CELEBRITY
FERGUSON SLAMS FAILED SUPER LEAGUE AS DREAM KILLER
Sir Alex Ferguson has criticised the failed European Super League project, saying that ‘every team should have their dream’ to succeed at the highest level.
According to Daily Mail of UK, the unsuccessful plans would have created a closed shop at the top of European football, with only five ‘outsiders’ able to qualify for the breakaway competition alongside 15 permanent members.
Ferguson’s former club Manchester United were among the leading players backing the proposals, but he told BBC Sport: ‘As a player I played in European football for Rangers and Dunfermline. And then as a manager I took a provincial club, Aberdeen, and beat Real Madrid in the (1983 Cup Winners’ Cup) final in Gothenburg
‘That is a provincial club fulfilling their dream. Every club should have that dream to achieve what Aberdeen did.
‘You cannot ever forget that the real reason for football was that the smallest guy can climb to the top of Everest, and that’s the best way I can put that. We can’t do without that, really.’
The Scot, 79, will premiere a film about his life this month, three years on from a brain haemorrhage that left him in intensive care.
Ferguson revealed he was ‘terrified’ after losing his memory for 10 days following the incident.
‘I always depended on my memory,’ he said. ‘And then my two grandsons were in with me, and all of a sudden I stopped talking — I just couldn’t get a word out.
‘At that moment I was a bit terrified. I’m starting to think, “What are we going to do now? You can’t talk, has my memory gone?”
‘Then the speech therapist started, she was fantastic, got me to write all the names of my family, all the names of my players — and then about 10 days later it came back.’
Asked how it has changed him, he said: ‘Probably not taking things too seriously in terms of knowing that you’re vulnerable – if I go tomorrow I’ll be grateful for the three extra years I had.’
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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