Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (December 1st) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, please post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!
On This Day in 2009 - The Ballon d'Or Got Messi
On 1 December 2009, Lionel Messi capped an amazing year by winning the Ballon d'Or as the world's best footballer. And he did by a record margin of votes.
The award came on the heels of Messi's incredible run with Barcelona in 2008-09 in which the Catalan club won a staggering total of six trophies: La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. Messi was one of FOUR players from that team to finish in the voters' top five--the others were Xavi (3rd), Andrés Iniesta (4th), and Samuel Eto'o (5th).
The 2nd-place finisher was Cristiano Ronaldo, who had won the award over Messi in 2008. In 2009, Messi finished with 473 out of a possible 480 first-place votes, more than doubling Ronaldo's total that year of 233 votes and setting a record separation of 240 votes between first and second place.
After that year, Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015. The ceremony this year will be held on December 3 at the French capital. While, as rumours said, Messi and Ronaldo won't attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
On This Day in 1959 - Liverpool Got It Right The Second Time
On 1 December 1959, Liverpool FC announced the appointment of Bill Shankly as the club's new manager. He would go on to become one of the Reds' most successful managers.
After a his football playing career, Shankly turned to management in 1949. His first post was a return to Carlisle, followed by moves to Grimsby Town (1951-54), Workington (1954-55), and Huddersfield Town (1956-59), before joining Liverpool. He had interviewed for the Liverpool post in 1951 but had been rejected in favor of Don Welsh.
When he arrived on Merseyside, Liverpool were sitting in 10th position on the Division Two table and had not been in the top flight since 1954. Shankly steered them to consecutive third-place finishes in his first two seasons, then earned promotion in 1962 by winning the division.
He subsequently guided Liverpool to three league titles (1964, 1966, 1973), two FA Cups (1965, 1974), and one UEFA Cup (1973).
Shankly retired in 1974 at the age of 60 and died in 1981.
On This Day in 1998 - Real Madrid Won Their Second Intercontinental Cup
On 1 December 1998, Real Madrid won their second Intercontinental Cup, beating Vasco da Gama 2-1 in Tokyo with a late strike from Raul.
Champions League winners Madrid were making their third appearance in the competition, after winning it in 1960 and losing it in 1966 (both times against Penarol). It was the first appearance for Vasco, who had won the Copa Libertadores the previous August.
Madrid took a first-half lead thanks to an own goal. Undaunted, the Brazilians pressed forward for an equalizer and were rewarded in the 56th minute.
Both teams had several chances to take the lead, but were denied repeatedly by brilliant play from both keepers. Real Madrid forward Raul then struck the decisive blow in the 83rd minute when he outraced the Vasco back line to latch onto a long ball, beat two defenders, and slipped the ball past keeper Carlos Germano.
On This Day in 2002 - Diego Forlan Net Brace in Only 3 Minutes
On 1 December 2002, Manchester United's Diego Forlan scored twice in three minutes as Man Utd beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield.
He found the net twice in 64' and 67', but, except that game, he only scored 8 others in the Premier League.
