CELEBRITY

Cristiano Ronaldo snubs Ballon d’Or ceremony as Lionel Messi poised to win seventh award

Published

3 years ago

November 29, 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have snubbed the Ballon d’Or ceremony, with arch-rival Lionel Messi set to win his seventh award.

The Manchester United superstar is not expected to finish in France Football’s top three for the first time since 2007 and reports claim he will not be present in Paris on Monday.

Portuguese outlet SIC say that Ronaldo will not be at the Theatre du Chatelet, where Messi is expected to pick up yet another golden ball.

The 36-year-old has won five Ballon d’Or himself but has hardly been in the race this year, despite finishing as the top goalscorer in Serie A and at the European Championships.

Instead, the likes of Chelsea maestro Jorginho and Liverpool ‘s Mohamed Salah are in the running.

The pair stand alongside Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema and the man who cruelly missed out on winning the award in 2020 due to it being bizarrely cancelled during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Robert Lewandowski.

Messi has been sensational in 2021, a year that has seen him take two monumental steps in his career.

Firstly, the 34-year-old led Argentina to a long-awaited Copa America in July, having lost his three previous finals.

And a month later, the forward shocked the football world by leaving Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi’s start to life in France has been slow for his standards, although still boasts four goals and three assists in 11 games for Mauricio Pochettino ‘s side.

But the six-time champion has publicly claimed he does not expect to pick up the award, telling Sport : “If I’m honest, I don’t think so.

“My biggest prize was what I was able to achieve with the national team.

“After having fought and fought so much for that achievement, it was the best for all it cost.https://get-latest.convrse.media/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Fnews%2Fronaldo-messi-ballon-dor-awards-25571828%3Futm_source%3Dmirror_newsletter%26utm_campaign%3Dfootball_newsletter2%26utm_medium%3Demail&cre=center&cip=19&view=web

“If the Ballon d’Or arrives it would be extraordinary for what it would mean winning one more. The seventh would be crazy.

-Mirror

CELEBRITY

Ronaldo reaches one billion followers on social media

Published

7 days ago

September 13, 2024

Kunle Solaja

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

CELEBRITY

Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel

Published

4 weeks ago

August 21, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Euro 2024 - Quarter Final - Portugal v France - Hamburg Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany - July 5, 2024 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo after taking a penalty during the penalty shootout REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File photo

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

CELEBRITY

Lionel Messi set to hang boots

Published

3 months ago

June 13, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Messi Sets Record Straight Over Hong Kong Absence -

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