CELEBRITY
Lionel Messi on verge of joining Paris St Germain
Lionel Messi is set to join Paris St Germain after Barcelona were forced to let their Argentinian talisman go as they could not afford to give him a new contract under La Liga’s salary limit rules, L’Equipe reported on Friday (Aug 6).
Earlier on Friday, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino said Messi was an “option” that was being evaluated by the Ligue 1 club.
A move to PSG would reunite Messi, who has officially been a free agent since July 1, with his former Barcelona teammate Neymar.
On Thursday, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner left Barcelona despite both parties having reached an agreement over a new contract, citing economic and structural obstacles to the renewal of the deal.
The 34-year-old was expected to sign a new five-year deal with the Catalan club, which would have included a salary reduction of 50 per cent.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Friday that the club was forced to let Messi leave because his high wages, coupled with strict La Liga financial rules, could have jeopardised its future.
Messi had tried to leave Barcelona in August 2000, making a formal request for an exit after a breakdown in his relationship with then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu but successor Laporta, who presided over the Argentinian’s rise to greatness, convinced him to stay.
Messi has spent his entire professional career at Barcelona, having joined the club’s youth set-up aged 13, and went on to score 672 goals in 778 games across all competitions since making his debut in 2003.
PSG have been busy in the off-season, having already brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan, Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid and Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool, all on free transfers. Full-back Achraf Hakimi was signed from Inter Milan.
They will begin their new Ligue 1 campaign at newly promoted Troyes on Saturday.
-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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