence at Tottenham this season, and it has often been down to me to fill the gap," he said, ahead of Belgium's game with Japan.

"Tottenham pay my wages, so I have to accept it, but it doesn't suit me, and the club know how much I want to play centre-half.

"I think I have done enough to deserve a place there now, ideally for every game."

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INCE STILL A TARGET

Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins is planning to make another attempt to sign Blackpool winger Tom Ince - but has ruled out a move for Manchester United's Wilfried Zaha.

Jenkins admitted in the summer that he was "staggered" by Blackpool's asking price for the 21-year-old, which was understood to be in the region of GBP 8 million.

But Jenkins confirmed to the Daily Mail that he is "likely" to resurrect formal talks with Blackpool over a move for Ince, who is out of contract in the summer.

"He is a very good young player and one we looked at in the summer," Jenkins said.

"I would say it is likely that we will be talking to Blackpool again. I know their chairman, Karl Oyston, and when the time is right we will make contact and see what can be done."

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