CELEBRITY
JOURNALIST’S GRAND SON, FORMER TEAMMATE, GERSON KICK AGAINST RENAMING MARACANA AFTER PELÉ
The family of former Brazilian journalist, Mario Filho, after whom the iconic Maracana stadium is named, has kicked against the proposal to rename the stadium after the legendary Pele.
Although the arena is popularly called the Maracana Stadium, after the area in Rio de Janeiro where it is situated, its official name is Mario Filho Stadium, named after the journalist who had been a strong advocate for the construction of the arena that was believed to have the largest crowd capacity in the world.
Mário Filho died in 1966 at the age of 58 due to a heart attack, leaving behind his wife Célia (whom he had met on the beach of Copacabana).
In his honor, the old Municipal Stadium, Maracana was named Journalist Mário Filho Stadium.
Sports Village Square gathered that the Rio State Legislature gave the green light and this week Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro is set to make a final decision on changing the name to “Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Rei Pelé.”
This would include the star’s given name and also his affectionate nickname “King Pelé.” Built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup when over 200,000 attended the final match, it hosted matches in the 2014 World Cup and was also the setting for Brazil’s dramatic victory in the 2016 men’s Olympic football final and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Games.
Filho’s grandson Mario Neto, Sports Village Square gathered, complained that there had been no consultation before the decision to rename the stadium was taken.
He told Jornal o Globo newspaper: “That news impacted me. I was upset. They don’t know anything about Mario Filho.
“There are deputies there who, if asked about who my grandfather was, would not know how to answer.”
Pelé, who turned 80 last October, famously scored the 1000th goal of his career at the Maracana in 1969 whilst playing for his club side Santos and made his final appearance for Brazil in the same stadium 50 years ago.
Pelé’s former team mate Gerson had branded the name change “absurd” in comments on his YouTube channel.
“Why don’t people give his name to the Santos Stadium?” Gerson asked.
A stadium in Maceió, in the north eastern part of the country is already named “King Pelé” in tribute to Pelé’s final World Cup triumph in 1970.
If the Maracana’s change of name is approved, it will come only three months after a decision to rename the San Paolo Stadium in Napoli after the late Diego Maradona.
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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