CELEBRITY
WHO IS THE ‘GOAT’? PELÉ, MARADONA OR MESSI
Brazilian football great Pele, who celebrates his 80th birthday on Friday (Oct 23), is still revered in his home country even if his once unassailable position as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) is now a matter for hot debate.
The Santos, New York Cosmos and Brazil striker is the only man to win the World Cup three times and was for decades widely held to be the greatest of all time (GOAT).
However, the arrival of Diego Maradona in the 1990s challenged Pele’s hegemony and the phenomenal exploits of Lionel Messi at Barcelona have intensified further the eternal debate over who is the GOAT.
The man known in Brazil as the King traded barbs with Maradona for years and has more recently sought to play down Messi’s designs on his crown, saying the Argentine has only one foot and cannot head the ball as well as he did.
That raised eyebrows in Europe where Messi has won four Champions League and 10 La Liga titles, while scoring 40 goals or more in each of the last 10 seasons.
The Argentine, and his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, have millions of fans supporting them and unlike Pele, who played before television was ubiquitous, their exploits reach billions across the globe via social media.
“If you’re talking about the best player ever, there shouldn’t even be a debate that it is Messi,” BBC presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker said in May. “That’s just my opinion but it’s not even close for me.”
Argentines question Pele’s greatness because he never played in Europe and Brazilians point to Messi’s international record, which is vastly inferior to Pele’s.
While the Brazilian won three World Cups, Messi has never won a major title with Argentina, appearing on the losing side in three Copa America and one World Cup final.
Brazilians, however, see Pele as a national treasure and ahead of his birthday on Friday they are celebrating with special newspaper sections, TV specials and an exhibition at the Football Museum.
“He’s a living legend, we have to revere our idols while they’re still alive and still with us,” said Gabriel Oliveira, a visitor to the exhibition in Sao Paulo. “He’s done so much. Thanks to him Brazil is known the world over.”
-Reuters
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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