CELEBRITY
Star-struck Norwich City fans film Cristiano Ronaldo celebration after he scores winner against them
Some Norwich supporters couldn’t help snapping an image of Ronaldo celebrating the goal that beat their team
Norwich City will feel aggrieved after failing to get anything out of their game with Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
United put together a severely under-par performance against Norwich, who sit rock bottom in the Premier League, but were able to come out victorious after Cristiano Ronaldo’s match-winner.
United were able to dig deep defensively with David de Gea putting in a man-of-the-match performance – making two excellent saves from defender Ozan Kabak late on to secure all three points.
And whilst Norwich City fans were visibly and audibly disappointed with the result, some of the fans were so in awe of being in Ronaldo’s presence that they captured his goal and celebration on their phones for posterity.
With just 15 minutes to go, Ronaldo was fouled by Max Aarons in the box, with the referee awarding the penalty.
The Portuguese star would step up against Canaries keeper Tim Krul – who has one of the best penalty save ratio’s in world football – and sent him the wrong way with a cool finish into the bottom corner.
Ronaldo would do his signature celebration in front of the Norwich City fans, with images clearly showing lots of them enjoying the moment.
A few fans can be seen smiling and taking their phones out to take an image of Ronaldo as he celebrated in front of them.
One said: “No way Norwich fans are happy to see Ronaldo score a penalty against them?”
Whilst another added: “Fair play to Norwich fans. They’re witnessing the best player to ever play at their stadium.”
-MEN
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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