CELEBRITY
I FULLY DESERVE BALLON D’OR, SAYS BAYERN MUNICH STRIKER ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski said on Saturday (Aug 29) that if the Ballon d’Or was not cancelled, he should have been given a reward as he won everything this season.
In the Saturday interview for the Polish paper Przeglad Sportowy, Lewandowski told how he had reacted after the information that there will be no winner this year.
“If the organisers didn’t cancel the Ballon d’Or, I should have been the winner. I won everything this year. Winning the Champions League was my greatest dream and I achieved it. I’m really proud of that. In the final game against PSG, I didn’t score but I worked really hard for my team,” he said.
He had a perfect season to win the treble with Bayern Munich.
The 32-year-old became the top scorer of the Bundesliga and Champions League.
He was believed to be a strong favourite to win Ballon d’Or but the France Football magazine cancelled the vote due to the Covid-19 pandemic in June.
In the Champions League final, Bayern beat French champions Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 thanks to Kingsley Coman’s goal from the second half.
“PSG created their chances but I knew that we would win this match. After finding the net, we had everything under control. In the final phase of the match, Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic came in and the opponent got a message that we will put the pressure on them until the end. We felt that It could be our year for a long time,” said the Poland captain.
The player also revealed his next objectives. “We would like to lift the European Supercup and German Supercup. The more you have, the more you want. We have a young, strong team. It seems to me that none of us will be satisfied with what we just won,” he said.
– XINHUA
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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