CELEBRITY
Budweiser Game of the Kings envoy, John Terry dreams coaching Chelsea
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Chelsea legend, John Terry is nursing a dream to return to the club as a manager.
The former Chelsea and England skipper who is regarded as one of the best centre backs in the world is in Nigeria along with former Brazil international and Real Madrid legend, Roberto Carlos for the Budweiser Game of the Kings.
Responding to questions at the press conference at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Terry who thrice won the UEFA Club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009 as well as being Chelsea’s most successful captain told the gathering that he hoped to return to the club as a manager.
During his 19 years with the club, he led them to five Premier League titles, four FA Cup victories as well as three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League title and that of Europa League.
He went on to pay glowing tributes to Nigerian footballers who featured in the Premier League during his playing era.
He mentioned Celestine Babayaro as one of the dependable defenders the club ever had.
Both featured together for the club in the mid 1990s and early 2000s. Babayaro was in the FA Cup winning squad of Chelsea at the old Wembley Stadium while Terry was on the bench.
The former England captain singled out Nwankwo Kanu as one of the most tricky offensive players he had had to handled as a defender.
He had similar complements for Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha whom he regarded as one of the most skilful players to have featured in the English Premier League.
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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