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Inside the super yachts of the world’s greatest players and football’s richest owners

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AH, to be a footballer.

Not only do they have their private planes, luxurious cars and homes to die for – they earn so much money they can splash out on expensive yachts too.

 Roman Abramovich owns the Eclipse yacht, which is worth around £1.2billion

GETTY – CONTRIBUTOR: Roman Abramovich owns the Eclipse yacht, which is worth around £1.2billion
The world’s top players all spend their downtime on some incredible cruisers that are the Ferraris of the sea.

However, the real money is with chairmen like Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour who own their boats, while the footballers tend to spend thousands on renting.

Here we look at what the game’s ocean-going stars spend their time on.

5. Wayne Rooney

Pershing 90

Value: £3m

Wazza and his missus Coleen don’t do things by halves, so it’s only natural they’d use a Pershing 90 for some holiday fun.

 Wayne Rooney uses the £3million Pershing 90 yacht

ALAMY: Wayne Rooney uses the £3million Pershing 90 yacht

The Pershing 90 has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a media room and can accommodate eight guests – perfect for the Rooneys and their brood.

Built in 2013, it’s over 91 feet long and has its own detachable jet skis for Rooney and Co to enjoy whizzing around on.

When they went to Mykonos last summer, both Coleen and Wayne were spied enjoying the pleasures of the Pershing 90.

 The plush yacht has an astounding master bedroom

PERSHING: The plush yacht has an astounding master bedroom
 The Pershing 90 has detachable jet skis

AFP OR LICENSORS: The Pershing 90 has detachable jet skis
 Up to eight guests can stay on board the Pershing 90

PERSHING: Up to eight guests can stay on board the Pershing 90
 Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen enjoy the pleasures of the Pershing 90 last summer in Mykonos

SPLASH NEWS: Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen enjoy the pleasures of the Pershing 90 last summer in Mykonos

4. David Beckham

Horizon E88

Value: £3.8m

The E88 is nicknamed “The Sophisticated Lady” in the boating world, which sounds fit for the Beckhams.

It has space for eight people and can reach speeds of up to 40mph, so it’s nippy in those choppy seas and ideal for Miami weather.

 David Beckham's boat of choice is worth a stunning £3.8m

HORIZON: David Beckham’s boat of choice is worth a stunning £3.8m
 The master bedroom on board the Horizon E88 is very spacious and comfortable, as you'd expect really

HORIZON: The master bedroom on board the Horizon E88 is very spacious and comfortable, as you’d expect really
 David Beckham's privacy is assured on board the Horizon E88 because it has two separate crew cabin rooms

HORIZON: David Beckham’s privacy is assured on board the Horizon E88 because it has two separate crew cabin rooms
 The Horizon E88 is nicknamed 'The Sophisticated Lady'

HORIZON: The Horizon E88 is nicknamed ‘The Sophisticated Lady’
 David Beckham could get more use out of the Horizon E88 now he's going to be in Miami

GETTY IMAGES – GETTY: David Beckham could get more use out of the Horizon E88 now he’s going to be in Miami

As you can imagine, designs are extravagant and there’s a gym on board for the family to stay fit.

It’s huge too at 94 feet long and has four ensuite bedrooms, as well as two separate crew cabin rooms, so privacy for the Beckhams is assured.

3. Sergio Ramos

Fairline Squadron 78

Value: £4.8m

Just days before he played in the Champions League final in 2017, the Real Madrid ace spent a bit of downtime on board this super boat.

He was joined by team-mates Luca Modric and Lucas Vazquez as they relaxed in Ibiza before the big game.

 Sergio Ramos uses this Fairline Squadron 78

FAIRLINE: Sergio Ramos uses this Fairline Squadron 78
 The Fairline Squadron 78 is worth £4.8m
The Fairline Squadron 78 is worth £4.8m
 Sergio Ramos takes a break from the yacht for a jet-ski ride

SPLASH NEWS: Sergio Ramos takes a break from the yacht for a jet-ski ride
 Sergio Ramos enjoyed some downtime on the Fairline Squadron 78 before the 2017 Champions League final

SPLASH NEWS: Sergio Ramos enjoyed some downtime on the Fairline Squadron 78 before the 2017 Champions League final
 Sergio Ramos and his team-mates Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez stayed on the Fairline Squadron 78

FAIRLINE: Sergio Ramos and his team-mates Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez stayed on the Fairline Squadron 78

It’s slightly smaller than the others at 80ft, but the Squadron 78 isn’t lacking in features.

There are four cabins, two double berths and two twins and it can hit a top speed of 38mph.

Plus, there’s the all-important jet-skis to have some fun on.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Palmer Johnson Ascari

Value: £7.5m

The world’s greatest footballer, who just celebrated his 33rd birthday, loves to do things as luxuriously as possible.

 Cristiano Ronaldo enjoys the Palmer Johnson Ascari which is worth £7.5m

Cristiano Ronaldo enjoys the Palmer Johnson Ascari which is worth £7.5m
 Cristiano Ronaldo soaks up the sun on board the Ascari super yacht

SPLASH NEWS: Cristiano Ronaldo soaks up the sun on board the Ascari super yacht
 The Ascari yacht has a VIP room
The Ascari yacht has a VIP room
 Up to nine guests can stay on board the Ascari yacht
Up to nine guests can stay on board the Ascari yacht
 Cristiano Ronaldo opts for the ultimate party yacht called the Ascari

REUTERS: Cristiano Ronaldo opts for the ultimate party yacht called the Ascari

That’s why the 92-foot yacht is equipped with some incredible features, including a VIP room, which is obviously where the Portuguese reside whenever he’s onboard.

And there’s plenty of places for him to bronze his statuesque body, as well as enjoy the company of nine guests.

It really is the ultimate party yacht.

1. Lionel Messi

Maiora Seven C

Value: £10m

He may be the second best player in the world, but he favours the best boat out of all footballers.

The Barcelona and Argentina legend is a fan of Ibiza, and he loves to take the Maiora Seven C out for a spin.

The same size at Ronaldo’s at 92 feet, it can hit top speeds of 25mph in choppy waters.

 Lionel Messi loves the Maiora Seven C worth £10m

MAIORA: Lionel Messi loves the Maiora Seven C worth £10m
 The luxurious Seven C yacht has four ensuite bedrooms

MAIORA: The luxurious Seven C yacht has four ensuite bedrooms
 Up to ten guests can enjoy the comfort of the Seven C yacht

MAIORA: Up to ten guests can enjoy the comfort of the Seven C yacht
 Lionel Messi has a tender, a wave runner and two kayaks at his disposal on board the Seven C yacht

SPLASH NEWS: Lionel Messi has a tender, a wave runner and two kayaks at his disposal on board the Seven C yacht

There are four ensuite bedrooms and a VIP bedroom with queen-sized beds, but that’s not the clincher.

It comes equipped with many toys, including a tender, a wave runner and two kayaks.

But if it pays to be a player, it pays even more to be a club owner. These fellas own these monsters.

Sheikh Mansour

Topaz

Value: £400m

It’s not worth that much for nothing!

The Topaz is the fifth largest boat in the world and is massive at 427 feet long.

It was custom-built in Germany by Lurssen Yachts, has eight floors, two helipads, three swimming pools, a gym, jacuzzi and a cinema.

 Sheikh Mansour owns the £400m Topaz

PA: PRESS ASSOCIATION: Sheikh Mansour owns the £400m Topaz
 Sheikh Mansour's yacht was once borrowed by Leo DiCaprio

GETTY – CONTRIBUTOR: Sheikh Mansour’s yacht was once borrowed by Leo DiCaprio

This yacht is so incredible it was once borrowed by Leo DiCaprio when the Hollywood movie star went to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup with his mates.

Roman Abramovich

Eclipse

Value: £1.5bn

Worth almost a tenth of what the Russian Chelsea owner’s valued at, the Eclipse is the world’s second largest largest private yacht.

 Roman Abramovich owns the second largest yacht in the world

CORBIS: Roman Abramovich owns the second largest yacht in the world
 Roman Abramovich needs 70 crew members to man his yacht

GETTY IMAGES – GETTY: Roman Abramovich needs 70 crew members to man his yacht

It’s 533 feet long, features 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, several hot tubs and even a nightclub.

70 crew members are needed to man this monster, which was first launched in 2009.

It sits near Roman’s luxury home in St. Barts and is at his disposal whenever he wishes. Lucky fella.

 

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Crime & Court

Osun police arrest three night guards over alleged murder of 40-year-old man

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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.

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Out of Play

Chinese astronauts return to earth after six months in space

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Officials stand near the capsule of the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft after it returned to earth carrying three Chinese astronauts in China’s Inner Mongolia on April 16, 2022. STR / AFP

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.

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Putin’s Russia finally invades Ukraine

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Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv on February 24, 2022.(Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP)

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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