CELEBRITY
Day Barca fans dreaded has come
A day that Barcelona fans have long dreaded has come, as Lionel Messi is no longer a Blaugrana player. A whole 7,504 days after his first contract with the club was signed, on a napkin no less, the forward’s contractual link to the club has ended.
With his most recent deal running until June 30, Messi has become a free agent at midnight, as June turned into July.
Joan Laporta has been working hard to convince Messi to renew and the new club president wanted to sign a contract with the Argentine before the most recent one expired, but it wasn’t to be.
This doesn’t mean Messi is leaving the club, as those in charge at the Camp Nou believe he will put pen to paper on a new deal and continue to wear the blue and red colours. At this moment in time, though, Messi is not a Barcelona player.
The club’s financial problems prevented a new deal from being signed before the June 30 expiry date. The relationship between Laporta and Messi’s father is very good, but there are several aspects of the new contract that still need to be ironed out. An agreement could be reached soon, perhaps in a few days, but it hasn’t been established as of yet.
Laporta, who has urged fans to remain calm, wants Messi to sign a new deal as soon as possible. He doesn’t like that the forward isn’t a Barcelona player, even if it’s just for a few days, while sponsors don’t like this either, both existing ones and potential new partners.
Nike, for example, are looking to promote the new shirt and they can’t advertise it with Messi, at least at this moment in time. That’s just one example, but other sponsors don’t want to sign up to new deals while Messi isn’t guaranteed to be a part of the Catalan club’s future.
The Messi transfer rumours
Barcelona would also like to announce Messi’s renewal to put an end to the speculation and rumours.
There doesn’t appear to be another club ready to try to convince Messi to sign for them right now, something other teams have been legally allowed to try to do since January. But, stranger things have happened in football.
Barcelona don’t like that Messi is a free agent at this moment in time. For now, though, that’s the reality.
-Marca
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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