As for the Literature Prize, only 12 Americans have won it in more than 100 years.
Teams from only four nations have won it: the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Steve Brooker could even have won it for Doncaster but blazed a shot over.
And the company's size, success and ways of doing business have won it some vocal enemies.
The Netherlands played a wonderful match against Germany but we lost and we should have won it.
"The crowd was incredible and I don't know if we could have won it without them, " he said.
Then came Cole's decisive intervention - and still Portsmouth could have won it.
Its actions, however, do not seem to have won it the support it sought: witness the university elections held in December.
Makybe was the first to win the Melbourne Cup three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2005 (four other horses have won it twice).
After Ryan Mullan had cancelled out Richard Clarke's first-half goal for Newry, Mark McAllister looked to have won it on 90 minutes for Dungannon.
Allen ensured extra-time with his spectacular free-kick but Emmett Friars could have won it for City in normal time, his effort coming off the bar.
The invitational Cup was established by Supporters Direct in 2002, and the first ever final was won by AFC Wimbledon - who have won it three times.
Super League's top try scorer Yeaman then looked to have won it when he completed the fifth hat-trick of his Hull FC career six minutes from time.
With seven minutes remaining, Westerman tied the scores at 30-30 with a penalty and Sherwin looked to have won it for Castleford with a 25-yard drop goal.
Dortmund substitute Mario Goetze looked to have won it when he stabbed home for their third but Anderson salvaged a point for the home side after 73 minutes.
Messi is the first Barcelona player to win the award since Brazilian forward Ronaldinho took it in 2005, and the sixth to have won it while at the club.
Kalou could still have won it right at the end but his control let him down badly and he shot weakly at Nikopolidis to sum up his team's efforts.
But Egypt's Pharaohs could have won it in extra-time had their captain Ahmed Hassan not struck the post after being awarded one of the most controversial penalties in Nations Cup history.
Clarke then survived a third-umpire let-off when Monty Panesar claimed a catch at mid-on, before youngster Steffan Piolet looked to have won it when he hit the fourth ball for four.
"As much as we would have liked to have won it, as much as we were disappointed we didn't win it, the true objective is the race coming up Saturday, " he said Wednesday.
Cresswell could have won it for the home side six minutes from the end but he hesitated, allowing Micah Hyde to dispossess him despite having the goal at his mercy after Chamberlain had pushed out Fuller's stinging shot.
In my whole career I can't remember celebrating a draw, but on Monday, the emotion of drawing such a match was nearly as strong as if we had have won it - but I must emphasise the word 'nearly'.
And with the proposed settlement, "Microsoft may not just have won the battle, it may have won the war, " he said.
Coke's aggressive acquisition policy and its insensitive handling of this summer's Belgian contamination scandal have not won it friends, either.
Perhaps one of the other cities would have won if it had offered a real program for building an economy that could create jobs for its poor.
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Mr Harlock said he was "very relieved" to have won but it had had a "negative" effect on his health and he had been "suicidal on occasions".
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