This week's roundup of the biggest and more unusual news stories features a legend's potential return, an epic social media fail, and England getting one over the Germans thanks to goal-line technology.
TOP FIVE STORIES
1. Neuer nomination (Monday, Dec. 1)
Monday's announcement of the 23-man list of nominees being cut down to three was always going to be a case of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi plus one, and it was Manuel Neuer who beat his fellow World Cup-winning Germans to make the list. Like Bayern Munich teammate Franck Ribery last season, Neuer is in line to receive plenty of coverage and praise between now and the FIFA awards gala on Jan. 12 but ultimately leave Zurich with a bronze medal. But, just as Arsene Wenger equates finishing fourth in the Premier League with winning a trophy, so being named alongside Ronaldo and Messi could be regarded as a personal accolade in its own right.
2. Henry hands in his notice (Monday, Dec. 1)
It was no great surprise when Thierry Henry announced that he would be ending his four-and-a-half-year spell at New York Red Bulls, two days after the club lost to New England Revolution in the MLS Eastern Conference finals. His contract with the franchise was up and he had already expressed his desire to return to Arsenal, the scene of his finest years as a player, to L'Equipe the previous week. However, with Gunners boss Wenger saying that Henry will "certainly" return to the Emirates in some capacity in the future, the debate raging in France over whether the striker deserves one last run-out for Les Bleus and the striker himself yet to confirm if he intends to carry on, he is set to be the subject of much speculation over the coming weeks and months.
Thanks for the memories, Thierry. https://t.co/evp4AwfVHS #ThanksTH14
- Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 2, 2014
3. Mario's social skills not so super (Tuesday, Dec. 2)
Liverpool are still waiting for Mario Balotelli to deliver his first Premier League goal for the club, but unfortunately for them the first major controversy involving the striker has already arrived. The Italian issued an apology for using his Instagram account to re-post an Internet meme featuring Super Mario entitled "Don't Be Racist!", but also includes the words "jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew." Balotelli has replied to the FA as it investigates what he has called his "unlucky moment," including examples of him being racially abused online in the past, but that failed to prevent him being charged on Friday.
4. Howard vs. Friedel (Wednesday, Dec. 3)
There is an old cliche in football about the "goalkeepers' union," by which no player of that position will criticise a counterpart if they are going through a tough time on the pitch. However, if claims made by Tim Howard in his new autobiography are to be believed, that doesn't extend beyond the field. In "The Keeper," excerpts of which are appearing exclusively on ESPN FC, the current U.S. No. 1 writes that compatriot Brad Friedel "actively tried to block" his 2003 move to Manchester United. Friedel vehemently denied the claim to ESPN's Doug McIntyre, and has demanded an apology from Howard, who is now at Everton.
5. Tragedy forces reflection in Spain (Friday, Dec. 5)
Spanish football has been overshadowed this week by the tragic events of Sunday, when a fan of Deportivo La Coruna died ahead of the club's 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid. It soon transpired that the deceased was a member of radical supporter group "Riazor Blues," and the violence that led to him being beaten and thrown into the Manzanares river was part of a pre-organised fight with the "Frente Atletico." The incident has forced Spanish football as a whole to address its longstanding, complex relationship with ultras, and at a high-level meeting between the Spanish league and federation, sports minister Miguel Cardenal said that tougher sanctions for clubs that continue to maintain contact with radical groups will be announced later this month.
MEANWHILE...
New leader in Reus race? (Tuesday, Dec. 2)
Borussia Dortmund may be rock bottom of the Bundesliga, but at least they won't be losing their star player to Bayern Munich for a third consecutive year after Marco Reus' agent denied reports of talks between the two clubs. So that means BVB will be able to count on the attacker, who remains out until January with the injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, next season, right?
Perhaps not, with Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti doing little to subdue reports of his club's interest in the Germany international this week.
"[Ronaldo] could be up against a German player," Ancelotti said when talking about his own player's chances of retaining the Ballon d'Or. "But the best German player, apart from [Madrid's Toni] Kroos and [Sami] Khedira, did not play the World Cup, as that is Reus. Naturally, Neuer had a fantastic season as a goalkeeper. But it is not something which I am too concerned about."
Aspas outdoes Liverpool's "God" (Wednesday, Dec. 3)
Liverpool loanee Iago Aspas struck three goals for Sevilla in just four minutes on Wednesday night -- a faster time than Reds legend Robbie Fowler managed when netting the fastest hat trick in Premier League history. Aspas, who is on a season-long loan at the La Liga club, scored three in the 5-1 Copa del Rey defeat of Sabadell, notching in the 59th, 60th and 63rd minutes.
Aspas' hat trick was faster than the famous one that Fowler -- nicknamed "God" by the Anfield faithful during his playing days -- managed for Liverpool against Arsenal in August 1994. The former England international struck his three goals in four minutes and 33 seconds, and the hat trick remains the fastest in Premier League history.
QPR cancel Christmas (Thursday, Dec. 4)
Queens Park Rangers boss Harry Redknapp has told his players to forget about organising a Christmas party and to focus all their attention on avoiding relegation. "No, I'm not into Christmas parties, not for footballers," Redknapp said. "I think it's more aggravation than it's worth. It's a changing world out there and there's always someone out there with a camera on their phone. I haven't spoken to them about it, they haven't mentioned anything about a Christmas party. I think they understand the pitfalls of going out. You've only got to be closing your eyes and someone has got a picture of you making it look like you're drunk. It's not worth the hassle."
English goal-line technology victory over Germans (Friday, Dec. 5)
The CEO of German technology system GoalControl has hit out at the decision to select British firm HawkEye to provide the equipment being used in the Bundesliga from next season after Thursday's vote by the German Football League (DFL).
Dirk Broichhausen condemned the DFL's decision to use Hawkeye for financial reasons, saying: "We are shocked and utterly disappointed. It's weird that FIFA trusts us and uses our system at the World Cup but that in the country of the World Cup winners, of all places, an English system will be used. We fought for the introduction, did all the groundwork -- and now others are harvesting it."