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.
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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