CELEBRITY
LIONEL MESSI SET TO SUE EL MUNDO & BARCELONA OFFICIALS OVER CONTRACT LEAK
Lionel Messi is set to sue Spanish newspaper El Mundo and the five Barcelona club members who may have been responsible for leaking images of his current contract to the media.
The 33-year-old put pen to paper on the deal back in 2017, and the documents leaked at the end of January show that the Argentinian superstar will have earned an eye-watering €492m by the time it expires in the summer of 2021.Messi is understandably furious over the article printed in El Mundo, and he has decided to take legal action against the Spanish outlet, as well as the five Barça officials who had access to the private documents, as reported by RAC1.
It is the first time that the superstar has laid the blame at anyone’s door, for an act which is considered to be of illegal activity, and punishable by the law.
Details published in the report show that the superstar became the highest-paid player in world football back in 2017, when he signed the bumper contract in question, worth €492m.
The story has caught the world’s attention, with many turning against Messi and blaming him for Barcelona’s financial demise.
Messi suspects that former president Josep Maria Bartomeu is behind the leak, given the fractious nature of their relationship, which led to the forward attempting to terminate his contract in order to force a move away from Camp Nou in the summer.
Along with Bartomeu, Jordi Mestre, the former vice-president, general manager Oscar Grau, president of the club’s management board Carles Tusquets, and head of the club’s legal services Roma Gomez Ponti are all possible culprits for this crime.
Barcelona are also carrying out an internal investigation of their own to understand who could have leaked the documents to the press, as they look to repair relationships with their talisman.
But with Messi’s contract expiring in the summer and the Argentine weighing up his options, this act of betrayal may be the final straw for Barça’s greatest ever player.
-90MIN
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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