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.
ADWAIDH RAJAN, BBC
He’s better known as a Premier League and international footballer, but Alex Iwobi wants his music – as well as his on-pitch exploits – to inspire young people.
After starting his rap career earlier this year, the Fulham and Nigeria midfielder has released his second single, titled What’s Luv?.
Iwobi’s debut offering was Don’t Shoot in June, which has been streamed almost 60,000 times on Spotify.
The 28-year-old, who goes by the name ’17’, collaborated with his former Arsenal team-mate Chuba Akpom (performing as Skoli) and former England youth international Medy Elito (Don-EE) for his first release.
Iwobi’s debut song was aimed at deterring youngsters from street violence, while his latest release is a “celebration of his African roots”.
“Growing up in an area of London that is challenging for some people, I know how hard it can be and I’m grateful to have a platform to try and make a difference,” Iwobi said.
“I hope that my music is another way of proving that young people do not have to feel they have to fit in just one box. I want them to be encouraged to achieve their dreams, to put their focus into positive things.”
Iwobi has started all nine Premier League matches for Marco Silva’s Fulham this season and scored his second goal of the campaign in a 1-1 draw against his old club Everton last week.
“Creating music doesn’t take anything away from my football, it helps me switch off. I will always work hard and try to improve in my sport, but this is a good use of my spare time,” he said.
Footballer forays into music
Iwobi, however, is not the first footballer to go into music.
A reworked version of folk rock band Lindisfarne’s track Fog on the Tyne, with vocals by Paul Gascoigne, reached number two on the UK singles chart in 1990.
Former England striker Andy Cole’s cover of the Gap Bands’ song Outstanding peaked at number 68 while then Tottenham and Three Lions team-mates Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle released Diamond Lights, which reached number 12 in 1987.
Kevin Keegan’s 1979 song Head over Heels in Love made it to 31 in the charts.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is an accomplished drummer, while former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin invented his own musical instrument which he called the Dube.
A masked rapper named ‘Dide’ rose to fame last year, claiming to be a Premier League footballer.
-BBC
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
Edo Queen player makes podium-finisher dominated Women’s Champions League Best XI
Moroccan derby headlines CAF Champions League Group stage kick off
Real’s Vinicius out of Champions League clash at Liverpool
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
AFCON4 days agoLibyans accuse Super Eagles of match-fixing
-
CAF Women's Leage6 days agoHistory-chasing Edo Queens produce two of Africa’s best 11
-
AFCON1 week agoBREAKING! Ghana Black Stars out of 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
-
Nigerian Football3 days agoNigeria football legend, Owolabi begins 70th birthday celebration
-
OBITUARY6 days agoEgyptian footballer Mohamed Shawky dies after collapsing on pitch
-
AFCON7 days agoAnother load of rubbish by the Super Eagles!
-
CAF Women’s Champions League: Reigning champions aiming at record third title5 days agoEncore! Edo Queens face FC Masar again as AS FAR and Mazembe meet once more
-
CAF Women's Leage4 days agoEdo Queens’ Emem Essien tells the story of her Journey from Street Football to Continental Glory