CELEBRITY
MESSI AND I ARE PALS, NOT RIVALS, SAYS RONALDO
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo possibly surprised the sporting world on Tuesday night just before the kick off of the Barcelona versus Juventus Champions League clash.
The two players, undoubtedly the highest profiled of their respective clubs exchanged pleasantries and shared hugs just before the kickoff. It was a surprise as rivals of different clubs always choose after match to greet.
The pair have been at the centre of a great debate over a decade now on who should be considered as the best footballer of the current generation. In between them, they have lifted the Ballon D’Or trophy 11 times.
The rivalry was further fueled by the fact that both played on either side of the fierce La Liga rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Ronaldo has since 2018 left Real Madrid for Italian side, Juventus. So when Barcelona hosted Juventus on Tuesday, it was the first meeting of Messi and Ronaldo in a 3-0 triumph by the Italian side.
Both smiled as they greeted each other on the pitch, and Ronaldo, according to Daily Mail of Britain, stated that any relationship between the pair has always been cordial.
There has been plenty of speculation over their rivalry down the years, with Ronaldo denying accusations that he referred to the Argentine as a ‘motherf*****’ behind his back.
He has previously admitted that there is no relationship between the pair off of the pitch, but he insisted on Tuesday evening that their relationship has always been in a good place.
‘We’ve been in the awards ceremonies for 12-13 years now and I never saw him as a rival, that’s all stirred up in the media,’ Ronaldo said – as per Football Espana.
‘We always got along perfectly well and if you ask Leo, he’ll tell you the same thing.’
The 3-0 victory meant the Serie A side pipped Messi’s side to top spot in Champions League Group G.
It is a massive boost to boss Andrea Pirlo, who finally appears to be finding his feet with his side after a stumbling start to life in charge of the Italian champions.
‘This victory is going to be such a confidence-booster, we needed a win like this against a big team,’ added Ronaldo.
‘When you score three goals at Camp Nou, there can be no doubt you deserve to go through as the group winners.’
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
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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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