The Nation Newspaper

Tag: cristiano ronaldo

  • Juve defeat: Angry Ronaldo adopts Mourinho’s reaction

     

    Just before former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was sent packing, he reacted angrily after the team lost 3-0 to Tottenham.

    At a post-match meeting the special one demanded respect from the media reminding anyone who cares to listen that he alone won three premiership titles more the all the 19 premiership managers put together

    “I won more Premierships alone than the other 19 managers together,” Mourinho said. “Three for me and two for them” he said while putting up three fingers in the air to buttress his point.

    The scenario however played out again Wednesday but this time not with Mourinho but with Juventus forward and Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo after the Italian giants were defeated 2-0 by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League tie

    A wound-up Cristiano Ronaldo continued to taunt Atletico Madrid fans holding up five fingers in the media zone for each of his Champions League titles.

    Having been singled out by the Spanish supporters on Wednesday night, the Portuguese responded to taunts by repeatedly performing the gesture, a clear reference to his incredible success in the competition.

    And evidently the 34-year-old was still seething after the game as he marched through the Wanda Metropolitano media zone with a scowl on his face.

    He refused to speak directly to any journalists but again held up the five-finger gesture and declared: ‘I won five Champions Leagues and these guys none.’

    Ronaldo made a zero with his hand as if to drive home the point as he sped away clutching his luxury wash bag under his arm.  The former Real Madrid forward was jeered throughout the match at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

    Juventus will need to produce a remarkable turnaround in the second leg to reverse the two goal deficit.

    Late goals from Uruguayan defenders Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin mean Diego Simeone’s side will be heavy favourites to progress.

    Juventus boss Massimilano Allegri however still holds out hope that his men will be able to turn it around.

    ‘We were not dead after the 3-0 home defeat against Madrid last season and we are not dead now,’ Allegri told UEFA.com.

    ‘We have to forget this defeat quickly and try to play better in Turin because against a team like Atletico you miss a pass and you are in trouble.

  • REVEALED: Messi is highest paid player on the planet!

     

    Lionel Messi is the best-paid player on the planet as he rakes in an astonishing £7.3million a month about N3.2billion before tax nearly twice the amount that arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo gets at Juventus.

    In L’Equipe’s annual salary report, the French news outlet revealed who the 10 best-paid footballers in Europe are going by monthly wage before tax.

    Of these 10, five play in Spain, a pair play in France and England respectively while just the one player features in Italy.

    It’s no secret that modern-day players are paid huge sums of money but the amount Messi receives on a monthly basis is extraordinary – even by footballers’ standards.

    The Barcelona talisman signed a new contract in November 2017 which propelled him to the top of the list, beating long-term rival Ronaldo in second who earns a staggering £4.1m (€4.7m) a month before tax.

    Surprisingly, coming in third is Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid who earns £2.9m (€3.3m) a month following his well-publicised contract renewal before the World Cup this summer.

    Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar follows Griezmann with reported monthly earnings of £2.7m (€3.06m) while Luis Suarez completes the top five with a monthly wage of £2.5m (€2.9m). Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale (£2.2m), Philippe Coutinho (£2m), Alexis Sanchez (£2m), Kylian Mbappe (£1.5m) and Mesut Ozil (£1.4m) complete the list.

    Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski failed to break into the top 10 list with a reported monthly earning of £1.2m (€1.33m) in the Bundesliga.

    L’Equipe also released the top earners in Ligue 1, and unsurprisingly, the top five was dominated by PSG players.

    With Neymar and Mbappe leading the way, Edinson Cavani (£1.3m), Thiago Silva (£1m) and Angel Di Maria (£1m) complete the list.

    The French newspaper also reported that Mbappe’s monthly wage increase by £160,000 (€180,000) between his first and second season at the Parisan club following his big-money switch from Monaco

    TOP 10 BEST-PAID FOOTBALLERS – WHAT THEY GET EVERY MONTH

    1. Lionel Messi – £7.3million
    2. Cristiano Ronaldo – £4.1million
    3. Antoine Griezmann – £2.9million
    4. Neymar – £2.7million
    5. Luis Suarez – £2.5million
    6. Gareth Bale – £2.2million
    7. Philippe Coutinho – £2million
    8. Alexis Sanchez – £2million
    9. Kylian Mbappe – £1.5million
    10. Mesut Ozil – £1.4million

  • Mauro Icardi gifts stepson incredible 10th birthday message

    It can often be difficult to decide what to get when buying presents for others, but that isn’t the case for Mauro Icardi.

    The Inter Milan striker’s stepson, Valentino, is celebrating his tenth birthday, and Icardi got him the perfect gift.

    Icardi managed to get some of the biggest names in football, including Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo, to wish Valentino happy birthday.

    The messages are interspersed with clips of Valentino playing football.

    Icardi posted the video on Instagram, with a host of other players also taking part, including Paulo

    Dybala of Juventus and current Ballon d’Or holder Luka Modric of Real Madrid.

    Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain), Radja Nainggolan (Inter Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea) and Lisandro Lopez (Racing Club) also participated.

    Former players also sent messages to Valentino, including Samuel Eto’o, Javier Zanetti, Walter Samuel, Esteban Cambiasso and Diego Milito, who all played for Inter.

    Also involved were some of Icardi’s Inter team-mates, Milan Skriniar, Keita Balde Diao, Matias Vecino, Danilo D’Ambrosio.

  • Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez loses father

     

    Convicted drug trafficker father of Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend has reportedly died in his native Argentina after a long battle against illness.

    The football star’s partner Georgina Rodriguez posted a birthday photo on her Instagram earlier this week from Buenos Aires and wrote: ‘Coincidences of life. I land in the country I was born in at the same time and the day of my birth 25 years ago.’

    She gave no hint of the reason for her trip, thought to be her first to Argentina since her dad was kicked out of Spain in 2013 and banned from returning after doing ten years jail for two drugs trafficking offences.

    Celeb Spanish magazine Hola reported on its website on Friday that the pretty brunette had flown to Buenos Aires following the death of Jorge Eduardo Rodriguez Gorjon at the age of 70.

    He is said to have suffered from complications related to a stroke he had two-and-a-half years ago.

    No-one from Cristiano Ronaldo’s agency Gestifute, which rarely comments on the footballer’s private life, was available early Friday.

    Fans of the footballer and his partner, who gave birth to their one-year-old daughter Alana Martina in November 2016, have taken to social media to offer their condolences.

    One, writing on the Instagram page of Georgina’s sister Ivana, said: ‘My sincere condolences.

    ‘I hope you find comfort in God. I am very sad for you. Be strong. We are all with you.’

    Another messaged Georgina to say: ‘I am very sorry for your loss. We are thinking of you.’

    Buenos Aires-born former footballer Jorge was jailed in 2003 and released in 2013 after receiving sentences of 11 years and two years, although he was on licence for part of that time and not behind bars 24/7.

  • Gary Lineker blasts Cristiano Ronaldo over private jet selfie

     

    Juventus Star Cristiano Ronaldo has come under heavy criticism following a selfie he dished out Tuesday. The selfie taken on a private jet was released just as the football world was thrown into mourning following the disappearance of light plane carrying Cardiff new sign Emiliano Sala.

    Former Barcelona and England international Gary Lineker particular found the selfie irritating insisting that it is a sign of insensitivity and apparently the wrong time to showcase such selfie

    “Not the day for this tweet. It really isn’t “he said via @Garylineker

    Ronaldo only on Tuesday put an end to his tax evasion case in Spain accepting huge fine and suspended sentence tweeted a triumphant thumbs up photo as he left Madrid for Turin after sealing the deal with Spanish Prosecutors.

    Lineker’s tweet has split opinion with some backing his insensitivity claim with others saying Ronaldo would have had no idea about the tragedy in Channel.

    Lineker’s rebuke to the Portuguese international garnered nearly 30,000 likes in just a few hours, on the day football fans in France and Wales laid flowers and held candlelit vigils for missing Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala

    Sala and his pilot last made contact from their Piper FA-46 Malibu just off Alderney at 8.30pm on Monday. Coastguard helicopters and lifeboats combed 1,100 square miles of sea before halting the search at nightfall. They found nothing but debris and Guernsey Police said the pair’s chances of survival if they ditched in the icy waters were ‘slim’. They warned they are not expecting to find survivors.

    In a Whatsapp audio note recorded on the doomed flight, Sala told friends he was ‘aboard a plan that seems like it is falling to pieces’ before going on to say ‘I am getting scared.’

  • Ronaldo pleads guilty to tax fraud to pay N7.9billion fine

     

    Cristiano Ronaldo has pleaded guilty to tax charges relating to his time at Real Madrid and accepted a suspended prison sentence  but with very heavy fine.

    The Portuguese was in the Spanish capital on Tuesday to appear before a judge after being accused of defrauding authorities out of income generated through image rights.

    Back in 2017, Ronaldo stated that he had never tried to avoid paying the relevant taxes on his income.

    He was, however, accused by a state prosecutor of four counts of tax fraud from the period of 2011 to 2014. Ronaldo was said to have hidden €14.7m (£13m/$17m) in shell companies outside of Spain.

    The accusations do not involve the salary he was paid by Real Madrid after joining the club from Manchester United in 2009. He appeared in court as a ruling on his case was made.

    In Spain, a judge can hand out a two-year suspended sentence for first-time offenders.

    Ronaldo has accepted a 23-month judgment after reaching an agreement with the state prosecutor and the relevant tax authorities in 2018. He will, however, have to pay out nearly $22m (about N7.9b) in fines.

    The 33-year-old opted to appear in court in person after declining the option to address a judge by video link.

    His time in Madrid is not expected to last long having already reached a prior agreement with the authorities.

    Ronaldo’s former team-mate, Xabi Alonso, may require a little longer, though, in resolving his case.

    The ex-Liverpool midfielder also stands accused of defrauding tax authorities of approximately €2m (£1.8m) between 2010 and 2012.Once again, the charges relate to income generated from image rights.

    World Cup winner Alonso could be sentenced to five years in prison and fined €4m (£3.5m) on top of the money he already owes

    Ronaldo and Alonso are not the first footballing figures to have been subjected to such investigations by Spanish tax authorities over recent years.

    Lionel Messi, Jose Mourinho, Javier Mascherano, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Alexis Sanchez, Ricardo Carvalho, Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Fabio Coentrao have all faced similar charges.

  • Tax fraud trial: Ronaldo makes car park walk through appeal

     

    Juventus Stars Cristiano Ronaldo has requested to be allowed to enter into the court room through the car park for his safety ahead of his alleged tax fraud case in Spain on Tuesday. The former Real Madrid striker is expected in Madrid to attend to a trial for tax evasion where Spanish prosecutors are asking for a 23-month prison sentence and fine.

    The 33-year-old Portuguese striker, who left Real Madrid last July, is expected to plead guilty after he agreed a settlement worth 18.8million euros (£16.9million) with tax authorities last summer.

    He is however unlikely to serve any time in prison as Spanish law states a sentence of less than two years for a first offence can be served on probation.

    Spanish newspaper El Mundo reports that Ronaldo sent a formal request to the court to be allowed to avoid the normal walk into the court building ‘to guarantee his safety’. It is not clear yet whether the written request has been granted or not

    Prosecutors initially alleged Ronaldo had defrauded 14.7 million euros (£12.95 million) but confirmed on Friday they were accusing him of defrauding just over 5.7 million euros (£5.3million).

    Ronaldo’s trial is due to start at 10am on Tuesday at Madrid’s Audiencia Provincial court.

    Spanish daily ABC reported on Friday that Ronaldo will try to get his suspended prison sentence swapped for an extra fine of 350,000 euros (£308,000) when he appears in court on Tuesday.

    Interestingly the tax fraud trial of former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso will also start in Madrid the same day Ronaldo appears in court.

    The 37-year-old is expected to plead not guilty to an alleged 2,032,845 euro (£1.8 million) tax fraud over the years 2010 to 2012 when he was at Real Madrid.State prosecutors are seeking a five-year prison sentence.

    His trial will take place at the same court building Ronaldo has been summoned to on the same day, although in a different courtroom.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo puts his Manchester mansion up for sale at £3.25m

    Cristiano Ronaldo has put his five-bedroom Manchester mansion up for sale in a move that could kill United fans’ hopes of him sealing a return to Old Trafford.

    The Juventus forward is believed to have first bought the stunning home in Cheshire back in 2006, during his trophy-laden spell under Sir Alex Ferguson.

    The house, which is now on the market for £3.25million, features a large swimming pool, hot tub and steam room as well as a gym, cinema and games room.

    Should Ronaldo find a buyer, he could end up losing money on the mansion, having reportedly bought it for £3.85m more than a decade ago.

    This is not the first time he has tried to sell it, however. The forward is believed to have put it on the market back in 2009, when he left Old Trafford to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.

    Since then, however, it has not been left unoccupied. Luke Shaw rented the property from Ronaldo after he joined from Southampton back in 2014.

    According to the Sun, the left back paid Ronaldo £7,000 a month but now the forward wants to get rid of it for good.

    The property is found in the wealthy area of Alderley Edge, where many Manchester-based footballers settle down.

  • Ballon d’Or: Ronaldo’s sister under fire for blaming cabal

     

    Cristiano Ronaldo’s sisters have hit out after he was beaten to the Ballon d’Or by Luka Modric.

    Real Madrid and Croatia star Modric was crowned the winner in Paris on Monday night, the first time since Kaka in 2007 that the prize has not gone to Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.

    Both five-time winners stayed away after Ronaldo, who left Modric’s Real Madrid for Juventus in the summer, finished second and Barcelona’s Messi was back in fifth.

    After the event, Ronaldo’s sister Elma Aveiro said the result proved that the world was ‘rotten’ as a message on her Instagram, read: ‘unfortunately this is the world we live in, rotten, with mafia and f******g money. The power of God is a lot greater than all this rottenness. God takes his time but he doesn’t fail.’

    It was posted next to a picture of Ronaldo with one of his five awards from previous years.

    Ronaldo’s other sister Katia Aveiro posted: ‘Best player in the world… for those who understand football of course.’

    Meanwhile, Gianluigi Buffon has refused to criticise Ronaldo for his no-show at the event in the French capital.

    The veteran Italian keeper and Paris Saint-Germain star, when asked about Ronaldo not being there, is quoted by FourFourTwo, saying: ‘I think we are all free people.  Everybody decides what he wants of his life.’

    Ronaldo has made a fine start to life with Juventus after leaving Real Madrid where he won the Champions League with Modric in May.

    Modric was instrumental in that triumph and also steered Croatia to the World Cup final in Russia in the summer, where they lost out to France.

    Elma Aveiro however came under fire from fans for her stand on the event. one fan said

    “What is it with this family? I can understand being loyal to your brother but this is embarrassing. He didn’t win, get over it. He may not win it again!

    Another said “All the vanity, but no class. Such is the state of Ronaldo’s family. I see Ronaldo feeding wrong advice to his son by forcing him to hit the gym when he needs to be natural and playing. Ronaldo needs good advisers otherwise I see his family going Michael Jackson way. You can fulfill yourself by seeking attention and applaud from others. It will eventually come to an end” and yet another added “When Ronaldo wins it’s not mafia and it is when someone else wins, pathetic”

  • Rape allegation: She said No. but made herself available -Ronaldo

     

    More facts are emerging in the rape allegation made by former American model Kathryn Mayorga against Portuguese international and Juve forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

    A leaked legal document says Ronaldo has admitted that his accuser actually objected to the act severally before they had sex in Las Vagas Hotel

    The papers, possessed by German magazine Der Spiegel, contain a questionnaire in which the Juventus star, 33, confessed that American Kathryn Mayorga, 35, ‘said no and stop several times’ when the pair had sex in the Hotel Palms Place in June 2009.

    In what could pass for a nostalgic recall, the former Real Madrid goal machine admitted that ‘it was rough’, ‘she didn’t want to give it to him’ and that he apologised after he’d finished. 

    In the document – created in September 2009 – Ronaldo is identified as X and Ms Mayorga as Ms C.

    The lawyer asked the footballer: ‘What was said by you and what was said by Ms. C? (This is particularly important if anything was said about having sex or anything like that)’

    Ronaldo is said to have replied: ‘She said it was not proper to have sex, since they just met (‘Better not. It’s the first time.’) But even so, she grabbed my d***.’

    The footballer was then asked to describe in detail what happened, ‘starting with the first physical contact’.

    Ronaldo, who’s worth £350million, reportedly explained: ‘I f***** her from the side. She made herself available. She was lying on her side, in bed, and I entered her from behind. It was rough. We didn’t change position. Five/seven minutes.

    ‘She said that she didn’t want to, but she made herself available. The whole time it was rough, I turned her onto her side, and it was fast. Maybe she got some bruises when I grabbed her.

    ‘She didn’t want to give it to me, instead she jerked me off. I don’t know any more exactly what she said when she was jerking me off. But she kept saying “No. Don’t do it, I’m not like the others.” I apologized afterwards.’

    The player’s lawyer asked if Ms Mayorga ever raise her voice, screamed, or yelled while they had sex.