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Lionel Messi has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for his astonishing 91-goal year for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012.

To find out which athletic organizations shell out the most dough, ESPN The Magazine and Sportingintelligence surveyed 278 teams in 14 major pro leagues. The result? More than 7,000 athletes make a combined $15.69 billion in salary.

Top European clubs aren't just playing meaningless exhibitions here in the U.S. this summer. They're locked in a battle for the hearts and minds of American fans, writes Roger Bennett.

FC Barcelona, the last major European soccer team without advertising on its shirts, is about to sell out