CELEBRITY
Cristiano Ronaldo drops hint on Manchester United future
Cristiano Ronaldo made it clear that he isn’t thinking of hanging his boots up any time soon after yet another excellent display for Manchester United on Monday.
United managed to create a positive end to a dreary campaign as they defeated Brentford 3-0 in their final match at Old Trafford. It was one of United’s best attacking displays of the entire season and Ronaldo was, of course, at the heart of it.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is in incredible form at present and notched his sixth goal in just four games against the Bees as he fired home from the penalty spot to double United’s lead in the second half. Ronaldo had been furious after he saw a goal chalked off for off-side in the opening 45 minutes but a smile was soon back on his face.
Gary Neville was on commentary duty and handed his former teammate the Man of the Match award for his committed display and, afterwards, Ronaldo provided a hint on what his future plans are.
As he began a lap around the Old Trafford pitch to show appreciation to the home crowd, the Sky Sports cameras zoomed in on him and he appeared to say “I’m not finished.”
It’s also been speculated that the No.7 appeared to suggest that he would be staying at Old Trafford in the celebration of his goal.
Ronaldo’s future has been cast into doubt due to United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, with the Portuguese having not played in the Europa League since it was called the UEFA Cup and he was a teenager at Sporting.
Now 37, Ronaldo doesn’t have too many years at the top level left and it remains to be seen if he wants to spend one of them playing on Thursday nights.
However, he has been United’s best performer this season having now scored 24 goals and the club will likely be desperate to keep him. His contract runs until 2023 and also has the option for another 12 months.
Bruno Fernandes got the scoring underway against Brentford and Raphael Varane rounded out the match with his first goal since arriving in the summer.
-MEN
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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