CELEBRITY
PSG Open Talks with Ronaldo as Mbappe’s Replacement
Paris Saint-Germain have reached out to Juventus over a deal to sign forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who could replace Kylian Mbappe if the Frenchman joins Real Madrid.
Real have been focused on signing Mbappe for years and are finally planning to move for him this summer, leaving PSG to draw up a shortlist of replacements which has included Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Well, there’s a new name on the shortlist as several outlets across Europe have confirmed that Ronaldo has been bumped up to the top priority.
The idea of Ronaldo joining PSG was floated out by La Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday and has since been backed up by AS, with both reports suggesting new Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is not particularly interested in keeping the high-earning superstar.
The reports claim that Ronaldo has wanted to leave Juventus for a while now, with the Italian side also exploring ways to get out from his enormous contract. It’s the kind of contract we usually say only PSG could afford, and here we are.
Allegri has made it clear that he hopes to build his attack around Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata, and he also dreams of adding former Inter hitman Mauro Icardi to his new-look attack – something PSG could turn into a reality.
Juventus have asked for Icardi as a straight-swap for Ronaldo, or a fee of around £25m if that doesn’t work for PSG, with the French side seriously considering pulling the trigger on the enormous deal.
It’s thought that PSG want to see Mbappe’s future resolved first. They dream of tying the forward down to a new long-term contract but know full-well that Real Madrid are waiting in the wings to snap him up, and those at the Parc des Princes see Ronaldo as a perfect alternative if they do lose their talisman.
Having said that, for the kind of money Juventus are looking for, there’s a good chance PSG could go for this deal even if they keep Mbappe. It might be a bit of a squeeze to fit his wages into the budget, but selling a handful of fringe players on top of offloading Icardi could get the job done.
For now, it’s worth keeping a close eye on Mbappe’s future. It seems as though the Frenchman holds the key to this entire monster merry-go-round. If he seals his move to Real as expected, all hell could break loose.
-90min
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.
The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”
-Reuters
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Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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