CELEBRITY
Brazil great Ronaldinho launching worldwide street soccer league
Brazil great Ronaldinho is launching a worldwide street soccer league to give talented young players an opportunity to showcase their skills and follow the same path to stardom as the former Barcelona player.
The Ronaldinho Global Street League will begin in “late 2023,” organizers said Saturday, and will initially feature a social media tryout process where street soccer players of all ages can upload their best skills and tricks in a bid to join one of the competition’s teams.
Head-to-head matches and skills competitions will be staged in major cities across the world and teams will compete in a league for the title of “RGSL Champions” and to become part of what will be called the Ronaldinho Globe Street Team.
“We believe there is massive value in the space — and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support the players of the future,” Ronaldinho said in announcing the venture.
There were no specifics about the likely location of the events or the precise start time.
Ronaldinho, a two-time world player of the year, has linked up with sports agent and former player Roberto de Assis Moreira and Sophie Watts, the co-founder of Mike Tyson’s Legends League, to launch the league.
“Ronaldinho and I grew up in an underprivileged community in Brazil,” Moreira said. “We know first-hand the power of street football in empowering youth and are fully dedicated to discovering and supporting street soccer players around the world through RGSL.”
-AP
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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