CELEBRITY
What next for Messi after Barca departure?
In a bombshell development, Barcelona announced on Thursday (Aug 5) that superstar and six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi would leave the club after 18 years.
The Catalan side said that financial regulations imposed by La Liga would prevent them from retaining their highest-ever goalscorer, which begs the question: What next for Messi?
Manchester City
When Messi asked to leave Barca in summer 2020, he was expected to link up with former coach Pep Guardiola in Manchester.
However, with City looking like they have moved on, signing playmaker Jack Grelish and reports linking them with Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, this avenue seems closed to the Argentine.
The Abu Dhabi controlled owners of City have deep pockets, though, and might see this as an opportunity that is too good to miss.
Paris St Germain
Perhaps the most likely move abroad. One of the few clubs in world football who could afford his wages, PSG have been linked with moves for Messi ever since they were taken over by Qatari Sports Investments in 2011.
With fellow countryman Mauricio Pochettino at the helm of the Ligue 1 side, former team mate and close friend Neymar and the electric Kylian Mbappe as potential strike partners, Messi might well prove the missing piece of the jigsaw in their quest to finally win the Champions League.
Staying at Barcelona
Some observers believe this announcement to be a major calling of La Liga’s bluff from Barca.
They say the best player in the world will leave the league because of league-imposed constraints in a bid to get La Liga to loosen their financial fair play (FFP) regulations to allow him to stay.
If that is the case, it is a bold move, with league chief Javier Tebas having frequently criticised the club’s financial situation and recently repeating that they need to drastically reduce their wage bill in order to retain Messi.
Whatever the outcome, it allows them to absolve themselves of responsibility in their fans’ eyes over the whole situation.
-Reuters
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup6 days ago
Victor Osimhen qualifies South Africa for World Cup as Super Eagles go for Play-Off
- World Cup1 week ago
Judgment Day Beckons in Group C: Only One Ticket, Three Contenders, Infinite Drama
- FIFA RANKING3 days ago
Nigeria Jumps Four Places in New FIFA Rankings; Stirs Optimism in Local Football Circles
- World Cup1 week ago
Super Eagles Stranded in Angola After Aircraft Suffers Cracked Windscreen
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Serial offenders, Kano Pillars Fined ₦9.5m, Banished to Katsina
- World Cup1 week ago
Akor Adams Becomes Nigeria’s 61st Scoring Debutant
- CAF Champions League3 days ago
Two Decades After Their Defeat, Mamelodi Sundowns Return to Abeokuta
- AFCON6 days ago
Tinubu Hails Super Eagles’ Spirit, Assures Support Ahead of World Cup Play-Offs