By an odd quirk in this universe in which we live, four of the best footballers on the planet — in particular, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar — were born on the same day of the year: February 5.
Four #UCL heroes celebrate their birthdays today!
Cristiano Ronaldo (34)
Carlos Tévez (35)
Gheorghe Hagi (54)
Neymar (27)
Cristiano Ronaldo turns 34 on Tuesday. Usually strikers start fading at that age. Maybe they lose a step of pace or that passion burns a little less. But three days shy of another Ronaldo birthday, the Juventus forward is still as hungry as ever for goals.
In the soccer world, one of the best sights for sore eyes is the return of the Champions League.
Sometimes, watching Champions League teams playing league cup matches against weak opposition can be really dull after a while. For example, Manchester City’s 9-0 drubbing of Burton Albion a few weeks ago. In a lot of ways, European soccer without Champions League becomes kind of monotonous. At some point between the last Champions League group stage match and the start of the Round of 16, soccer fans will be wondering when the tournament will start up again.
Say what you will about hosting the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia — we certainly did, here — but Juventus won its first trophy of the Cristiano Ronaldo era on Wednesday.
It came thanks to the head of none other than Cristiano Ronaldo in a 1-0 victory over AC Milan.
You know the case isn’t closed until Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had his say, and that’s exactly what’s happened in the war of words between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi regarding the “challenge” that the Portuguese issued to the Argentine to join him in Italian football.
The debate as to which footballer, at the height of their powers, reigned supreme will rage until the end of time. Pelé as a teenager? Diego Maradona at 26? O Fenômeno at 21? Take your pick and you’ll find more than enough evidence to support your claim.
But there’s never been anything like the consistent dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo into their 30s. Yesterday, Messi notched his 400th league goal for Barcelona, making him sole-member of the club for players that’ve reached that milestone for one club in Europe’s top five leagues.
The Las Vegas police issued a warrant for Cristiano Ronaldo’s DNA on Wednesday in relation to an investigation regarding rape allegations made by Kathryn Mayorga dating back to 2009. Authorities want to see if Ronaldo’s DNA matches DNA on a dress owned by Mayorga, according to a law-enforcement source. The news was first reported by TMZ and later reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Jasmine Lennard, one in a long list of Cristiano Ronaldo girlfriends, does not like the Juventus No. 7 and wants the world to know.
Lennard, somewhat of a reality TV star and model in the UK, used Twitter on Tuesday to denounce Ronaldo and support Kathryn Mayorga, who has accused the Portuguese striker of raping her in Las Vegas in 2010 and has recently sought to have their out-of-court settlement voided.