DOMINIC KING IN ZURICH: Lionel Messi moved brilliance to another level as he was presented with the Ballon d'Or for the fifth time in his extraordinary career. The greatest player of this generation was recognised by international captains, managers and journalists for his outstanding performances during 2015, when Barcelona became the first team to complete the treble of league, cup and Champions League for the second time.

CRAIG HOPE: Twenty years ago they were the two most exciting teams in the country. They traded blows and insults but shared a sense of adventure and entertainment. Manchester United and Newcastle United. Alex Ferguson and Kevin Keegan. Eric Cantona and David Ginola. They were the best of enemies, a rivalry which was to serve up one of the most memorable title showdowns in Premier League history. It is all a far cry from the sorry state in which the old adversaries find themselves today. Louis van Gaal's United have drawn a blank in five of their last 11 in the league and have not netted in the first half at Old Trafford for 10 matches. 

Lionel Messi scooped his fifth Ballon d'Or crown after beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar to the gong - and his son Thiago appeared to be one of the first to acknowledge the impressive feat. Messi followed up on his achievement in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 to reclaim the crown from Real Madrid rival Ronaldo, who came second in the vote. When the Barcelona star went up to collect his award, Thiago was clearly delighted with his father's achievement as he held up five fingers illustrating the number of times his dad has won the award. 

MATT BARLOW: Having torn Swansea City apart and left the pitch with his Oxford United shirt in shreds, Kemar Roofe spent Monday busily stitching a few things together. He was reforming nuggets of memory to build a clearer picture of a trance-like day at the Kassam Stadium on Sunday, and running through the threads of his career from West Bromwich Albion, via five loan spells, to the city of dreaming spires and FA Cup fame. Fashion is the other side of his professional life - and Roofe was beside brother Alex, who was seated at the sewing machine, working on the clothing business they formed in a bedroom of their parents' home in Walsall.

TOTTENHAM 4-5 CHELSEA - ADAM SHERGOLD AT THE LAMEX STADIUM: Andros Townsend certainly knows how to pick his moment. After 85 minutes of not a great deal in front of the television cameras here, the Tottenham outcast was finally able to remind everyone of what he can do. His two goals in two minutes - the first a confident penalty, the second a scorching run and emphatic finish one-on-one with the goalkeeper - were well-timed, though still it wasn't enough as Chelsea edged his Spurs side in a nine-goal humdinger.

Wales will be based in Britanny at Euro 2016 this summer. Chris Coleman's squad will stay in the coastal resort of Dinard, which is known as the 'Cannes of the North' with its beaches and mild climate making it a popular holiday destination.

FIFA have announced their FIFPro World XI for 2015, with all three nominees of the individual Ballon d'Or award making the line-up in attack. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo is joined by Barcelona pair Lionel Messi and Neymar up front, while Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and Paul Pogba (Juventus) occupy the midfield spots in a 4-3-3 formation. Bayern Munich No 1 Manuel Neuer has been selected between the posts with Marcelo (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) and Dani Alves (Barcelona) in defence.  

Students at East Fukuoka High School in Japan have perfected an innovative free-kick routine, involving a 'dancing wall' in front of the regular wall outside the box. The boys from East Fukokoa put three of their players, linked arm in arm, in front of the opposition's defence and another trio of their attackers, and had them all move backwards before ducking in unison to allow the set-piece taker to hit his shot. The move bamboozled the opposition and the free-kick was curled into the far-left corner of the goal. 

With a congested fixture list and each game as important as the next, footballers can no longer afford to allow a broken nose or fractured cheekbone to rule them out of action. Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta became the latest Blues player to wear one last weekend and here, Sportsmail looks back at the clubs masked men.

PAUL NEWMAN IN JOHANNESBURG: The sight of an animated Trevor Bayliss putting England through rigorous catching practice on their return to work at the Wanderers on Monday was an indication of the size of the prize within their grasp this week. The England coach, usually such a laid-back and understated figure on the training field, does not want the opportunity of a series win against the best team in the world on their own patch to slip through his fingers now. Certainly the chance to go 2-0 with two to play at Cape Town was wasted by an England side who saw 10 chances go begging during their 211 overs in the field and a repeat in Thursday's third Test here will not be tolerated by Bayliss.

MARTIN SAMUEL: Claudio Ranieri is, by common consent, one of football's nicer guys. So we can rule out spite and presume old-fashioned honesty as the motivation for one of the most damning assessments of a team this season. After Leicester City's goalless draw with Manchester City on December 29, Ranieri was asked about his next match, against Bournemouth. 'Believe me, it's more difficult,' he said. 'They are in good condition, they press a lot and move the ball very well.' He probably didn't mean it as it sounded. Manchester City move the ball around nicely, too. But ferocious pressing? Good condition? Let's face it, if City had Leicester or Bournemouth's work ethic, the title race may already be as good as over.