Ronaldo beats Messi to Ballon d'Or triumph

Portugal and Real Madrid great Cristiano Ronaldo lifted his third FIFA world footballer of the year award on Monday in an overwhelming win over eternal rival Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Argentine magician.

Ronaldo was the star of a glittering FIFA awards ceremony in Zurich at which Real Madrid teammate James Rodriguez won the goal of the year award and Germany's Joachim Loew was declared coach of the year.

I'm not going anywhere, fires indignant Messi

Barcelona Four-times World Player of the Year Lionel Messi shot back angrily Sunday at rumours that he could leave Barcelona after clashing with coach Luis Enrique and the club's board.

The Argentine was in top form with a goal and two assists as the Catalan giants ended and unsettling week off the field with a crucial 3-1 win over La Liga champions Atletico Madrid.

"I have never demanded anything to ensure that I stay because I have never had any intention of leaving," he told Barca TV after Sunday's match.

Nigeria 'needs same support as France' after Boko Haram attacks

A Nigerian archbishop called Monday for the same international support to tackle Boko Haram as France has received since it was hit by Islamist attacks last week.

"I see the very positive response of the French government tackling this issue of religious violence after the killing of their citizens," said the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Jos in central Nigeria, Ignatius Kaigama.

"We need that spirit to be spread around, not just when it happens in Europe, (but) when it happens in Nigeria, in Niger, Cameroon and many poor countries, that we mobilise our international resources to confront the people who bring such sadness to many families," he told BBC World Service radio.

'Piles of bodies' in attacked Boko Haram town: fisherman

  When Borye Kime crept back into the fishing town of Baga in northeast Nigeria in the early hours of Monday, a weak moon shone on a grisly sight. "It is corpses everywhere," he told AFP.

Kime was one of thousands who fled across the border to Chad when Boko Haram fighters stormed his hometown of Baga in Nigeria's far northeast on January 3.

Messi, Neuer, Ronaldo voted to FIFPro World XI lineup

All three players shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award were selected by their peers for the 2014 FIFPro World XI team.

Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer and Cristiano Ronaldo were among seven 2013 team members who retained their places in worldwide voting by 23,000 members of national players' unions.

Germany's World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm, Brazil captain Thiago Silva, and Spain pair Sergio Ramos and Andres Iniesta also stayed in the elite lineup.