CELEBRITY
BARCELONA TO OPEN CONTRACT TALKS WITH LIONEL MESSI & OTHER KEY STARS
Barcelona are eager to open contract talks with forward Lionel Messi next week to ensure he remains at the club after 2021.
The Argentine recently let a clause in his contract – which would have allowed him to leave the club for free this summer – expire, suggesting that he still sees a future for himself at Camp Nou.
Barcelona chiefs have long expressed a desire to keep Messi at the club for as long as possible, with rumours of a lifetime contract emerging. While that may not be true, Cope note that Barça intend to sit down with Messi in the coming days to begin negotiating a new deal. The story has since been corroborated by Sport, who add that Messi is still ‘full of excitement and motivation’ to continue adding to his unparalleled legacy at Camp Nou.
The soon-to-be 33-year-old also has his sights on a few more Ballons d’Or and there is an acceptance that staying at Barcelona will likely give him the best chance to win those individual awards.
However, given his age, talks will only ever be centred around short-term extensions to his €70m-a-year deal, rather than a long-term deal.
Messi’s contract is the most pressing in the current squad, but Mundo Deportivo note that Barcelona are eager to begin working on new deals for a number of their top stars as nobody in the first team is tied to the club past 2024 as it stands.
When it comes to the rest of the players whose contracts expire in 2021, Barcelona aren’t too fussed.
Ivan Rakitić and Arturo Vidal are up for sale, Luis Suárez can leave that summer if he doesn’t trigger his automatic extension and Riqui Puig’s deal can be extended by two years, leaving only academy midfielder Álex Collado to worry about.
However, it’s a different story for the 2022 bunch. Marc-André ter Stegen and Ansu Fati are two top priorities, while Gerard Piqué and Sergi Roberto also need negotiations. Nélson Semedo will be offered a new contract if he doesn’t leave this summer, and there’s also the future of Ousmane Dembélé to sort out.
As of now, the focus is on Messi, Ter Stegen, Fati and Semedo, but plans are being put in place to speak with all the others at some point down the line.
-90min
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
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