Out of Play
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Neymar: Inside the lives of two of football’s brightest stars
THE sporting world was left licking its lips on Monday morning, as Real Madrid were drawn to face Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 of the Champions League.
In what could easily have passed for the final of Europe’s elite competition, we’ll be treated to a host of football’s brightest stars, across two games in the French and Spanish capitals.
But amongst the glitz, glamour and romance of Paris and the stunning sights of Madrid, there are two names who stand out above all others.
Those, of course, are Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar…
The best of Brazil and Portugal’s finest will go toe-to-toe in early 2018 – a tie that’s already set pulses racing not only throughout Europe, but across the globe.
But CR7 and Neymar are more than just footballers… much like many of the game’s most popular names, they are a brand, a way of life.
Beautiful women, fast cars, multi-million pound sponsorship deals and luxury houses, the two giants of the sporting world are in many ways the epitome of modern football.
But who are Ronaldo and Neymar away from the field?
Off the pitch, Real Madrid and former Manchester United star Ronaldo has just welcomed his fourth child, with stunning girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez.
His eldest son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jnr, 7, is a budding footballer himself, with his dad regularly posting video updates on his stunning talent – including a very familiar free-kick routine.
Earlier in 2017, Ronaldo announced he had fathered twins via a surrogate mother in the USA – just a month before he confirmed partner Rodriguez was pregnant with their first child together – Alana Martina.
But Ron has no intention of stopping there, recently revealing he wants “seven children” to go with “seven Ballon d’Or” titles, having won his fifth earlier this month.
Neymar’s romantic life on the other hand is a little more complicated, with the Brazilian star enduring a real “Ross and Rachel”, on-off relationship with model and actress Bruna Marquezine.
The 22-year-old beauty – who boasts nearly 24million Instagram followers – dated football’s world-record signing for months, before calling it a day in 2014.
The pair rekindled their spark last year but Neymar, 25, announced they had called time on their relationship AGAIN in June.
He said: “I do not like to talk about personal things. But yes, me and Bruna are separated.”
However, the pair are regularly spotted cosying up to each other off the pitch as their tempestuous relationship refuses to die down.
Neymar does have one child, a son – Davi Lucca – with former flame Carolina Dantas.
On the birth, Neymar emotionally revealed: “I cried when I learned that I would be his father. At first, I felt fear. Then joy. It is a new responsibility and I am now enjoying it.”
When it comes to his loved-ones, the Brazilian is clearly a family man, as he and sister Rafaella Beckran are incredibly close – with the 77-cap Brazil international even haviong her face tattooed on his arm.
On top of that, Neymar has an inking of his mum and a separate etching of his dad’s eyes on his body.
Ronaldo on the other hand has always avoided having a tattoo – for the most wonderful of reasons.
The 147-cap Portugal international has refused to follow the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi into the body-art… because he is a frequent blood donor – even becoming the face of charity Abbott in 2015.
Tattoos can affect blood donations, as there is often a precautionary waiting period of between six and 12 months.
Ronaldo’s gesture is an incredibly pure one… in a footballing world dominated by money, a selfless, non-financial outpouring is rare and very admirable.
After all, both Ron and Neymar earns cash by the bucket-load, not only in the form of their sky-high wage packets, but also in their numerous sponsorship deals.
PSG star Neymar is one of world football’s highest-paid players following his move to money-bags PSG in the summer, reportedly taking home £500,000-a-week after tax.
Ronaldo meanwhile pockets just shy of his Brazilian rival at around £365,000 per week… but arguably has the jump on him in terms of endorsements.
In fact, CR7 has one of the most lucrative endorsement portfolios on the planet, including a £15m-a-year deal with Nike – along with big-name sponsors such as Armani, Konami, Tag Heuer, Samsung and Herbalife.
Ronaldo’s annual income from these deals alone is said to be around £70m per year.
Meanwhile, Neymar rakes in a comparatively paltry, but still incredible, £20m per annum in sponsorship deals – with the likes of Beats, Gillette, Nike, Panasonic and Red Bull topping up his bank account.
But the forward, of humble roots in his native Brazil, ensures he donates ten per cent of every pay-cheque he receives to his church – after calling compatriot Kaka his “religious idol”.
Neymar is also regularly spotted at charity events in South America, including organising a charity football match ever year with another star, Nene, to help raise money for food for impoverished families.
Of course, while generous in their own right, both Ronaldo and Neymar still live the life of luxury.
From private jets and yacht trips to fast cars, stunning homes and famous friends, both players have it all off the pitch – a clear testament to their talent on it.
And that talent will take centre stage come February, when the pair get set to continue their rivalry on the field, when PSG travel to Madrid to take on Real in the pick of the Champions League last-16 fixtures.
A night guard at Ibuowo Estate, Okinni, Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, on Saturday, allegedly shot dead a 40-year-old man, Badmus Mohammed.
The guard, Rasaq Moshood, DAILY POST gathered, shot Mohammed, a tenant, who is popularly called Lasgidi dead with his dane gun.
His Landlord, Kazeem Jimoh told DAILY POST that he was at a bar with the deceased till midnight on Friday, before he was called on phone about his death.
According to Kazeem, his tenant was killed at the front of the house, while his door was left open.
“I and Kazeem were at a bar till past 12 when I left him.
“I didn’t sleep at home but I got a call around 1 a.m. that Lasgidi was killed by a guard. When i got home, I saw his door open, while his corpse was outside,” he said.
The Police spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident.
She noted that three night guards have been arrested with their dane guns.
According to her, “one Babatunde Olumide, the Chairman of Ibuowo Estate Okinni reported at dada Estate Divisional Police Hqts., that their night guard, one Moshood Rasaq used his dane gun to shoot one Mohammed Badmus, aged 40 years and he died instantly.
“Suspect has been arrested, gun used has been recovered, while the corpse has been taken to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.”
Opalola added that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after 183 days in space, ending China’s longest crewed mission as it continues its quest to become a major space power.
The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft was the latest mission in Beijing’s drive to rival the United States, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon.
Live footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule landing in a cloud of dust, with the ground crew who had kept clear of the landing site rushing in helicopters to reach the capsule.
The two men and one woman — Zhai Zhigang, Ye Guangfu and Wang Yaping — returned to Earth shortly before 10 am Beijing time (0200 GMT), after six months aboard the Tianhe core module of China’s Tiangong space station.
Ground crew applauded as the astronauts each took turns to report that they were in good physical condition.
Zhai was the first to emerge from the capsule roughly 45 minutes after the landing, waving and grinning at cameras as he was lifted by the ground crew into a specially designed chair before being bundled into a blanket.
“I’m proud of our heroic country,” Zhai said in an interview with CCTV shortly after leaving the capsule. “I feel extremely good.”
The trio originally launched in the Shenzhou-13 from China’s northwestern Gobi Desert last October, as the second of four crewed missions during 2021-2022 sent to assemble the country’s first permanent space station — Tiangong, which means “heavenly palace.”
Wang became the first Chinese woman to spacewalk last November, as she and her colleague Zhai installed space station equipment during a six-hour stint.
Mission commander Zhai, 55, is a former fighter pilot who performed China’s first spacewalk in 2008, while Ye is a People’s Liberation Army pilot.
The trio have completed two spacewalks, carried out numerous scientific experiments, set up equipment and tested technologies for future construction during their time in orbit.
The astronauts spent the past few weeks tidying up and preparing the cabin facilities and equipment for the crew of the incoming Shenzhou-14, expected to be launched in the coming months.
China’s previous record spaceflight mission length was set by last year’s Shenzhou-12 deployment, which lasted 92 days.
Six months will become the normal astronaut residence period aboard the Chinese space station, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Space race
The world’s second-largest economy has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a permanently crewed space station by 2022 and eventually sending humans to the Moon.
The country has come a long way in catching up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in space exploration.
But under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country’s plans for its heavily-promoted “space dream” have been put into overdrive.
Besides a space station, Beijing is also planning to build a base on the Moon, and the country’s National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029.
China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011 when the US banned NASA from engaging with the country.
While China does not plan to use its space station for global cooperation on the scale of the ISS, Beijing has said it is open to foreign collaboration although the scope of that cooperation is not yet clear.
The ISS is due for retirement after 2024, although NASA has said it could remain functional until 2030.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was underway.
Weeks of intense diplomacy and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia failed to deter Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.
“I have made the decision of a military operation,” Putin said in a surprise television announcement that triggered immediate condemnation from US President Joe Biden and sent global financial markets into turmoil.
Shortly after the announcement, explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and several other cities, according to AFP correspondents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his address to the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 21, 2022. Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP
Putin called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and justified the operation by claiming the government was overseeing a “genocide” in the east of the country.
The Kremlin had earlier said rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.
The extent of Thursday’s attacks was not immediately clear, but Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the worst-case scenario was playing out.
“Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes,” Kuleba tweeted.
“This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”
Biden immediately warned of “consequences” for Russia and that there would be a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.
NATO’s chief condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine.
Putin’s move came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made an emotional appeal late on Wednesday night to Russians not to support a “major war in Europe”.
Speaking Russian, Zelensky said that the people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine.
Zelensky said he had tried to call Putin but there was “no answer, only silence”, adding that Moscow now had around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s borders.
Earlier on Wednesday the separatist leaders of Donetsk and Lugansk sent separate letters to Putin, asking him to “help them repel Ukraine’s aggression”, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The two letters were published by Russian state media and were both dated February 22.
Their appeals came after Putin recognised their independence and signed friendship treaties with them that include defence deals.
– ‘Moment of peril’ –
Putin had for weeks defied a barrage of international criticism over the crisis, with some Western leaders saying he was no longer rational.
His announcement of the military operation came ahead of a last-ditch summit involving European Union leaders in Brussels planned for Thursday.
The 27-nation bloc had also imposed sanctions on Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu and high-ranking figures including the commanders of Russia’s army, navy and air force, another part of the wave of Western punishment after Putin sought to rewrite Ukraine’s borders.
The United Nations Security Council met late Wednesday for its second emergency session in three days over the crisis, with a personal plea there by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Putin going unheeded.
“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine, give peace a chance, too many people have already died,” Guterres said.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that an all-out Russian invasion could displace five million people, triggering a new European refugee crisis.
Before Putin’s announcement, Ukraine had urged its approximately three million citizens living in Russia to leave.
“We are united in believing that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our home, in Ukraine,” President Zelensky said during a joint media appearance with the visiting leaders of Poland and Lithuania.
Western capitals said Russia had amassed 150,000 troops in combat formations on Ukraine’s borders with Russia, Belarus and Russian-occupied Crimea and on warships in the Black Sea.
Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel, and could call up to 250,000 reservists.
Moscow’s total forces are much larger — around a million active-duty personnel — and have been modernised and re-armed in recent years.
– High cost of war –
But Ukraine has received advanced anti-tank weapons and some drones from NATO members. More have been promised as the allies try to deter a Russian attack or at least make it costly.
Shelling had intensified in recent days between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists — a Ukrainian soldier was killed on Wednesday, the sixth in four days — and civilians living near the front were fearful.
Dmitry Maksimenko, a 27-year-old coal miner from government-held Krasnogorivka, told AFP that he was shocked when his wife came to tell him that Putin had recognised the two Russian-backed separatist enclaves.
“She said: ‘Have you heard the news?’. How could I have known? There’s no electricity, never mind internet. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but to be honest, I’m afraid,” he said.
In a Russian village around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the border, AFP reporters saw military equipment including rocket launchers, howitzers and fuel tanks mounted on trains stretching for hundreds of metres.
Russia has long demanded that Ukraine be forbidden from ever joining the NATO alliance and that US troops pull out from Eastern Europe.
Speaking to journalists, Putin on Tuesday set out a number of stringent conditions if the West wanted to de-escalate the crisis, saying Ukraine should drop its NATO ambition and become neutral.
Washington Wednesday announced sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Germany had earlier effectively suspended by halting certification.
Australia, Britain, Japan and the European Union have all also announced sanctions.
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