CELEBRITY
IOC boss, Bach sends best wishes to Pelé as Brazilian legend’s health worsens
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has offered his best wishes to legendary Brazilian footballer Pelé, whose health has worsened at a hospital in São Paulo.
The three-time FIFA World Cup winner has been in hospital since November 29 for a respiratory infection and “re-evaluation of the chemotherapy treatment over colon cancer identified in September 2021”.
Updates from the Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital and his daughter Kely Nascimento earlier this week confirmed that Pelé would spend Christmas away from home due to his health worsening.
Bach has become the latest high-profile sports official to send his regards to the 82-year-old.
“[Pelé], our thoughts are with you,” the IOC President said.
“Wishing you all the very best from the bottom of my heart.”
In her message earlier this week, Nascimento thanked those who had provided their best wishes for “all the love you show us here in Brazil as well as around the world”.
She has since posted a picture of Pelé on Instagram, writing: “Here we go, in the fight and in faith.
“One more night together.”
Pelé, considered one of the greatest players of all time, remains the youngest player to score in a World Cup final as he scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 victory over hosts Sweden in 1958 at the age of 17.
He went on to lift the trophy again in 1962 and 1970, and is his country’s joint-top scorer in men’s international football with 77 goals from 92 games.
Brazil’s players held a banner with his name and a picture following their round-of-16 victory against South Korea at the Qatar 2022 World Cup on December 5.
In 1999, the IOC named Pelé Athlete of the Century.
In 2016, Bach presented him with the Olympic Order in his home town of Santos as the Olympic Games were held in Brazil for the first time in Rio de Janeiro.
-Insidethegames
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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