CELEBRITY
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi set to clash in January
If the plans go on as scheduled, Paris Saint-Germain could make a trip to Saudi Arabia for a friendly match that will reignite a Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi battle.
Just on Friday, Ronaldo’s move to Ahmed Musa’s former club, Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half year deal was announced with Ronaldo set to earn around £373million-a-year.
It is a mouthwatering amount as Ronaldo ventures out of Europe for the first time in his 21-year career since starting out at Sporting Lisbon, before going onto play for Manchester United, Real madrid, Juventus and then a second spell at the Red Devils.
During his time at Los Blancos, however, Ronaldo was in constant battle with Lionel Messi as the pair pushed each other all the way for individual and team honours with the latter at Barcelona Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real, winning the Champions League on four occasions, while Messi reached similar heights at Barca where he won countless major trophies, netting over 500 times.
The duo have played against each other on 34 occasions in their careers, and Ronaldo and Messi could be set for one last reunion next month. According to Moroccan journalist Achraf Ben Ayad, via the Daily Star, PSG will play against a combined XI from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal on January 19.
The news was greeted with excitement by fans, with one tweeting: “Wow! One last time.” A second wrote: “It’s like a Disney film this stuff.” And a third said: “I can’t wait for this!” Others were all left making the same joke as one posted: “Assuming Ronaldo makes the starting squad is bold.”
“Cristiano won’t make the XI,” commented one, while another echoed: “Ronaldo won’t get into the eleven.” Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are arguably the two most well-known teams in the Saudi Pro League and they met on Boxing Day as it finished as as 2-2 draw.
Former Manchester United forward Odion Ighalo is amongst the Al-Hilal squad, with ex-Benfica man Anderson Talisca and Vincent Aboubakar in the ranks of Al-Nassr.
The two sides are set to put a team together and it is likely that Ronaldo will feature given his stature in the game.
Ronaldo’s proposed switch to Al-Nassr was announced on Friday in a statement on the club’s website. It read: “This is more than history in the making.
This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome, Cristiano, to your new home.”
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner added: “Al Nassr’s vision is very inspiring and impressive. I look forward to a different league experience in a different country. I am excited to join my team-mates as soon as possible.”
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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