CELEBRITY
Barca president hurts Messi
Lionel Messi has hit out at Barcelona president Joan Laporta for hoping that he would ‘stay and play for free’ in order to help the Catalan club in the middle of their financial crisis.
The club could not afford to keep hold of their greatest ever player amid their unprecedented financial woes, with the club racking up more than £1billion in debt and recording a £409million loss for last season.
While Messi agreed to a 50 per cent wage cut, the club were still not able to find a way to keep him which resulted in the Argentine ending his 18-year affliation with the club to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free.
Laporta went on to sensationally admit in an interview last month that he had hoped Messi would stay and play for nothing – a suggestion that has ‘hurt’ the 34-year-old.
Speaking about his departure, Messi told Spanish newspaper Sport: ‘The truth is that, as I explained when I left, I did everything possible to stay.
‘I was never asked to play for free. I was asked to pay my salary with fifty percent. I did that without any problem. That’s how I wanted to help Barcelona. It was my and my family’s desire to stay in Barcelona. The president’s words were really not okay. They hurt me.
‘It felt like Laporta took the ball from me but then didn’t know what to do with it. He just didn’t have to say those things. Now people may think I’ve caused doubt. I don’t deserve that.’
Messi went on to reveal that he hasn’t spoken to Laporta since he left the Nou Camp – but revealed that he would return to the club as technical director at some point in the future.
‘I’ve always said I’d like to come back and help the club in any way I could,’ Messi added. ‘I want to be useful, to help. So that it goes well with Barcelona.
‘I think it would be nice to be technical director, but I’m not sure if I can get that role and if I can get it at Barca. But if there’s an opportunity, I’m definitely open to it.
‘I love Barcelona, really hope the club gets healthy again and continues to be one of the best in the world.’
Messi has struggled to settle into his new life in Paris, with the forward still waiting to score his first Ligue 1 goal for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
While he has broken his duck in the Champions League, his performances domestically have seen him come under criticism in recent weeks.
The forward explained that life is a lot different since moving to the French capital, where he has now been for two months.
Messi’s struggles in Ligue 1 continued last week when he was subbed off at half-time during their 2-1 win over Lille on Friday, with Pochettino confirming his compatriot had picked up a muscle injury but his withdrawal was just a ‘precaution’.
-Daily Mail
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.
The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Remo Stars Host Mamelodi Sundowns in Crucial CAF Champions League Showdown
Jay-Jay Okocha Call Turns NPFL Boss to Instant Celebrity in Madrid
Hakimi Rallies Morocco’s U20 Lions Ahead of World Cup Final Against Argentina
- World Cup1 week ago
CAF Rule Change May Boost Nigeria’s World Cup Qualification Hopes
- World Cup5 days ago
Victor Osimhen qualifies South Africa for World Cup as Super Eagles go for Play-Off
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING! Lookman Suspended for Crucial Benin Clash
- World Cup1 week ago
Judgment Day Beckons in Group C: Only One Ticket, Three Contenders, Infinite Drama
- FIFA RANKING2 days ago
Nigeria Jumps Four Places in New FIFA Rankings; Stirs Optimism in Local Football Circles
- World Cup1 week ago
Super Eagles Stranded in Angola After Aircraft Suffers Cracked Windscreen
- World Cup1 week ago
Akor Adams Becomes Nigeria’s 61st Scoring Debutant
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
GTI Assets Champions Football Investment as Catalyst for National Development