CELEBRITY
Cristiano Ronaldo tipped to become Man Utd manager ‘within 18 months’
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss, Tim Sherwood has tipped Cristiano Ronaldo to become Manchester United’s next manager ‘within 18 months.’
The 36-year-old has made a storming comeback to Old Trafford by scoring four goals in his first three games back with the Red Devils but Sherwood believes Ronaldo could soon be making his impact from the dugout.
Mirror reports that pressure is mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after United crashed out of the League Cup in the third round to West Ham, an opportunity of a trophy squandered.
Having not lifted silverware during his tenure, Solskjaer is under more scrutiny then ever following the re-signing of Ronaldo, which came after Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane arrived for more than a combined £100 million.
Ronaldo has already shown glimpses of a desire to asset himself on the touchline, whether it be in the Euro 2016 final when he came off injured but stood by Fernando Santos, or when he stood next to his new boss at club level during their shock Champions League defeat to Young Boys last week.
“I can see Ronaldo as Manchester United manager within 18 months,” Sherwood told Ladbrokes a t its launch of the 5-A-Side bet on Arsenal vs Tottenham.
“I think it’s okay that Ronaldo’s on the touchline and Ole’s going to have to accept it. If he brings him to his football club you’ve got to know what you’re bringing in.
“It’s a completely different Ronaldo to the one who was at Old Trafford the first time around. He knows how he’s needed and if he feels like he needs to stand next to the manager and give instructions then you’ve got to let him do that,” the former Blackburn Rovers star noted.
Sherwood, however, hinted that a manager of a higher prestige – such as his predecessor- would not allow the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to be so prominent in the dugout while not playing.
“I’m not sure he’d be doing that with Jose Mourinho mind you, it would be very different with him still in charge,” the 52-year-old said. “But you’d also have to ask Ronaldo why he feels it’s necessary to stand up and give some instruction in the first place.
“We’ve seen him do it on the international stage, most recently at the Euros, barking out orders. That boy will be a manager 100%. I would have a bet on him being Manchester United manager in 18 months.”
Sherwood elaborated: “Whenever Ronaldo finishes playing I think he will become a manager, it will be an automatic choice.
“If they win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, any of those trophies, then Solskjaer keeps his job, but if they don’t win anything I think they’ve got a manager there in the making.
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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