CELEBRITY
AMAZING! CRISTIANO RONALDO TO JOIN MESSI AT BARCELONA
The era of Ronaldo versus Messi may be over if the move to get the former out of Juventus comes to fruition.
Daily Mail has reported that Cristiano Ronaldo has been offered to Barcelona in a sensational move that would see him play alongside Lionel Messi.
Juventus are reportedly trying to relieve themselves of his £28m salary
The former Real Madrid talisman could be on his way out from Juventus, after two season with The Old Lady – who are trying to get his huge £28m-per-year salary off their books, according to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.
He explained to the BBC that the Serie A champions are desperate to ship off Ronaldo due to his astronomical wages that they have been offering him out to Europe’s elite, including Barcelona.
He told 5 Live Sport: ‘He’s been offered everywhere, including Barcelona. I’m not sure if they can get rid of him easily with the kind of money he earns. Who is going to pay that kind of money?’
Barcelona have been hit hard financially by the coronavirus pandemic and look unable to make big money signings during the summer period, as they hope to bridge the gap to LaLiga champions Real Madrid.
Whilst an attacking duo of Lionel Messi and Ronaldo has been a spectacle football fans have been crying out for since they both announced themselves on the world stage around 15 years ago, it looks incredibly unlikely to become a reality this summer.
The two have been battling it out on the highest stage in football and dividing opinion amongst who is the better player for over a decade. They share eleven Balon d’Or awards between them; Messi with six and Ronaldo with five, and have a combined 1,272 career goals.
Ronaldo still has two years left on his deal with Juventus, as he penned a hugely lucrative four-year deal back in 2018. The player has made no comment or action to suggest he wants to leave the club, however, with the recent sacking of Maurizio Sarri his priorities for the future remain unknown.
Amid the arrival of new Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo, the club are looking to axe players such as Aaron Ramsey and potentially Paulo Dybala as they look to rebuild under the Italian. The Welshman’s reported £250,000-per-week salary would help fund a new-look team that the Serie A side want, after they crashed out of the Champions League to Lyon.
Whilst Ramsey has not featured much for Juve this season and his loss would not have much impact on the pitch, Ronaldo has been the club’s top goalscorer since his arrival and his presence would be sorely missed if he was to depart. He has scored 65 goals and managed 18 assists from 89 matches in a Juventus shirt.
Balague explained: ‘The reason why Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with PSG, it’s not so much because PSG are thinking of getting him, but because Jorge Mendes [Ronaldo’s agent] has been given instructions to actually find a team for Ronaldo.’
Whilst there has never been much interest from Les Parc des Princes for the talisman, a report from France football suggested that Ronaldo was considering a move to Paris Saint-Germain to form an attacking trio with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
The report claimed he dreamed of playing alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, having maintained a close bond with the Brazilian star while also reportedly ‘adoring’ the France World Cup winner.
The Portuguese attacker instead opted to join Juventus in July 2018 in a huge money move from LaLiga giants Real Madrid.
Ronaldo had a hugely successful career at the Bernabeu, winning two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. He completed a £90million move to Italy and continued his impressive scoring form inside his first two seasons, despite turning 35 years old back in February.
However, in the last few months the Portugal international has been rumoured with moves across the globe along with the team he used to play for.
Balague added: ‘We have seen this over the last months, we have seen links with Real Madrid, Madrid said ‘no chance! He’s not coming back.’
‘There have been talks about MLS etcetera, because Juventus wants to get rid of that wage. It’s as drastic as that.’
MESSI vs RONALDO
Balon d’Or wins: Messi 6, Ronaldo 5
Career goals: Messi 634, Ronaldo 638
Career assists: Messi 285, Ronaldo 223
CELEBRITY
Ronaldo reaches one billion followers on social media
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
CELEBRITY
Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel
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
CELEBRITY
Lionel Messi set to hang boots
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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