CELEBRITY
PSG may pursue Cristiano Ronaldo next summer
Paris Saint-Germain have been tipped to try and sign Cristiano Ronaldo next summer as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe, who is expected to join Real Madrid.
Mbappe is out of contract at PSG next summer. But while president Nasser Al-Khelaifi declared at Lionel Messi’s official unveiling this week that there is ‘no excuse’ for the young Frenchman not to sign a new contract, he could still run down his deal and move to Madrid as a free agent.
Despite his public stance, Spanish sports news outlet, AS reports that Al-Khelaifi privately believes Mbappe will not renew, despite telling him already that he won’t be leaving this summer.
It is claimed that PSG are prepared for him to leave for free next summer and already have their eye on Ronaldo as a replacement.
Ronaldo is also due to be a free agent in 2022 when his current Juventus contract expires and is seemingly a target for the French giants.
The justification appears to be that while they will receive no transfer fee for Mbappe, they will also not have to pay one for Ronaldo.
Although Ronaldo will turn 37 in February, he remains one of the best players in the world and scored another 36 goals in 44 total appearances for Juve last season, as well as five for Portugal at Euro 2020 that currently make him the joint leading men’s international goalscorer of all time.
AS note that PSG would offer the Portuguese icon a two-year contract until 2024, by which time he would be 39 and considering whether he wants to continue his playing career or carry on in a less demanding league such as MLS or in Qatar.
If PSG can pull off such a transfer it would put Ronaldo and Messi, who have won 11 Ballon d’Or awards between them and have dominated world football since the late 2000s, on the same team for the first time ever in a truly remarkable turn of events.
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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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