CELEBRITY
MILESTONE MARKS AWAIT MESSI IN FINAL SEASON WITH BARCA
With controversy over his future now settled as he remains with FC Barcelona, pundits have come up with extraordinary records that the iconic Lionel Messi should aim to surpass if indeed, the current season turns to be his last with the only club he ever plays for.
According to David Salinas, a journalist in Spanish publication, Dairio Sport, there are four targets Messi can possibly make in the current season.
One of such is the most goals for a single club, a record held by the acclaimed greatest of all-time icon, Pele of Brazil.
Pele holds the record for the most goals scored for a single club as he had 643 goals for Santos of Brazil. But according to David Salinas, Messi is very close to assailing that mark as he has scored 634 goals for Barcelona. He needs just nine goals to equal Pele’s goal mark.
Beyond goal scoring, Messi stands to become the player with most matches for Barcelona. Currently, Xavi with 767 holds the record. An injury-free campaign would see Messi breaking his former teammate’s record as he has currently made 731 appearances for the Catalans.
This season will be the 17th consecutive season with FC Barcelona first team since joining the club as a youth player 20 years ago. Currently, the legendary Carles Rexach joins Xavi as the only two players who had played for Barcelona for 17 seasons.
Messi will start his 17th campaign at the Camp Nou stadium against Villarreal this Sunday yet he will have to stay for another year to break Xavi’s and Rexach’s record.
Another possible record for Messi is that of most trophies with a single club. Former Manchester United legend, Ryan Giggs won 36 honours during his illustrious career at Old Trafford which is the all-time record.
Messi will have to win the treble this season to surpass Giggs as he has currently claimed 34 trophies at Barca.
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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