CELEBRITY
UPROAR AS BARCA PROMOTE NEW HOME KIT WITH MESSI’S IMAGE
Daily Mail in UK has reported that angry Barcelona supporters have slammed the club for using an image of Lionel Messi to sell their new home kit – just hours before the player’s father meets with president Josep Bartomeu to discuss his son’s exit this summer.
Club officials released the advert of Messi, who is stood front and centre wearing the home strip, while Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Pique and Marc-Andre ter Stegen flank the Argentine.
In what appears to be a calculated move, the Barcelona board are hoping to show that the 33-year-old still has a future at the Nou Camp ahead of talks with Messi’s father Jorge on Wednesday.
However, the advert has caused backlash from fans on social media with many claiming that the club are wrong to include Messi in any shape or form, considering he will most likely leave the club in the coming weeks.
Many hit out at the club for holding Messi hostage, after the player himself sensationally handed a transfer request to force through a move to Manchester City.
One fan demanded the club to stop using pictures of Messi to help sell their merchandise, saying: ‘Stop advertising the jersey with Messi, just let him go ffs, the man deserves this much.’
Others branded the club as ‘shameless’ for trying to capitalise on the financial gain of still having Messi on their books.
With Messi set to leave, one Twitter user insisted that the club had advertised the 2020-21 home kit on false pretenses, saying: ‘False advertising. Messi doesn’t come with the kit anymore.’
Another pointed out how the talismanic forward isn’t getting the respect he deserves after what he’s done for the club.
The comment read: ‘Messi deserves same respect as Iniesta, how he was let even when he was in middle of a contract, they should show Messi same respect he deserves better farewell than this.’
Twitter user @phil_papa then slated the club over keeping Messi, labelling them as a ‘disgrace’.
He said: ‘You’ve turned this into “Less que un club”. Have some decency, show great players some respect, nurture talent, stop shady transfer deals and find real managers with might and a vision for the club. What you are doing to this institution is an absolute disgrace.’
The kit, which was unveiled in July, was made available to purchase on Wednesday.
Manchester City are hopeful of bringing Messi to the Premier League, though it would not be financially feasible to get a deal done if Barcelona continue to dig their heels in with the 33-year-old’s release clause set at an eye-watering £629million.
Barcelona insist Messi is still under contract and have urged him to stop pursuing a move away and commit to a new deal.
Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The League of Wealthy Sportsmen
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2025
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