CELEBRITY
Ronaldo and Messi to learn World Cup last dance partners
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will learn on Friday their opponents for what is almost certainly their last World Cup finals when the draw is made for November’s tournament in Qatar.
The two biggest names in the game have collected a host of club and individual honours as well as continental trophies with their countries but neither has managed to crown his career with the ultimate prize of World Cup glory.
Portuguese forward Ronaldo, who is 37, and Argentine Messi, 34, are set to feature in their fifth World Cup finals — no player has appeared in six.
The nearest Ronaldo came to winning the tournament was his first attempt in Germany in 2006 when Portugal lost in the semi-finals to France.
Messi’s Argentina were runners-up in Brazil in 2014 where they lost to Germany in the final in Rio.
Neither player has indicated whether he will try to make a record sixth World Cup appearance or retire from international football after this year’s tournament but their ages suggest this may well be their final attempt.
Portugal and Argentina are expected to be among the top seeds, in pot one, meaning they will avoid a direct confrontation with one of the favourites in the four-team group stage.
Defending champions France and five-times World Cup winners Brazil are the bookmakers’ favourites, with England, semi-finalists four years ago, also fancying their chances.
Although European champions Italy failed to qualify for the finals, the continent has plenty of serious contenders with Belgium, Spain and Germany also in the frame.
Twenty nine of the 32 teams will be in the draw, with qualifying in North and Central America and the Caribbean concluding on Thursday.
Three slots will remain empty in Friday’s draw to be filled by the two intercontinental playoff winners and the last European playoff winners – from the matches delayed by the war in Ukraine.
Scotland play Ukraine in June for the right to face Wales for the last spot.
Hosts Qatar have been put in Group A and the other places will be drawn out of four pots based on the FIFA rankings to be set on Thursday.
The countries occupying positions 8-15 in the ranking of the qualified teams will be allocated to Pot 2, while the 16th-23rd best-ranked qualifiers will be placed in Pot 3.
Pot 4 will include the qualified teams in positions 24 to 28, plus three placeholders.
The draw is designed to ensure no group has more than one team from the same continental qualification zone apart from Europe. No group can have more than two UEFA nations.
-Reuters
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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