CELEBRITY
PREMIERSHIP LEADERS, MAN CITY KEEN ON SIGNING MESSI
The dust on possible transfer of legendary Lionel Messi from Barcelona to Manchester City has not settled yet. The Argentine has spent the entire of his club career at Barcelona, but is keen at making a move as his career gets to its twilight.
The likely destination has always been Manchester City where Messi is expected to team up with his former coach, Pep Guardiola who was with him at Barcelona.
The alternative destination is Paris St Germain where his former club mate, Neymar has been the lord.
While PSG speak about Messi every now and then, Manchester City are set to adopt a ‘less aggressive tactic’ in their attempts to lure Messi to the Etihad, reports Spanish outlet, Tribuna, quoting ESPN as the primary source.
It is reported that Manchester City are yet to give up on signing Messi on a free transfer this summer. There are however other clubs seeking to profit from the free transfer. These include Inter Milan even though the Paris outfit appear to be leading the chase for the 33-year-old as they’ve been speaking about their interest in Messi for the past few months.
“PSG are making a mistake with the strategy they’re using,” one source said to ESPN. “Leo doesn’t like all that noise in the media and even less the type of comments [which have been made].”
Thus, City are planning to adopt a ‘less aggressive tactic’ in their attempts to land Messi at the end of the season when his contract with the Catalans expires. For now, Lionel is focused solely on ‘helping Barca end the season strongly’ as he’ll decide his next career step in June.
CELEBRITY
Ronaldo reaches one billion followers on social media
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
CELEBRITY
Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel
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
CELEBRITY
Lionel Messi set to hang boots
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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