The first batch of FIFA/Coca-Cola World rankings for 2013 have been released. They do not make pleasant reading for Northern Ireland as they have dropped two places to 98th in the world.
To the surprise of probably only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi was tonight named the FIFA World Player of the Year. The Barcelona and Argentina superstar picked up the award for the fourth consecutive year at a ceremony in Zurich tonight.
The final FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings of 2012 have been released. After a terrifying drop a few months ago, Northern Ireland are now safely back inside the Top 100 of world football. Michael O’Neill’s side are now ranked 96th in the world.
It was around this time last year that the idea of launching a Northern Ireland national team blog first appealed to me. I didn’t need an expert in football betting to tell me that Nigel Worthington was on his way out of the job or who his replacement was likely to be.
At the time, I was probably at one of my lowest ebbs as a Northern Ireland supporter. The memories of the great victories over Spain and England were looking more and more like nights of the past. There was little in the performances of the team that suggested the side were even heading in the right direction. Things could only get better; I figured and they have.
Northern Ireland have returned to the top 100 of the FIFA World Rankings, albeit at the 100th spot. The Green and White Army have jumped 17 positions as a result of earning a draw away to Portugal, who were ranked third in the world at the time.
Supporting the Northern Ireland national football team from a fresh perspective.
.
Home