Lionel Messi wins ‘Player of the Year’ award as Cristiano Ronaldo snubs Event
Megan Rapinoe bags Women's honour
Milan (Italy), Sep 24: Barcelona star striker Lionel Messi won the men's best player while US forward Megan Rapinoe took home the women's award at the Best FIFA Football Awards which took place in a glittering ceremony at Teatro alla Scala, Milan.
Messi, who helped Barcelona win La Liga and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, won the player of the year award for a sixth time as Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk missed out on the top prize late on Monday.
Earlier, the Argentine had won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.
Rapinoe was rewarded at the FIFA Best awards for leading the US to the women's World Cup title in July. She scored six goals in the tournament, earning her the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer and the Golden Ball as the top player.
The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Lionel Messi and The Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year Megan Rapinoe were the night’s big winners. | Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp was awarded with men's coach of the year award. Klopp coached Liverpool to the Champions League title last season, as well as a record-breaking second-place finish in the Premier League. The Reds also currently top this season's table too.
In the women's category, US national team coach Jill Ellis won the top prize after taking her side all the way in the World Cup this summer. Ellis is the only women's coach to win the World Cup twice.
Sari van Veenendaal was named the inaugural best women's goalkeeper, joining her custodian counterpart Alisson who picked up best men''s goalkeeper award.
The Puskas Award for the best goal of the year went to 18-year-old Daniel Zsori for his spectacular 93rd-minute overhead kick for Debrecen against Ferencvaros, just after he came on as a substitute for his Hungarian league debut in February.
The FIFA Fair Play award was taken home by Marcelo Bielsa and the Leeds United squad, after the Argentinean coach and his team ultimately sacrificed promotion for his team to uphold the values of fair play instructing his Leeds United team to allow an equaliser after his side had gone 1-0 up with an opposition player down injured.
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BESCOM to organise EV expo for Secretariat employees in Jan 2025
Bengaluru (PTI): To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) announced on Friday that a special EV fair will be organised for the Secretariat employees in January 2025.
During a meeting at the BESCOM office, Managing Director Mahantesh Bilagi said, "The fair is being organised following a directive of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and will be conducted under the supervision of Energy Minister K J George and Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta."
According to him, the event aims to educate attendees about the benefits of environmentally friendly EVs and to encourage the adoption of two-wheeled EVs.
"During the fair, dealer discounts to government employees, particularly those in the Secretariat will also be offered. There will also be opportunities for practical demonstrations of the vehicles at the exhibition site," added Bilagi.
He said the Secretariat employees will also benefit from no down payment and low-interest loans to purchase the EV vehicles.
"EV companies are eager to participate and the sales will extend beyond the exhibition, continuing in the future," the Managing Director said.
The state, particularly Bengaluru, has the highest electric vehicle (EV) users, said Bilagi, adding that to support this, the Energy Department has provided essential infrastructure.
"BESCOM's efforts in promoting EV usage have been recognised with the 'Charge India 2024 Excellence' award. This award is a testament to our commitment to establishing excellent charging facilities. Karnataka has the country's most public electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 5,765 stations, of which 4,462 are located in the Bengaluru Urban district," said Bilagi.
The Secretariat Employees' Association president Ramesh Sanga and other office-bearers, BESCOM Technical Director H J Ramesh as well as senior officials attended the meeting.
