CELEBRITY
Man of the Moment, Cristiano Ronaldo sends message to Man Utd fans after scoring last-gasp winner
Revelling in the joy of saving Manchester United from sharing points at home with the team that denied them Europa Cup win some months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a message to Manchester United fans.
This is coming after scoring a last-gasp winner in his side’s Champions League group game against La Liga side, Villarreal.
The La Liga side had opened the scoring at the start of the second half when Arnaut Danjuma snuck in behind and pulled the ball back for Paco Alcacer to convert from close range.
United made hard work of getting themselves back into the game, but they finally managed it seven minutes later when Alex Telles smashed in a volley from 20 yards out.
It looked like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men would be forced to settle for a point against the side that beat them in last season’s Europa League final as the game entered injury time.
But Villarreal boss Unai Emery had not reckoned on Ronaldo, who stepped up when it counted once again for the Red Devils.
With 95 minutes on the clock and referee Felix Zwayer about to blow the final whistle, Ronaldo fired in Jesse Lingard’s lay-off.
The Portuguese superstar celebrated in typically iconic fashion, ripping off his shirt and running to the corner before pumping his arms towards the fans.
Remarkably, that was his fifth goal in five games for United this season and his second in the Champions League.
The strike also secured United’s first win of their European campaign, though that still only leaves them third in Group F.
Following the game, the 36-year-old took to Instagram to deliver a message to the United supporters who would have wildly celebrated his winner.
Ronaldo posted a picture from his celebration with his arms locked out and screaming, with fans seen in the background.
Alongside that picture, the superstar attacked used the caption “Ssssiiiiiiiiiimmmmm” – a reference to his famous “Siuuu” celebration scream.
Fans responded to his post with the crown and bicep emojis, with former United star Michael Owen also hailing his old club’s matchwinner.
“You run out of superlatives for this man,” he told BT Sport as part of his post-match analysis on Wednesday.
“He did very, very little and I’m sure some people were thinking when the likes of Lingard, Cavani were getting warmed up is it going to Ronaldo?
“No. You can’t take that man off, just in case a chance crops up last minute and a chance cropped up and went in the back of the net what a man.”
Red Devils icon Rio Ferdinand agreed with Owen, stating Ronaldo was proving why United signed him from Juventus.
“That’s what we like to see, normal, this is good. That’s what he’s been bought for big moments to bring this team on,” Ferdinand told BT Sport.
“He accepts that responsibility, thrives off it so by all accounts from what we were seeing hearing it wasn’t a great performance but the result. Exactly, beautiful.”
Ronaldo will hope to be the star again on Saturday, when United travel to Everton in their next Premier League game.
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
Many fans risk missing 2026 World Cup as Visa window for visitors is closing
Nigeria’s Victor Olatunji becomes third African scoring debutant in Uefa Champions League
Lagos sports writers mourn Adeyinka Adebayo
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
AFCON1 week agoSuper Eagles lead Afcon Group D qualifiers despite Benin’s defeat of Libya
-
AFCON1 week agoAustin Eguavoen remains the ‘Big Boss’, says NFF
-
AFCON1 week agoWhy I benched Osimhen again – Eguavoen
-
AFCON1 week agoRwanda newspaper gives 5 lessons gleaned from Rwanda-Nigeria clash
-
Nigerian Football1 week agoWesterhof recommends Siasia for Super Eagles’ job
-
AFCON1 week agoNigeria’s managerial crisis resumes as Eguavoen reportedly declines to continue
-
AFCON1 week agoPresent and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen
-
CAF Confederation Cup6 days agoEnyimba continues unbeaten run against Burkina Faso clubs