CELEBRITY
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: MESSI, RONALDO REKINDLE RIVALRY AS JUVENTUS, BARCA SHARE SAME GROUP
Great rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will finally do battle once again in the UEFA Champions League group stage this season, after Juventus were pitched in the same group with Barcelona in Thursday’s draw.
It will be the first time both football icons will face off since 2018 when Ronaldo left Real Madrid to Juventus.
The draw was concluded at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, with the pick of the fixtures being the high profile showdown between the wounded animal of Barca and European under-performers Juve.
Premier League clubs have also learned their fate with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool set to go up against two tricky opponents in Ajax and Atalanta in Group D, while the returning Manchester United will once against meet Paris Saint Germain in the competition.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have not been afforded a pleasant welcome home party to European football’s premier competition, and will also have to overcome last season’s semi-finalists RB Leipzig in Group H while also contending with a trip to Istanbul Basaksehir.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City missed a horror draw against the likes of current holders Bayern Munich or Spanish royalty Real Madrid, and will instead face a trip to Portugal to lock horns with Porto, before meeting Olympiacos and Marseille in Group C.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea find themselves in a testing group with last season’s Europa League winners Sevilla, along with FC Krasnodar of Russia and Rennes.
Holders Bayern Munich face a tasty encounter with Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, with potential dark horses RB Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow also joining the two giants in Group A.
Group B sees Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid go up against Serie A giants Inter Milan, with Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach making up the places.
Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund may well be breathing a sigh of relief and will fancy their chances of progression, after being drawn in Group F alongside Zenit St Petersburg, Lazio and Brugges.
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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