Lionel Messi was on Monday awarded the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or at a star-studded ceremony in Zurich, the third consecutive year that he has won the prestigious award for the world's outstanding footballer.

The 24-year-old Barcelona and Argentina forward finished ahead of his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Barca team-mate Xavi.

Francesca Schiavone upset U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur's preparations for next week's Australian Open with a straight sets opening round win at the Sydney International on Monday.

The Italian matched home favorite Stosur's power with aggression to secure a 6-2, 6-4 win in 90 minutes in the feature match on Ken Rosewall Arena.

Arsene Wenger has confirmed Thierry Henry will make his second 'debut' for Arsenal during the FA Cup third-round clash against Leeds, more than 12 years since he made his first appearance for the club.

Henry was registered in time for Monday's game at the Emirates, although Wenger is unsure whether the 34-year-old will start against their Championship opponents or come off the bench as he attempts to add to his 226 Arsenal goals.

Steve Nash delivered 17 assists as the Phoenix Suns beat short-handed Milwaukee 109-93, sending the Bucks home without a victory in their five-game NBA western road trip.

"We were just really soft on him," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said of Nash, the Suns' veteran playmaker. "You let Steve dribble around like that, and he's got such great vision.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola refused to concede defeat in La Liga title race after a 1-1 draw with Espanyol left the defending champions trailing bitter rivals Real Madrid by five points.

Barcelona took a 16th-minute lead through a header from Cesc Fabregas -- the club's 100th goal in all competitions this season -- but were rocked when Alvaro Vazquez scored an 86th-minute equaliser with a diving, close-range header.

Manchester United and Wayne Rooney moved swiftly on Friday to deny a report that the striker was poised to leave Old Trafford, dismissing the claim as "nonsense."

A report to be published in Saturday's edition of The Independent suggested Sir Alex Ferguson was ready to sell the club's talismanic striker after a breakdown in relations with the player.

Serena Williams has a badly sprained left ankle, Roger Federer an aching back, and Kim Clijsters a sore left hip.

Add in a limping — but "I'll be OK" — Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal playing with a sore left shoulder from the end of last season and the advance tournaments for this year's Australian Open are beginning to look like a star-studded sports injury clinic.

Lionel Messi's remarkable career with Barcelona began on a napkin.

It happened more than a decade ago, when the 13-year-old Messi, then just a scrawny little kid with plenty of talent, was hoping to earn a contract with Barcelona.

Andy Murray had Ivan Lendl in his corner and another ATP final in his sights when he beat Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday in the Brisbane International semifinals.

Thierry Henry will look to enhance his legendary status at Arsenal after completing a loan move to the English club he graced for eight years.

The former France striker had to wait a week to secure his two-month switch as Arsenal finalized insurance agreements with the New York Red Bulls, Henry's club in Major League Soccer.