CELEBRITY
TALE OF TWO STARS: RONALDO GOT HIS FRIENDLY EXIT BUT MESSI MAY END UP IN COURT
Cult hero, Lionel Messi has spent his entire club career at FC Barcelona, the club which had been built around him since his La Liga debut on 16 October 2004 in the game against Espanyol.
He got in at the 82nd minute. At the time, he was 17 years, three months, and 22 days old – the youngest player to represent Barcelona in an official competition.
Now, he is having challenges, finding an exit gate.
In comparison and almost within the same time frame, Cristiano Ronaldo had changed clubs from Porto in Portugal to Manchester United in the English Premiership and then to Real Madrid from where he moved to Juventus.
No doubt, the Portuguese was treated much better by Real Madird even though he also had a whopping release clause. In the case of Messi, the Argentine may end up in court for asking Barcelona to let him leave.
The club is unwilling to let him go unless the €700m release clause is paid in full. Messi has asked for a friendly exit several times already yet the club remain firm in their stance.
By contrast, Ronaldo was treated differently when he parted ways with Real Madrid two years ago. The Portuguese had a €1 billion release clause in his contract yet Juventus landed him for mere €100million. As for Messi, his potential transfer fee hasn’t been revealed.
Still, there were rumours that the Catalans would ask for more than €222m they received for Neymar in 2017.
Finally, the relationship between Ronaldo and Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez has never worsened even after Cristiano’s exit while Messi is highly unlikely to make peace with Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Barcelona President.
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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