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Ronaldo-Messi dominance in Best FIFA Players faces huge challenge

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Paris, July 24 (IANS) The decade-long dominance of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi is set to face tough challenges from other contenders like French sensational teenager Kylian Mbappe and Croatia’s key figure Luka Modric as 10 nominees for the Best FIFA Men’s Player were unveiled on Tuesday.

Ronaldo and Messi combined to win all the Best Player awards in the past decade since 2008, either when it was named FIFA Ballon d’Or due to merger of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d’Or, or the Best FIFA Men’s Player after 2016, reports Xinhua news agency.

As the list was selected by a panel of FIFA Legends for their achievements during the period July 3, 2017 to July 15, 2018 inclusive, the duo seemed to lose something significant for their national team’s under-par performance at the FIFA World Cup, the biggest tournament of the year, as both exited from the round of 16 in Russia.

The World Cup was obviously a stage to prove themselves for Mbappe and Modric, with the former winning the FIFA Young Player Award and the latter bagging the Golden Ball Award of the tournament.

World champions France also have forward Antoine Griezmann and central defender Raphael Varane in the list. Other contenders included World Cup Golden Boot Award winner Harry Kane, Belgian attacking midfield duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, and Egypt’s forward Mohamed Salah, who finished a glittering season with English Premier League (EPL) side Liverpool.

France’s coach Didier Deschamps and his fellow Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, who steered Real Madrid to their third straight UEFA Champions League title last season, were nominated for the Best FIFA Men’s Coach.

Apart from Deschamps, head coaches of other World Cup semi-finalists, Zlatko Dalic (Croatia), Roberto Martinez (Belgium) and Gareth Southgate (England), were also among the 11 nominees. The other national team’s coach was Russia’s Stanislav Cherchesov after the World Cup hosts reached the quarter-finals.

The other five candidates for the award were Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Juergen Klopp (Liverpool), Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid) and Ernesto Valverde (Barcelona).

Nominees for Best FIFA Women’s Coach and Player were also announced on Tuesday.

Winners of the four categories will be chosen by a process involving stakeholders from across the world of football, including players, coaches, fans and media, with public voting to close on August 10.

FIFA will announce the final lists of the three nominees for each of the four categories, as well as for the FIFA Puskas Award, the FIFA Fan Award and the Best FIFA Goalkeeper award, at the start of September.

The winner will be announced at the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in London on September 24.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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