CELEBRITY
TENNIS’ NAOMI OSAKA, FOOTBALL’S MEGAN RAPINOE AMONG ATHLETES ON TIME 100 LIST
US Open champion Naomi Osaka, American women’s football player Megan Rapinoe and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes were among the athletes named on the 2020 “Time 100” list of the most influential people in the world.
The annual list, which is not ranked, honours individuals who have had the most significant impact on the global landscape that year and includes heads of state, business leaders, activists and entertainers, among others. There is no winner named.
The athletes on the American magazine’s list have enjoyed sporting success as well as promoting other causes. Rapionoe had fought for gender-pay equity in football while Osaka has supported the Black Lives Matter movement.
Osaka wore a mask bearing the name of a different Black American before each match at the US Open, where she clinched the title, in support of the fight against racial injustice in the United States.
Four-time Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) champion and twice Olympic gold medallist Maya Moore, who skipped two seasons of her sport to fight for criminal justice reform in the United States, was also named on the list and penned Osaka’s tribute.
“Watching Naomi Osaka play the US Open, I was inspired by how beautifully she wove her dominant athletic performance into another narrative,” wrote Moore.
“It took humility and grace to point beyond what she was doing, winning on one of the biggest stages in her craft, at something more important.”
Other athletes named on the list included six-time Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Allyson Felix, six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, retired 13-time National Basketball Association All-Star Dwyane Wade and back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
-Reuters
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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