CELEBRITY
Messi, Ronaldo and Salah on shortlist for FIFA Best Men’s Player award
Paris St Germain forward Lionel Messi, Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah are among the 11 players shortlisted for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, the world governing body said on Monday.
The trio are joined by last year’s winner Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich, Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and Chelsea duo N’Golo Kante and Jorginho.
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema, Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and PSG pair Kylian Mbappe and Neymar complete the list.
Women’s Super League players dominate the women’s award with Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema, City duo Lucy Bronze and Ellen White and Chelsea quartet Sam Kerr, Magdalena Eriksson, Pernille Harder and Ji So-yun all in contention.
Emma Hayes, who led Chelsea to the 2021 Champions League final, is joined on The Best FIFA Women’s Coach shortlist by England manager Sarina Wiegman and Canada coach Beverly Priestman.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel and Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte are nominated for the men’s award, along with Germany’s Hansi Flick and Italy coach Roberto Mancini, who led them to the Euro 2020 title.
Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy and Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel are among the nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award.
The winners will be announced on Jan. 17.
–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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