For Drogba, the accolades are piling up. He is the all-time leading scorer for the Ivory Coast. He's scored more goals for London's Blues than any foreign player and ranks 9th all-time for the club which he helped to their first-ever league title in 2006. He is considered one of the best strikers on earth.

At the age of 31, Didier Drogba is already a national hero in the Ivory Coast. And while that is due in part to his being a great footballer, unlike many star athletes, his celebrity has as much to do with his humanitarian work. Drogba stands up not just for big games but important social and political issues in Africa, making him the perfect choice to be the global ambassador for Lace Up Save Lives.

A common love- and a common enemy.

The love is for the game of football. The enemy is AIDS.

And many programs in Africa like Grassroot Soccer are using the one to fight the other.

These programs use the unifying language and passion of the world’s greatest game to teach HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

The mission: Educate Africa’s younger generation, those still hopeful for the future and open to new ideas, to help stop the spread of HIV.

Through education, these programs rob the virus of one of its most effective weapons- ignorance.

It’s a simple formula. Which is why it’s so effective.

Join Grassroot Soccer and all of these organizations in their fight to help defeat AIDS in Africa.

90 minutes. That’s all the time you have to deliver a winning performance. But for every 90 minute game, you dedicate hours upon hours training. You commit to a goal. You rely on and support your teammates. All so that when needed, you can step up and change the game.

For the players at the Homeless World Cup it’s the same story. But more than the self-confidence, skills and wherewithal to change the game, soccer and all of its components- commitment, structure, team, goals- empowers the players to change their lives.

Conceived in 2001 by founders Mel Young and Harald Schmied, the Homeless World Cup, now in its seventh year, brings together people who are homeless and excluded to represent their countries and battle it out in a weeklong street soccer tournament.

“We didn’t know it would work, to be honest” Mel says. “But then at the first Cup we saw the players change psychologically before our eyes. The pride they felt by wearing their national colors. The effort they put in, and the love they felt from the crowd. For the first time in some of these people’s lives, they were being treated like human beings. The stands were packed with fans who just the week before crossed the road to get away from these homeless people were now cheering them on as if soccer stars. It is a life changing moment.”

The Homeless World Cup has grown from 18 teams to 500 players from 48 nations with over 30,000 homeless people benefiting from the training and trials for the 2009 tournament in Milan.

Over 70% of the players improve their lives by quitting drugs and alcohol, finding jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with families, and even going on to become players and coaches for pro football teams. And success is not limited to the players. The tournament brings new life and shatters stereotypes not just for the homeless but the spectators as well.

Join the team and be a part of the team at homelessworldcup.org

Reactions tell you everything about a player. How do you react to starting a huge game on the bench? How do you react when you get your moment?

After 50 minutes of El Clasico, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent on to Make the Difference. He'd been on the pitch five minutes when he ran onto a Dani Alves ball and thumped a volley home. 1-0.

Barcelona took the win and went two points clear at the top of the league. Perfect reaction.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about FC Barcelona at their team page.

Lace Up Saves Lives
It’s time to stop wishing for a medical answer to Africa’s medical crisis. Because one already exists. And while it’s only part of a larger solution, it can help millions already dying from AIDS to live dramatically longer and fuller lives.

You can contribute to this just by lacing up a pair of shoelaces in your favourite shoes. Which means that just by going about your own life, you can help save someone else’s. Get involved.

How it works

1. 1. You purchase (NIKE)RED laces.
2. 2. Nike is contributing 100% of its profits from the sale to the Global Fund and to soccer-based programs that help fight AIDS in Africa.
3. 3. Funds are received by programs like Grassroots Soccer, which uses football as a framework to teach youths how to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS.
4. 4. Funds are also contributed to The Global Fund to fund HIV/AIDS programs that support the purchase of lifesaving Antiretroviral (ARV) medication, training of medical staff, HIV testing and treatment to help prevent the transmission of the virus from pregnant mothers to their babies.
5. 5. Life-saving knowledge is received by the next generation in Africa.

MES is more than football. The humanitarian partnership between FC Barcelona, Nike and UNHCR brings sport and education to underprivileged youth and refugees around the world.

The kids touched by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have been forced from their homes out of fear of persecution and often fear for their lives. They live in temporary refugee camps across borders in foreign countries. Temporary lasts for years, and often entire childhoods are spent in these camps, which struggle to hold tens of thousands of refugees.

The children leave behind everything familiar to them, carrying with them the memory of the terrifying events that forced them to leave their homes. Sport provides a familiarity and a point of connection to their former lives. It helps them cope with the traumas, connect with new neighbors, and make friends with other children in the camps.

As cliche as it sounds, when they are playing sports, they can be kids again. They've lived through more pain than anyone--child or adult--should have to, and if but for a moment sport returns their minds and emotions back to that ideal. It allows them to be themselves.

The net proceeds from the sale of MES-branded products are distributed through the FC Barcelona Foundation and UNHCR's ninemillion.org campaign to help raise awareness and fund projects that contribute to sports and education for some of the most disadvantaged youth in the world.

Discover more at mesfootball.org

In 2004 an aging school building lay abandoned in the middle of one of the largest housing projects in the Lambeth area of London, England. Gang crime and violence were daily realities. The community was in dire need of something to help pull itself from their own abandonment.

Five years on, the Sports Action Zone (SAZ)--part community center, part sports complex--is delivering sports, education, vocational training, and volunteer opportunities to thousands of neighborhood residents.

Made possible by the Football Foundation, the UK's largest sports charity, SAZ represents the unique partnerships the foundation elicits between voluntary, public and corporate sectors to create sustainable change in the form of increased participation in sports, social inclusion, health, education and equalities.

In Lambeth, those principles turned an abandoned building into a permanent community center, which is not not just changing lives, but generations.

To date, the Foundation has provided 1,681 schools with new football facilities, funded over 480 changing pavilions, built over 220 artificial turf fields, given away over 263,000 uniforms, and supported 2,105 community initiatives using football as a vehicle to tackle life's greater challenges.

Big games need big players. And they don't come much bigger than Barcelona v Real Madrid.

Barca are still fizzing with confidence after becoming the first Spanish team in history to win the treble. Madrid are swaggering through the season as Galacticos Episode II looks set to go interstellar. Perfect time for El Clasico.

Cristiano Ronaldo expects to return from injury for the trip to Camp Nou. Madrid sit one point above Barca. But everything could change on Sunday.

Can Cristiano make the difference? Will Iniesta step up and dominate the game?

Have your say at Facebook.com/nikesoccer.

Follow Iniesta's build-up on his own Facebook fan page.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Barcelona at their team page.

When you’re staring down the barrel of European elimination, it takes great control to handle the pressure, to play with belief.

Time and again, Andres Iniesta has proved he has that control. And now he’s sharing his insights on his own Facebook fan page.

Take a look to find out how the Spanish playmaker prepares for a match, how he makes the most of every training session, what it means to be part of a historic treble-winning team.

Train with Iniesta

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Barcelona at their team page.

The best come ready for battle. But who battled best this week?

It's not about scoring goals. It's about total match performance. It's about running all over the field, winning every 50/50 ball. It's all the intangibles that don't show up on the score sheet but in the end turn the game for your team.

That's a Pro Combat Player, and now it's your turn to tell us who is the first Pro Combat Player of the Week.

Each Monday we'll select three players who personified what it means to be a Pro Combat Player from the weekend, and then you tell us who you thought came best prepared for battle.

To vote, head to Facebook/nikesoccer or reply to @nikesoccer at Twitter with your vote and the hashtag filter #procombat. We'll announce the winner on Wednesday.

This week, clubs returned to league competition after the international break and looked to begin the home stretch toward the winter break with strong play. Who stepped up? Here's the three we've selected who exemplified what it means to be a Pro Combat Player. Now you tell us which battled the best.



Patrice Evra

Earning the highest (and nearly perfect) player rating on the field, the Manchester United left back not only locked down opponents on defense but pushed forward to provide offense for a team whose usual attackers didn't produce as they usually do. When the team needed him, he was there, killing it at every opportunity.



Mesut Ozil

Quite simply, the young German put on an absolute masterclass. in a 6-0 victory that temporarily put his team, Werder Bremen, on top of the league table, Ozil scored one goal and set up 4 others, working up and down the field, forcing defenders to hack him down in order to stop him. But this weekend, there was no stopping the man that might be the next big European star.



Aaron Lennon

Don't tell him size matters. One of the shortest but fastest players in England's top flight looked like one of the biggest this weekend, and maybe became the best winger. Lennon drove his marker mad up the flank for the entire 90 minutes while providing four assists and a goal in the 9-1 shocker that earned him a perfect 10 player rating.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

A captain does more than lead a team. They're more than the coach on the field.

They are the personification of the team, the heart and soul that drives the greater being.

On Sunday when Los Angeles and Salt Lake collide for the league championship, two captains will take their teams to the brink of history.

Will it be Landon Donovan, the 2009 award magnet looking to add more hardware?

Or will Kyle Beckerman control the middle of the field and find the first trophy for his club?

If either of these captains can take over the game, their team is likely to hoist the cup.

Soccer is not a one-man game, but one man can make the difference.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Learn more about the USMNT and its players at their team page.

Almost four years of sacrifice and struggle will end in a final game, a last battle to be played in a truly iconic football temple.

The Centenario stadium will witness Uruguay's qualification to South Africa or Costa Rican heroics.

It's time to make the difference and Nicolás Lodeiro knows it well.

4,895 miles separate Montevideo and Johannesburg. On Wednesday they will only be 90 minutes away from each other.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Portugal took the first step. With the players under extreme pressure, they defended and scored the first goal.

End of the first 90 minutes. But to win a 180 minute match, that isn’t enough.

In the second round, Bosnia will not just be facing Portugal's 11 best players. It will have to beat the strength of 10 million defenders, the pressure of 10 million midfielders and the scoring instinct of 10 million strikers.

Bosnia will jump into the field with 11 warriors. Portugal, with one single spirit. An indestructible spirit.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Portugal on their team page.

Qualification accomplished but all the questions have not been answered.

There is still time and plenty to prove for many of the USMNT players.

Taking on Slovakia on Saturday and Denmark on Wednesday, the final two games of 2009 come against quality European opponents also heading to South Africa. That is no coincidence.

European veterans Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra anchor a squad of young guns like Benny Feilhaber, Robbie Rogers, and Jonathan Bornstein as the USMNT looks to close the year by starting anew.

These are the first steps for the team toward South Africa but one of the last chances for players to solidify their spot on this summer's squad.

Who will make a case?

Let us know who you think makes the difference this week.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about the USMNT at their team page.

Lassana Diarra is used to defying the odds. Not the tallest, the fastest, or the strongest, he's carved a role for himself in Les Blues midfield from sheer determination and committed training.

If he gets his chance to show what he can do against the Irish, every second of his preparation will be tested. There's a spot in South Africa at stake.

Watch the video to see Lassana in training.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

After a tough qualifying campaign, Portugal have the chance to book their spot in South Africa. Now is the time to step up and make the difference.

But Bosnia stand in their way. Win and the 2006 semi-finalists get a crack at world glory in 2010. Lose and they get a summer of pain.

Will Portugal make it through and give the reigning World Player of the Year the chance to perform on the game's biggest stage?

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Portugal at their team page.

The best come ready for battle. But who battled best this week?

It's not about scoring goals. It's about total match performance. It's about running all over the field, winning every 50/50 ball. It's all the intangibles that don't show up on the score sheet but in the end turn the game for your team.

That's a Pro Combat Player, and now it's your turn to tell us who is the first Pro Combat Player of the Week.

Each Monday we'll select three players who personified what it means to be a Pro Combat Player from the weekend, and then you tell us who you thought came best prepared for battle.

To vote, reply to @nikesoccer at Twitter with your vote and the hashtag filter #procombat. We'll announce the winner on Wednesday.



Mesut Ozil - Werder Bremen
The one they call Little Diego, because his feet are so fleet, made a difficult volley appear passe, netting Werder Bremen's only goal in a hard fought draw. But that's just the scoresheet. Mesut had more chances and nearly delivered a hat trick. He didn't fret when defenses rose up to turn him away; Ozil pushed on, fighting to the final whistle.

Wayne Rooney - Manchester United
His team lost, but he was everywhere, the immovable object in constant motion. He tracked back on defense and was a constant threat on attack. Wherever Rooney was on Sunday, he was causing problems. The pitbull of a striker isn't pushed around, even in a loss.

Clint Dempsey - Fulham FC
By drawing a penalty and slotting it home the from the mark, Clint Dempsey scored his third goal in as many weeks by displaying the hard edge and non-stop motor that helped him rise from a tiny town in Texas to the bright lights of London. His effort throughout propelled him to the highest match rating with 8.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Before you wade into combat, you must be prepared – mentally and physically.

Rooney is ready. Ready to take on the in-form blues and ready to take United to the top of the table.

Prepare for combat.

Second game against the Germans. Second goal from Navas.

In the first leg, the winger was the offensive mainstay of the team, pulling a goal out of his hat. At home, the Sevillian did not stop. With a burst of speed that ripped the numbers off his rivals' shirts, he buried the ball in the net.

Navas has proved he is fast, even to catch the final round of Europe's biggest cup, making it clear he is not merely a promise, but a leader.

FC Porto’s commitment to victory is stronger than ever. While the other teams are still struggling to get to the final round, the Dragons have already accomplished it.

But such a team does not resign itself to qualify. It has a score to settle with the Blues and for sure it will. FC Porto warns: numbers have qualified the team, but not its ambition.

They want to be first in their group. This is how the great ones begin. This is what makes the difference.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

When you're young, you think you can take on the world. Sometimes you're right.

With his team down 2-0 to Juventus, Marek Hamsik decided enough was enough.

In the 58th minute he slotted in at the far post to ignite the comeback. But that was just the beginning.

Less than 10 minutes to go, 2-2. Marek ran onto a perfectly cushioned ball and lashed a shot into the top corner for all three points.

Just wait until he's unleashed in South Africa next year.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

After a yearlong injury, it's time for Marco Borriello to be back on field. Saturday night against Parma he began to again make the difference.

Dinho invents and Borriello hits the target. A deadly breakaway slipped past the goalkeeper was only upstaged by what was the goal of the day: Ronaldinho dribbled through two defenders and served a fantastic ball in the center of the box where Borriello drops his body to catch the volley with a flying kick.

Borriello is just beginning his rise to success. He fears nobody and wants to be the best striker in Milan. With performances like this, he may just get there.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.