Entertainment
Weekly Football News Catch Up: December 11: Ronaldo And Hazard Announce Retirement From International Football; Real Madrid Set To Acquire Brazilian Wonder Kid; Samuel Eto’o Attacks Someone At World Cup; Others
Piers Morgan Debunks Ronaldo To Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr Rumors.
Reports that Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal, had signed a contract to join Al-Nassr have been debunked by British journalist Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo was reported to be on the brink of signing a €500 million (£432 million) contract offer last week, and Marca claimed on Monday that the Portugal captain has already accepted the terms and would join Al-Nassr on January 1.
It was said that the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker will receive £173 million annually pay for the course of a two-and-a-half-year contract, which will keep him playing until he turns 40.
However, replying to a tweet on the news on Monday, Ronaldo’s confidant, Piers Morgan discarded the report saying, “Again, not true”.
If Ronaldo signs the contract, the 37-year-old will not only become the highest-paid football player in the sport’s history but, according to Forbes’ list for 2022, he will surpass athletes like LeBron James and Lionel Messi to become the highest-paid athlete in the world.
Samuel Eto’o Seen Attacking Man At World Cup.
Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroon Football Association and a legacy ambassador for Qatar, was captured on video hitting a man following Brazil’s 4-1 victory over South Korea in the World Cup round of sixteen on Monday.
During a confrontation, the former Barcelona striker was seen on video kneeing a man in the head.
The confrontation took place outside the 974 Stadium in Doha on Monday night as the former African Footballer of the Year posed for photographs with supporters.
Eto’o became quickly enraged following a brief argument with the cameraman and resisted being stopped from hitting the white man.
The man in the trending video retreated even as the Cameroon legend pursued him.
As a member of Eto’o entourage tried to take the camera from the man, the Cameronian was spotted handing someone his phone to hold.
Eto’o attacked the man holding the camera by kneeing him in the head after the two men holding him back let go.
However, after the video went online, Samuel Eto’o apologised for his actions on his official Twitter handle.
He wrote: “After the Brazil-South Korea match, I had a violent altercation with a person who was probably an Algerian supporter.
“I would like to apologise for losing my temper and reacting in a way that does not match my personality. I apologise to the public for this unfortunate incident.”
Eden Hazard Retires From International Football.
Eden Hazard, the captain of Belgium, announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday.
This comes less than a week after Belgium was eliminated from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Real Madrid attacker, who is only 31 years old, announced his retirement from international football with 126 appearances and 33 goals for Belgium.
Hazard wrote on his Instagram account, “Thank you for your unparalleled support. Thank you for all this happiness shared since 2008.
He added, “I have decided to put an end to my international career. The succession is ready. I’ll miss you.”
“My Dream Of Helping My Country Win The World Cup Is Over” – Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and captain of Portugal, has said that his dream of helping his country win the World Cup is over.
Morocco defeated Portugal on Saturday to advance to the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar.
After the game, The 37-year-old athlete, who has participated in five World Cup tournaments, sobbed as he made his way down the tunnel.
In a Facebook post on his official account, Ronaldo announced that his dream of helping Portugal win the World Cup was over, giving the impression that this will be his last world cup competition.
He wrote, “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream.
“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In the five appearances, I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.
“Sadly, yesterday the dream ended. It’s not worth reacting to heat(Sic). I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, and much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed not for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.
“Not much more to say for now. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was nice while it lasted… Now, it’s hoping that the weather will be a good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions.”
Real Madrid Set To Acquire Brazilian Wonder Kid.
Real Madrid are reportedly set to finalise a deal worth €72 million for Palmeiras’ wonder kid, Endrick Felipe.
Endrick, a 16-year-old youngster, will be fully acquired by Real Madrid in 2024 if Palmeiras’ asking price of €72 million (£62 million/$76 million) is met.
The European and Spanish champions will pay the striker’s transfer fee in instalments until July 2024, when he becomes 18 and becomes permitted to move overseas.
Endrick, a teenager who has scored three goals in seven senior games for Palmeiras, has been the subject of interest of several clubs, including Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain.
The boy, however, has not yet been informed of a potential agreement with Madrid.
Palmeiras will receive €60 million (£52 million/$63 million) tax-free from the sale of Endrick as Madrid has agreed to cover €12 million in transaction taxes.
