CELEBRITY
Rivalry turns one sided: Ronaldo 4; Messi 0
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been rivals for over a decade now and both made blockbuster summer transfers. For well over a decade people have been making comparisons between the two super stars of the current generation.
Some even see them as the best players of all time, drowning the now latent Pele -Maradona rivalry.
When Messi signed for PSG, it looked like the summer transfer window could not be topped, until Ronaldo made a stunning return to Manchester United.
But for the two greatest players on the planet, their starts at their respective clubs could not have gone any differently so far.
Here are their current performances gathered from UK newspaper, Daily Mail.
Ronaldo quick off the mark
When a player returns to a club at the age of 36 you would wonder whether they can make the same kind of impact as they did in their younger days.
But Ronaldo is no ordinary player and it has looked like he has never left Old Trafford with a stunning start to his comeback by scoring in all three games so far.
This is a player who scored 36 goals in 44 appearances for Juventus last season, so there was never any concern that Ronaldo would struggle to get off the marks and he’s already making a profound impact on the team.
The Portuguese ace has been the difference maker in his first three games back at the club, in games where United in previous seasons, might have struggled to pick up a win.
Against Newcastle he scored the opener and when the opponents got back into the game it was Ronaldo who got them out of a jail with a second before they ran away with the game late on.
It took just 13 minutes for Ronaldo to score against Young Boys in the Champions League though he was substituted in the second half as United’s ten-men fell to a shocking defeat in Switzerland.
Then against West Ham it was Ronaldo who scored his fourth goal in three games to level the score before Jesse Lingard scored a late winner.
Ronaldo is a different player to the tricky winger which left United in 2009 and is now more of a deadly centre-forward but he’s arguably even more clutch in the big moments as he was 12 years ago.
And if he continues in this way he could be the difference maker as United face tough competition in Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City for the title this year.
But it’s not just his work on the pitch that will benefit those around him this season.
His mere presence will have a big impact on the player for how he handles himself on and off the pitch, which has contributed to him continuing to perform at the highest standard at 36.
Reserve keeper Lee Grant admitted that before the game against Newcastle that not one player ate dessert at dinner after they spotted Ronaldo having quinoa, avocado and a couple of boiled eggs.
The example Ronaldo sets is already clearly paying off on his new team-mates at Old Trafford.
Messi looks lost
While his great rival has made a scorching start off the blocks at his new club, Messi has looked sluggish and does not look at home yet in the colours of Paris Saint-Germain.
It was clear Messi did not want to leave Barcelona who could not sign him to a new contract due to their financial issues.
But the 34-year-old is now lining up alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at the French giants as part of a ‘dream team’ which is widely expected to dominate both domestically and in Europe this season.
It hasn’t started well though for the legendary Argentine forward. While Ronaldo was thrown straight into the starting line-up Messi came on a substitute in his first game against Reims, getting 24 minutes in a 2-0 victory.
Messi started alongside Mbappe and Neymar for the first time against Club Brugges, but he struggled to make an impact as they were shockingly held to a 1-1 draw in Belgium despite all of their fire power.
Then amazingly against Lyon, Mauricio Pochettino hauled Messi off after 76 minutes with the game still 1-1.
As he came off, the summer arrival from Barcelona stared sharply at the PSG manager, made a gesture with his hands apart as if to say he didn’t understand.
He cut a frustrated figure and as other members on the bench jumped up and celebrated Mauro Icardi’s winner, it took Messi several seconds to rise from his seat and start politely clapping.
It was a telling reaction from a player who is usually so passionate.
Messi did look more lively against Lyon than his low-key performance against Club Brugge as he forced goalkeeper Anthony Lopes to a great save after a clever backheel from Neymar and also had a free-kick crash off the crossbar.
But there was much expectancy on Messi to immediately tear up Ligue 1 which is widely regarded as a much weaker division than the likes of the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.
Ronaldo has got off to a flying start in the Premier League though unlike Messi it is at a club and division he knows well.
Perhaps a more direct comparison can be made between Messi at PSG and when Ronaldo joined Juventus back in 2018.
In a new league, the Portuguese star failed to score in his first three Serie A games and was controversially sent off in his first Champions League game for the Bianconeri against Valencia. He went on to net 21 times in the league that season – his lowest since leaving United in 2009.
His brilliance eventually shone through and he went on to score 31 and 29 goals over the following two league seasons.
With Messi’s quality it will be a surprise if he doesn’t get off the mark quickly and make a big impact in Paris, but so far Ronaldo has the clear advantage of the two world superstars since their respective blockbuster moves.
A court in Argentina has heard fresh testimony in the ongoing trial over the death of football legend Diego Maradona, with a psychologist telling judges that the late icon suffered from bipolar disorder, narcissistic traits and required strict abstinence from alcohol.
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition marked by extreme mood swings ranging from periods of intense emotional “highs” (mania) to deep “lows” (depression).
Carlos Díaz, 34, one of seven medical professionals charged in connection with Maradona’s death, appeared before the court in Buenos Aires on Thursday, where he faces a charge of manslaughter with reckless intent for allegedly prescribing inappropriate medication.
According to Argentine media reports, Díaz told the court that Maradona’s mental health condition was complex and deeply intertwined with substance dependency.
“There was bipolar disorder and narcissism,” Díaz was quoted as saying. “He could bring a country to its knees, but one glass of alcohol could bring him to his knees.”
Díaz said he first met the former Argentina captain on October 26, 2020 — less than a month before his death — and was alarmed by Maradona’s condition. He recalled seeing the football great drinking wine at the time, an image he said reminded him of his late father, who struggled with alcoholism.
The psychologist told the court that he believed Maradona was willing to change his lifestyle and that his treatment approach was centred on complete abstinence from alcohol. He added that toxicology findings indicated the football legend had gone 23 days without drug use before his death.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, Maradona enjoyed a glittering career with clubs such as Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli, and famously captained Argentina to victory at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, following surgery for a subdural hematoma. His death shocked the football world and prompted widespread mourning across Argentina and beyond.
The trial is seeking to determine whether members of his medical and care team bear criminal responsibility for his death, with prosecutors alleging negligence in his treatment and supervision during his final days.
Also testifying on Thursday was neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, another of the defendants. He told the court that Maradona’s home-based care was appropriate under the circumstances and was never intended to function as an intensive-care unit.
The case continues to draw intense public interest in Argentina, where Maradona remains a revered national figure, even as questions persist over the circumstances surrounding his final days.
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Every week, hundreds of people line up to fill a plastic container with food in an unlikely place: the humble home where Argentine soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona was born.
The house in Villa Fiorito, a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, no longer belongs to the family of Maradona, who died in 2020 after a heart attack. Still, for the last month, its current owner has lent its dirt yard to a group of volunteers who light a grill and cook for neighbours.
Last Thursday, Maria Torres stirred a stew in two large pots while several others peeled potatoes and chopped pieces of chicken. A mural painted on the house’s facade depicts the soccer player next to the words, “The house of god.”
A man cooks stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
Poverty has been trending downward in Argentina, with official statistics released on Tuesday showing it dropping to 28.2% of the country’s population in the second half of 2025 from 52.9% in the first half of 2024, when President Javier Milei sharply devalued the peso and inflation spiked.
While there has been a “very important drop” in poverty, Argentina needs to see more GDP growth in labour-intensive sectors, such as mining, as opposed to capital-intensive sectors, such as agriculture, said Eduardo Donza, a sociologist at the Catholic University of Argentina.
Volunteers chop chicken before cooking a stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
The drop in the poverty rate has followed a substantial drop in monthly inflation, from double digits when Milei took office to 2.9% in February.
A man cooks stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
However, Milei’s austerity measures have sharply diminished the public sector workforce, and many say they have lost purchasing power as the government has cut transportation and energy subsidies.
Volunteers chop chicken before cooking a stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
Leonardo Fabian Alvarez, a pastor who runs the makeshift soup kitchen, said he has seen the demand for food in Villa Fiorito and other neighbourhoods grow as small factories have closed. Deregulation and a stronger peso have led to cheaper imports under Milei.
“People obviously lost their jobs,” he said, adding that “they come to the line, pick up food, take what we give them.”
Argentina declared the home of Maradona a National Historic Site in 2021.
-Reuters
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The legacy of Brazilian football legend Pelé has taken a new turn after Neymar Santos Sr, father of Brazil star Neymar Jr, confirmed the acquisition of the commercial rights to Pelé’s name and image through his agency, NR Sports.
Speaking at the Pelé Museum in Santos, Brazil, Neymar Sr said the deal marks a new chapter for one of the most iconic brands in global sport.
“We are proud. I think it’s a very strong brand. We want to strengthen its identity and adapt it to the current era,” he said, describing the project as deeply emotional and nationally significant.
Although financial details were not officially disclosed, Brazilian media estimate the acquisition at around $18 million. The rights had previously belonged to US-based company Sport 10, which many in Brazil accused of underdeveloping a national treasure.
A ‘Repatriation’ of Pelé’s Legacy
NR Sports described the agreement as a “repatriation” of Pelé’s brand—bringing back to Brazil “one of the greatest symbols in the history of world sport.”
Pelé’s daughter, Flavia, attended the announcement and welcomed the move, saying the family had tried—and failed—to reacquire the rights after Pelé’s death in 2022.
“There are no words to describe the emotion of bringing back a brand that embodies soul, humanity, and love. It’s priceless,” she told AFP.
The unveiling was accompanied by an emotional tribute at the Pelé Museum, which erected a massive green screen with Pelé’s iconic logo. A video shared on Pelé’s and NR Sports’ official accounts celebrated the “universal language” of Brazilian football, showing some of the King’s most memorable goals from his World Cup triumphs in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Neymar Jr: ‘Pelé Was Born to Change Everything’
Neymar Jr, who recently returned to Pelé’s former club Santos and has surpassed the King as Brazil’s all-time top scorer, featured in a promotional video congratulating his father’s company.
“Some are born to play, others are born to change the game. Pelé was born to change everything,” the 33-year-old forward said. “Pelé never stopped being one of us, and now he is officially part of Brazil, again and forever.”
A New Era for an Underused Global Brand
For years, Pelé’s image rights were more prominently exploited abroad than at home—a situation that drew criticism from the family and Brazilian football circles. The new deal is expected to revitalise the Pelé brand through modern marketing, partnerships, and heritage initiatives anchored in Brazil.
“This is the beginning of a motivating project for us. We are very moved,” Neymar Sr added.
Pelé, who died in December 2022 at age 82, remains an enduring symbol in Santos, São Paulo state, where he played from 1956 to 1974 and where thousands still visit his mausoleum.
With the rights now back in Brazilian hands, NR Sports says the goal is clear: preserve, expand, and enrich the legacy of the King of Football for generations to come.
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