CELEBRITY
Spain inflict pain on Ronaldo and Portugal 
Spain snatched a place in the Nations League final four after striker Alvaro Morata’s late goal secured a 1-0 win over hosts Portugal on Tuesday to ensure top spot in their group.
Portugal dominated the match but last year’s finalists Spain stayed in the contest and in the 88th minute Morata scored to silence most of the sold-out stadium after a long ball into the box from Dani Carvajal was headed across goal by Nico Williams.
It was Spain’s first competitive win in Portugal since 1934 and their first victory in any match in Portugal since a 3-0 success in a friendly in 2003.
Spain finished top of League A-Group 2 on 11 points from six games, one point above second-placed Portugal who only needed a draw to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
The Spaniards join Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands in next year’s finals tournament.
“It was a difficult game but I stay with the attitude of the team. We have made a great effort,” Morata told reporters.
“If we were knocked out it had to be by leaving everything on the field and that’s how it was one more time for us.
“Every time that Spain have to show up in big games we do it. That’s how we do it and tonight we did it again.”
It was a bitter blow for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal who created several chances, were in total control during most the game and came so close to securing a place in the finals.
BRILLIANT SAVE
The hosts almost opened the scoring in the 32nd minute through Diogo Jota, who received a long pass from Bruno Fernandes and lashed a shot towards the top right corner that Unai Simon kept out with a brilliant one-handed save.
Fernandes almost scored himself five minutes later when he rifled a cross shot into the side netting with an effort that was so close the home fans thought it was a goal.
Spain looked lost and confused in what was looking to be another lacklustre performance after they went down 2-1 at home to Switzerland on Saturday.
Spain manager Luis Enrique sprung a surprise with seven changes to his starting lineup, leaving Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, Gavi, Pedri and Jordi Alba on the bench.
It was not until he made four substitutions in the second-half that Spain woke up and got their first shot on target of the game after 70 minutes through Morata.
The Atletico Madrid forward almost scored in the 76th minute when he fired a long-range shot towards the bottom right corner that Diogo Costa kept out with an outstanding one-handed stop.
HERO MORATA
Ronaldo tried hard to score but his play was often erratic and he was unable to successfully link up with his team mates, who kept missing chances and left Spain in the game, allowing Morata to be the hero again with his late winner.
Portugal manager Fernando Santos said the loss did not change his team’s confidence and preparations for the World Cup, where he believes Portugal “are still one of the favorites.” They face Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.
“We were really well organised in the first half. They had possession but didn’t create anything with that. However, we went down and lost the intensity after the 60th minute,” Santos told a news conference.
“They grew mainly because we lost the ability to have the ball. Players could not turn on their game.
“Spain began to push and came from really having no chances to end up scoring a goal. In the final minutes they changed the script, that’s evident.”
Spain will take heart from the win as they prepare to play Costa Rica, Germany and Japan in Group E at the World Cup
-Reuters
Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The League of Wealthy Sportsmen
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2025
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