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Messi Tips Benzema for 'Deserved' Ballon d'Or

Karim Benzema. (AFP)
Karim Benzema. (AFP)
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Messi Tips Benzema for 'Deserved' Ballon d'Or

Karim Benzema. (AFP)
Karim Benzema. (AFP)

Real Madrid's France star Karim Benezema deserves to win the Ballon d'Or, according to seven-time laureate Lionel Messi.

Benzema was crucial in Madrid's Champions League victory this season, culminating with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris on Saturday, AFP said.

Although he did not score in the final, Benzema's back-to-back hat-tricks in the knock-out rounds, starting with a 17-minute treble against Messi's Paris Saint-Germain to overturn a 2-0 aggregate deficit, were crucial to generating the momentum that swept the Spaniards to the title.

"There's no doubt, it's very clear that Benzema has had a spectacular year and has ended it by winning the Champions League," Messi told Argentine channel TyC Sports.

"He was crucial from the last-16 onwards in every match and I think there's no doubt" that Benzema deserves to win the Ballon d'Or.

Messi was speaking a couple of days ahead of a friendly with Italy at Wembley stadium between two continental champions.

The match between the South American Copa America holders and the European champions, where many Argentines trace their roots, is known as the "Finalissima".

But while Argentina stormed to qualification for the Qatar World Cup later this year with several games to spare, Italy astonishingly missed out after losing to minnows North Macedonia in a play-off.

"What happened with Italy is crazy, having won the Euros and not being at the World Cup, given Italy's history at the World Cup," he said.

"If Italy had been at the World Cup they would have been one of the favorites. They were unlucky. No one would have wanted to play them."

Having spent his entire career at Barcelona, the 34-year-old moved to PSG a year ago where he has struggled to reproduce his best form.

He admitted it had been "a difficult change" and that the first day he took his children to school in Paris he left "crying".

Having caught Covid-19 at the end of 2021, Messi is convinced the virus has left "scars" in his lungs while he also admitted the Champions League capitulation against Real was "a tough blow".

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Kane Scores 60th Bundesliga Goal as Bayern Beats Heidenheim to Close in on the Title

Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Harry Kane reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Harry Kane reacts. (Reuters)
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Kane Scores 60th Bundesliga Goal as Bayern Beats Heidenheim to Close in on the Title

Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Harry Kane reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Harry Kane reacts. (Reuters)

Harry Kane scored his 60th Bundesliga goal in his 60th game to help Bayern Munich defeat Heidenheim 4-0 and close in on regaining the title on Saturday.

Kane scored the opening goal with a low shot from just outside the penalty area in the 13th minute and nears what would be the first major team trophy of a career filled with individual scoring accolades.

Kane is the fastest player to 60 goals in Bundesliga history, beating Erling Haaland’s mark of 65 games with Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern moves nine points clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, which plays St. Pauli on Sunday. Four games remain after this week.

Bayern had a 2-0 lead before collapsing to lose 3-2 the last time it played in Heidenheim. It was a telling moment as Bayern surrendered the Bundesliga title last season to Leverkusen.

This time, Bayern didn't ease up.

Konrad Laimer scored Bayern's second goal on the counter six minutes after Kane's opener and Kane played a part in the buildup as Kingsley Coman made it 3-0 in the 36th on the rebound after Raphael Guerreiro's shot was saved. Joshua Kimmich added the fourth in the second half.

Union Berlin-Stuttgart sets goals record

Union Berlin and Stuttgart set a Bundesliga record with eight goals before halftime.

The score was 4-4 at the break, and that's how it ended, too.

Both sides are in the bottom half of the standings.

Andre Ilic scored twice for Berlin, while Suttgart had four different scorers.

Players hurt in collision

A painful-looking collision between Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi and Holstein Kiel defender David Zec overshadowed their 1-1 draw.

Gulacsi and Zec collided while sprinting to reach the ball and both were substituted, with Gulacsi leaving the field on a stretcher. Gulacsi was conscious and went to hospital for tests, Leipzig said.

Soon after, Benjamin Sesko’s penalty salvaged a draw for Leipzig, which lost ground in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

Leipzig stayed fourth but fifth-placed Freiburg was a point behind following its 3-2 win over Hoffenheim. Mainz was sixth after conceding late in a 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg. Werder Bremen rose two places to seventh by beating Bochum 1-0.