CELEBRITY
MANCHESTER CITY DRAW 10-YEAR PLAN FOR LIONEL MESSI
Although the initial plan to get Lionel Messi into their fold for the current season may have collapsed, Manchester City are unrelenting in the desire to get the Argentine legend.
According to Spanish publication, AS, the ‘citizen’ team is preparing an offer in which, in addition to being a player, it would allow Messi to be an ambassador and retire from another club in its group.
The report has it that when Manchester City considers signing Messi, it does not limit itself to thinking about the two, three, four or five years of football that remain in the elite.
Signing Messi has a business plan even deeper than the sports one. To convince him from January, when he will be able to negotiate freely with any other club, and beyond the performance that he could give again under Pep Guardiola, the English club is already preparing a dossier with the plan they have for him for the next ten years.
At 33 years old, and after unsuccessfully forcing his departure from Barcelona last summer, it seems that the offer for him will not only be from Manchester City as such, but from the entire City Football Group (CFG), the conglomerate that brings together several entities sports throughout the world.
Signing Leo Messi goes far beyond sports, and in the group they already throw numbers about the possible impact that his arrival would have at the advertising level and the revaluation of the brand.
On the other side of the scale, the extraordinary salary that he charges and that can pose a problem for a team threatened by the control of financial fair play .
If Messi ends up landing at City, and once his performance at the highest level is exhausted, he would have the opportunity to join any team in the group that is to his liking.
From the United States, where they have New York City FC, to Australia, with Melbourne City, passing, of course, through Asia, where they have Yokohama F Marinos.
Once he decides to definitely hang up his boots, and if he finally accepts the offer, the plan is for Messi to act as the group’s ambassador around the world, Manchester City taking advantage of his figure to establish himself once and for all as a full-fledged club of the football elite.
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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