Daddy Yankee to Perform at Messi’s Charity Soccer Match

Daddy Yankee is partnering with soccer star Lionel Messi to raise money for at-risk children…

The 35-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton star will perform Thursday in Bogota during Match of the Stars, a benefit soccer match that aiming to raise money for the Leo Messi Foundation.

Daddy Yankee

“I wanted to accompany Messi and the rest of the players who are getting behind this cause,” Daddy Yankee said about the project organized by the 24-year-old Argentine futbolista, who was recently named the world’s best soccer player for the third straight year.

Daddy Yankee, the mastermind behind the popular songs “Gasolina” and “Impacto,” will sing during the halftime show at the exhibition game to be played at Bogota’s iconic El Campin stadium.

The money raised for the Messi Foundation will be used to help needy children in Colombia.

“Colombia has given me a lot and we have to support every initiative that helps make sure that the different foundations sheltering poor boys and girls in Colombia can to keep caring for them,” said Daddy Yankee.

During his halftime show, Daddy Yankee will premiere his new single “Pasarela” for the Colombian audience, as well as perform his hit song “Lovumba.” Both singles are included on his latest album Prestige, which goes on sale later this summer.

The lineup for the Match of the Stars will include the Argentines Messi and Javier Mascherano, Uruguayans Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez and the Colombian Radamel Falcao, all of whom will take part in the World Soccer Masters Tour at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium on Saturday, June 23.

Jennifer Lopez: The World’s Most Powerful Celebrity

Move over Lady Gaga… There’s a new fame monster in Hollywood… And, her name is Jennifer Lopez.

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress has been named the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez, who unseated Lady Gaga to reach No. 1 with a bullet, is the lone Hispanic superstar in the Top 25 on the just-released Celebrity 100 list, which shines a spotlight on the world’s most powerful celebrities.

The list ranks stars based on their masses of money, as well as their eternal fame –“fame” referring to just how well a given celebrity manages to blanket everything from television and magazines to your Facebook and Twitter feeds in a 12-month period.

The Latina multi-hyphenate parlayed her role as a judge on American Idol into hit singles like “Dance Again,” increased album sales, an upcoming world tour, three new movies and a growing portfolio of endorsements.

But that’s not all…

In September, Lopez launched a clothing and lifestyle collection for Kohl’s. In May she added an 18th scent to her successful fragrance line, Glow. And Lopez continues to work with her ex, Marc Anthony, on the Latin talent competition show, Q’Viva: The Chosen.

Here’s a look at the other Latino celebrities who made the list:

No. 44: Cristiano Ronaldo
No. 47: Rafael Nadal
No. 50: Lionel Messi
No. 59: Cameron Diaz
No. 61: Gisele Bunchen
No. 63: Alex Rodriguez
No. 76: Sofia Vergara
No. 81: Eva Longoria
No. 100: Adriana Lima

Click here for the full list.

Rubio Among the Nine Latinos on Time’s 100 Influentials List

He may be the junior United States Senator from Florida with only about 15 months in office… But, Marco Rubio is already being hailed as one of the most influential people in the world.

The 40-year-old Cuban American politician appears on Time magazine’s just released list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Senator Marco Rubio

“I knew there was something special about Marco Rubio when I first met him as a young Republican city commissioner. Bilingual and bicultural, he represents the best of the emerging second generation of Cuban immigrants,” writes former Florida governor Jeb Bush about the U.S. Senator who is being called a potential vice presidential pick for the Republican Party. “His ascendancy in politics has not surprised me or the people who know him. Rubio’s abiding faith in the promise of America is so compelling.”

But Senator Rubio isn’t the only Latino making Time’s ninth annual list. In all, nine Latinos made the cut, including three females.

Here’s a look at the rest of the world’s most influential Latinos, according to Time.

Louis C.K.

Louis C.K.
The 44-year-old Emmy and Grammy-winning Mexican-American comedian/actor is the star of FX’s comedy series Louie, which he also writes, directs and edits. Comedienne Joan Rivers writes of Louis C.K.:  “When he sent me the Louie episode he wanted me to do, I called him and said, ‘I like it, but I’d like to work with you on this.’ He was wonderful. There is absolutely no ego there — we reworked the script together and we improvised. It was such a meeting of the minds, such a joy.”

José Andrés
Last year, the 42-year-old Spanish chef and activist won the coveted James Beard Foundation‘s Outstanding Chef Award, the highest honor a chef in America can achieve. But José Andrés wasn’t honored for his gastronomic work; he was recognized for his philanthropic efforts. Fellow chef Anthony Bourdain writes about José Andrés: “That this gift of Spain to the U.S. is best known as a great chef with a portfolio of extraordinary restaurants in Washington, Los Angeles and Las Vegas is almost beside the point. He’s bigger and more important than that. No one kitchen — or 10 — can contain him. He is advocate, promoter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, artist. Keep up with him at your peril.”

Dulce Matuz

Dulce Matuz
The 27-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant and advocate is the president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, the group working to provide a path to citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria writes about Dulce Matuz, who attended high school and college in Arizona: “An undocumented Latina confronted with legal barriers to pursuing her engineering dream, she chose to fight for the right to contribute to the country she has called home since she was young. As president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, Dulce promotes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who, like her, were brought to the U.S. before they were 16, attend college or serve in the military and are of good moral character. Dulce takes on powerful opponents with grace and conviction, saying, ‘We are Americans, and Americans don’t give up.’”

Eike Batista

Eike Batista
The 55-year-old Brazilian business tycoon, one of the richest people in the world, is the owner and president of Brazilian conglomerate EBX Group. Eike Batista made the list for his commitment to social inclusion initiatives in Rio de Janeiro. The city’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, credited Batista for bolstering Rio’s successful bid to host the 2016 Olympics and for donating to civic initiatives. “He might be Brazil’s richest man and the world’s seventh richest, bringing vital investment to our city from oil and mining, but his most valuable asset is his commitment to Rio’s legacy,” writes Paes.

Juan Manuel Santos

Juan Manuel Santos
The 60-year-old Colombian President may be recognized for helping his country in its bid to be a more developed world player, but Colombian pop singer Shakira believes he’s also a strong leader at home, especially after working directly with President Juan Manuel Santos on education and childhood development programs throughout the country. She writes, “A leader is someone who understands the people’s vision of a better tomorrow and is willing to guide them there. In Colombia, we dream of a future of progress, prosperity and peace. By focusing on education, I believe President Santos is on the right track to make that dream a reality.”

Maria das Graças Silva Foster

Maria das Graças Silva Foster
The Brazilian oil engineer was recently named the CEO of Petrobras, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of oil. She becomes its first female CEO and the first woman to run a major oil company. And, she’s known for being a tough, no-nonsense operator. “Foster, 58, spent her early childhood in a working-class favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and collected recyclable cans and paper to help pay for school. A chemical engineer by training, she joined Petrobras and stayed for more than 30 years. Her tireless work habits earned her the nickname Caveirao, slang for the armored cars Brazilian police use to clear out slums,” writes Bryan Walsh, a senior editor at Time.

Dilma Rousseff
President
The 64-year-old Brazilian politician, considered one of the world’s most powerful women, is the first woman to hold the office of President in her native country. Argentina’s president Cristina Fernández De Kirchner writes of Rousseff, “She and I share many personal experiences: the drive that comes from our immigrant heritage, youthful activism and militancy and the challenges faced by women as they try to grow in a space dominated by men. And we agree that social inequality is the greatest problem facing our countries. Historically, what was “national” in Latin America used to run counter to the interests of the other nations in our region. Today, with the leadership of Dilma Rousseff, we see a Brazil convinced that its national interest is absolutely linked to the interests of its neighbors.”

Lionel-Messi-Barcelona-Football-Player

Lionel Messi
Earlier this year, the 24-year-old Argentinean soccer star, who plays for Futbol Club Barcelona, claimed his third consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Or, making him the first footballer to win the honor three years in a row. U.S. soccer star Mia Hamm writes of Lionel Messi: “He makes you hold your breath every time he touches the ball. It never seems to leave his feet. His love of the game and the pride he feels while playing for Barcelona and Argentina are palpable. Then you meet him, and you are reminded that he is only 5 ft. 7 in. (170 cm),” says Hamm. “He certainly has the potential to be remembered as the best player of all time, and I am so grateful for his approach to the game in this day and age. Clearly he plays because he loves it, and it shows every time he takes the field.

Click here for Time‘s complete list of influentials.

Messi Breaks Career Goals Record for Barcelona

Lionel Messi continues making strides in his quest to become the greatest soccer player of all time…

The 24-year-old Argentinean soccer star—who recently won the FIFA’s Ballon d’Or for the third consecutive yearbroke Cesár Rodríguez‘s career goals record for Barcelona, scoring his eighth hat trick of the season in Tuesday night’s 5-3 Spanish league win over Granada to increase his total to 234.

Lionel Messi

Messi, who made his Barcelona debut in 2004, tied Rodríguez’s record on a left-footed shot in the 17th minute for his 232nd goal, then chipped the goalkeeper for a 3-2 lead in the 67th. He added a goal from a tight angle in the 86th, increasing his season total to a career-best 54.

Late Monday, Barcelona announced Rodríguez’s total from 1942-55 was three fewer than the team had previously reported. A review by Barcelona’s Center of Documentation and Studies and the La Vanguardia newspaper determined he did not score goals attributed to him during the 1947-48, 1948-49, 1949-50 and 1952-53 seasons and also credited him with an additional goal in 1945-46.

Messi has scored in seven straight games, totaling 17 goals. He leads La Liga with 34 goals, two ahead of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

The hat trick was Messi’s 18th for Barcelona. His six goals in La Liga tie the season record set by Ronaldo last year.

Only a few weeks ago Messi scored five goals in one game.

Messi Named World’s Best Player for Third Straight Year…

It’s official… Lionel Messi is the king of the soccer field.

The 24-year-old Argentinean soccer star, who plays for Futbol Club Barcelona has received the FIFA’s Ballon d’Or, making him the 2011 best player in the world. Messi beat out his Barça teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo for the honor.

Lionel-Messi

Widely regarded as the world’s best forward, Messi is the first player to win the honor three years in a row. The only other three-time winners are Ronaldo (1996-97, 2002) and Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000, 2003). The FIFA award was renamed last year when it merged with France Football’s Golden Ball.

“It’s a huge honor,” Messi said after accepting the trophy from the retired Brazilian great, Ronaldo.

Last year, Messi scored 55 goals for Barcelona, which won its third Champions League title in six seasons, and he scored four goals for Argentina‘s national team.

Messi received 48 percent of the points in votes cast by national team coaches and captains plus selected reporters. Cristiano Ronaldo finished second with 22 percent and Xavi had 9 percent to finish third.

“This one is very special because I want to share this with my friend and teammate Xavi. He deserves it,” Messi said.

Meanwhile, Xavi described his teammate as “one of the best footballers in the history of the sport.”

“He’s still young. I think he’s probably going to break all the records that exist in the sport,” Xavi said.

A Ballon d’Or Threepeat for Messi?

He’s the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, having won the coveted trophy two years in a row… And now Lionel Messi is on the verge of a threepeat!

But the 24-year-old Argentine soccer superstar will have to beat out his fellow Futbol Club Barcelona teammate Xavi and his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo for the trophy, which is given annually to the player considered to have performed the best in the previous season.

Lionel-Messi-Barcelona-Football-Player

The three players were shortlisted this week for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or, with Messi the strong favorite to become only the second player in the award’s 55-year history to claim the trophy hat-trick in successive years.

Michael Platini, now president of European soccer’s governing body Uefa, is the only player to have achieved the feat to date. The Frenchman took home the award in 1983, 1984 and 1985.

Dutch stars Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten also claimed the title three times, but not in successive years.

The Ballon d’Or is awarded based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams, as well as journalists from around the world.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Marta will face off against the United States’ Abby Wambach and Japan’s Homare Sawa for the player of the year crown in the women’s division.

The 2011 awards will be voted for by national team coaches and captains, as well as a panel of soccer journalists.

The winners will be presented at a special ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland on January 9.