CELEBRITY
PSG fans boo Mbappe, hail Messi
Cameroon-born French player, Kylian Mbappe was again booed by Paris Saint-Germain supporters on Lionel Messi’s home debut at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night.
The France international’s name was initially booed when the official starting lineups for their clash with Lyon were read out an hour before kickoff, by those supporters who had made their way into the ground early.
And when the World Cup winner’s name was read out again shortly before kickoff, he was again greeted by largely boos from a capacity crowd.
Bizarrely, broadcaster Amazon Prime went out of their way to claim that there were no boos for the Paris-born star.
Yet while there was a small smattering of applause for Mbappe, who had also been greeted with jeers in PSG’s previous home encounter, when they thrashed Clermont 4-0 last weekend, it was fanciful to suggest otherwise.
There is clear frustration among the club’s hardcore supporters over Mbappe’s decision not to sign a new contract at the club.
The 22-year-old is into the final nine months of his deal, and has thus far refused to put pen-to-paper on a new deal, despite the desire of president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to see him extend.
PSG rejected two offers from Real Madrid for Mbappe – for whom it is widely known to be a dream to play for Los Blancos – with the second believed to be in excess of £170million. It’s understood that Al-Khelaifi saw it as a point of principal on deadline day not to sell Mbappe to Madrid.
This week, PSG chief Leonardo claimed that he believes Mbappe could still stay in the French capital beyond the current campaign.
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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