CELEBRITY
Ten Hag happy to have unsettled Ronaldo at Man United
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reiterated his stance that Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at Old Trafford despite the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s desire to leave for Champions League football.
Ronaldo missed the majority of United’s pre-season preparations with the club excusing him from a tour of Asia and Australia for family reasons.
The 37-year-old did return for a 1-1 friendly draw against Rayo Vallecano last weekend.
However, he made headlines again for leaving Old Trafford before the end of the game.
Ten Hag described that act as “unacceptable”, but also rounded on the media for focusing on Ronaldo when other players also left the stadium before full time.
“I told you before, we plan with the season (with him). We have a top striker and I’m really happy he’s here, he’s in the squad and we stick to that plan,” said ten Hag at his pre-match press conference ahead of his first competitive game as United boss at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday (Aug 7).
“There were many players who left, but the spotlight is on Cristiano and that is not right.
“I’m satisfied with the whole team. There is a good culture and Cristiano is working really tough and hard.”
After a disastrous campaign in which United finished sixth in the Premier League last season, an overhaul of the squad was expected over the summer.
Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata have departed after their contracts expired, but the Red Devils start the season with only three new signings – Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen.
A prolonged chase of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who starred previously under ten Hag at Ajax has so far proved fruitless.
“It’s about the right players,” added Ten Hag on the relative lack of transfer activity.
“I cannot give comments on a player who is under contract in another club. When we have news, we will bring it.”
United forward Anthony Martial will the Brighton due to a minor injury, but new signings Eriksen and Martinez could start, said ten Hag.
Martial scored three goals in friendlies in the pre-season after returning from his loan spell at Sevilla, and ten Hag is hoping the Frenchman will shake off the problem quickly.
“It is always difficult to say with these injuries, but hopefully not too long,” the Dutchman told reporters, adding that fans will have to wait until Sunday to see if Ronaldo will play up front.
-AFP/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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