CELEBRITY
Pele to be buried on Tuesday
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has declared a three-day period of national mourning following the death of Pelé while the date of the funeral has been confirmed for Tuesday (January 3).
On Monday (January 2), a 24-hour wake is due to be held at the Estádio Urbano Caldeira, home to Santos FC where Pelé played from 1956 until 1974.
The following day, a procession carrying the coffin is set to take place through the streets of Santos before ending at the Ecumenical Memorial Necropolis cemetery where he is due to be buried in a private ceremony.
“With regret the passing of a man, who through football, took the name of Brazil to the world,” wrote Bolsonaro, who is leaving office on Sunday (January 1).
“He turned football into art and joy. May God comfort your family and welcome you into his infinite mercy”.
Bolsonaro’s successor, President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, wrote on Twitter that “few Brazilians carried the name of our country as far as he did”.
Pelé, whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, won the FIFA World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970 before his death at the age of 82.
He had been in a São Paulo hospital since November 29 for a respiratory infection and what was described as “re-evaluation of the chemotherapy treatment over colon cancer identified in September 2021”.
He spent Christmas in hospital with his cancer worsening and also required treatment for heart and kidney problems.
After the announcement of his death, images of Pelé were projected on buildings across Brazil while tributes flooded in.
The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the arches of Wembley Stadium in London were lit up in Brazilian colours to commemorate Pelé’s life.
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- U20 FOOTBALL6 days ago
Flying Eagles Bank on ‘Magic of October 8’ to overcome Argentina
- World Cup4 days ago
CAF Rule Change May Boost Nigeria’s World Cup Qualification Hopes
- World Cup1 week ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers
- U-20 FOOTBALL7 days ago
Nigeria, Argentina Renew Rivalry as Flying Eagles Target Quarter-Final Spot in Chile
- World Cup3 days ago
Judgment Day Beckons in Group C: Only One Ticket, Three Contenders, Infinite Drama
- World Cup3 days ago
BREAKING! Lookman Suspended for Crucial Benin Clash
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Nigeria Face Must-Win Battle Against Colombia in Chile
- Premier League1 week ago
Mount and Sesko fire Man United to victory over Sunderland