CELEBRITY
Cristiano Ronaldo punched by former team-mate in first Saudi Arabia match vs Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo picked up an unwanted souvenir from his first match since making his money-spinning Saudi Arabia transfer in the form of a black eye.
The 37-year-old started in attack for a Saudi All-Star XI as they took on Paris Saint-Germain in a friendly in Riyadh, with his long-term rival Lionel Messi lining up for the Ligue 1 giants.
Indeed it was Messi who opened the scoring just three minutes into the match, but as they pressed for equaliser the Saudi side looked to Ronaldo’s world famous heading ability.
However, as a cross was swung into the box the Portuguese didn’t reckon with his former Real Madrid colleague Keylor Navas, whose punch clear also saw him connect with Ronaldo with a fierce thump as he gave away a penalty.
Somewhat dazed, Ronaldo fell to the ground, although he thankfully avoided serious injury.
He was soon backup on his feet though to score past Navas from the penalty spot.
PSG, who saw full-back Juan Bernat sent off in the first half, than retook the lead through Marquinhos, only for Ronaldo to beat another former Real team-mate, Sergio Ramos, to a loose ball to slam home the All-Star side’s second equaliser just before half-time.
Despite their one man disadvantage, PSG would run out 5-4 winners thanks to second half goals from Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappe (penalty) and Hugo Ekitike.
Speaking after completing the transfer to Al-Nassr two weeks ago, Ronaldo defended the move to Saudi Arabia.
He said: “I feel so proud to make this big decision in my life.
“In Europe, my work is done. I won everything and now this is a new challenge.
–Mirror
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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