CELEBRITY
It’s Messi versus Guardiola as PSG draw Man City in Champions League group stage
Lionel Messi’s new club Paris St Germain will play Manchester City, managed by the Argentine’s former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, after being drawn together in Champion’s League Group A on Thursday (Aug 26).
Messi joined Qatari-owned PSG, who will also face Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and Belgium’s Brugge, from Barcelona this month after the Spanish side were unable to afford a new contract for the forward.
The draw pits two of European soccer’s wealthiest teams against each other once again as they both seek a first Champions League title, with City beating the French side 4-1 on aggregate in last season’s semis.
Abu Dhabi-owned City went on to lose the final to Premier League rivals Chelsea, who were drawn in Group H against Juventus, Zenit St Petersburg and Malmo.
City have yet to lose to PSG in the Champions League but Messi has also scored more goals against them – six in six games – than any other side in the competition.
“After the Porto, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid group, our group is probably the second most difficult one,” said City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain.
“Some of the big names in football are going to be out. That is the magnitude of this competition.”
Spanish champions Atletico Madrid and Liverpool were drawn in a tricky Group B with former winners Porto and AC Milan, while Real Madrid play Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Moldovan debutants Sheriff Tiraspol in Group D.
Six-times winners Liverpool and manager Juergen Klopp will at least have fond memories of Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium after winning the 2019 title there against Tottenham Hotspur.
“I laughed, to be honest, pretty loud because it is a tough group obviously,” Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com.
“We played, I don’t know how often, already against Porto, so they will be waiting for us. We have obviously a little bit of (an) open bill with Atletico, and AC Milan, a historical one obviously.
“I think our supporters should be looking forward to it – we do, for sure.”
AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli, whose club beat Liverpool in the 2007 final after losing memorably in 2005, said it was certainly a “stimulating” group.
“Together in our group we have 15 Champions League wins. We expected it, this is the Champions League and we can’t wait to start. We will try to do important things,” he added.
Inter, Shakhtar and Real were also in the same group last time around with the Italian side finishing last.
Barcelona were drawn in Group E with Bayern Munich, Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv.
Manchester United will have another meeting with Spain’s Villarreal, a repeat of this year’s Europa League final, in Group F along with Atalanta and Swiss side Young Boys.
Sporting Lisbon drew Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Besiktas in Group C with Lille, Sevilla, Salzburg and VfL Wolfsburg together in Group G.
The first group games will be on Sept. 14 and 15 with the final played in St Petersburg on May 28 next year.
-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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