CELEBRITY
A BATTLE OF TWO RONALDOS: WHO IS GREATER?
Distinguishing between football’s two Ronaldos has been a problem since the emergence of Cristiano as one of the world’s greatest players. Brazil’s Ronaldo won FIFA’s World Player of the Year three times before the age of 21 but was eventually surpassed by his Portuguese namesake.
In an Instagram interview with Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro, the Brazilian spoke about being referred to as the ‘real Ronaldo’.
He commented: ‘For Cristiano, it must be boring to hear that I am the real Ronaldo.
‘People cannot be compared. Cristiano will remain in football history for the goals and for the continuity he has achieved. He will remain one of the best, like Messi.’
The Brazilian won the World Cup in 1994 and 2002 and was runner-up in 1998.
He commented: ‘For Cristiano, it must be boring to hear that I am the real Ronaldo.
‘People cannot be compared. Cristiano will remain in football history for the goals and for the continuity he has achieved. He will remain one of the best, like Messi.’
The Brazilian won the World Cup in 1994 and 2002 and was runner-up in 1998.
In the latter tournament he was famously left out of the starting XI when the team sheets were handed in but eventually started the game after recovering from a mystery injury.
But his side were beaten by Zinedine Zidane’s France with Ronaldo unable to have a meaningful impact on the match.
Both Ronaldos have played for Real Madrid but Cristiano won more trophies including four Champions League titles.
The Portugal captain has managed to stay fairly injury-free during his glittering career, a fortune that did not come to Brazil’s Ronaldo who suffered from recurring knee problems.
The Juventus player shows no signs of slowing down at the age of 35 with 21 goals in 22 games in Serie A this season.
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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