KARACHI: One of the two legendary players — who have earned over $1 billion is out of FIFA World Cup 2022 race, while other is set to play his last final on Sunday.
After losing a quarterfinal against Morocco, the star player of Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo remarked, “Unfortunately, my dream is over.” During his career, Ronaldo represented Portugal in five world cups. He scored 118 goals in 196 international matches.
On the other hand, Argentinian captain Lionel Messi is set to play his record 26 world cup match. This is his last chance to achieve the milestone of becoming world champion by winning the FIFA world cup final against the defending champion France. Messi will play the WC final against Mbappe, who is the highest paid footballer of the world and the world cup.
According to Forbes, 23 years old Mbappe earned $128 million last year. He helped France to win last world cup after 1998. The other highest paid football players include Messi, $120 million, Ronaldo $100 million, Neymar $87 million and Muhammad Salah, $53 million.
With 500 million followers on Instagram, Ronaldo has the biggest fan following
all over the world. His overall wealth hovers around $490 million. He was the first player to earn more than $1 billion in 2020. He has $1 billion life time contract with Nikki. He earns $47 million annually by posting on Instagram as he receives $1 million for making a single post on Instagram.
Inspired by American President Ronaldo Reagan, his father gave him the name Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro. He was born on February 05, 1985 in Portugal. He was the youngest among four siblings. His mother was cook while father was a gardener. Ronaldo’s mother revealed that she wanted to abort before his birth due to poverty and drinking habit of her husband but her doctor refused to abort.
Ronaldo has 6 children. His first son was born on June 17, 2010. He has the custody of the child but the identity of the mother kept secret as per an agreement.
In 2015, his ties with Russian Modal came to an end. Ronaldo had two twin children through surrogacy. Ronaldo’s father died of liver disease in 2005. Ronaldo claims he does not drink alcohol nor has a tattoo carving on his body. He donates blood and bone marrow on regular basis. He was sentenced to two years term on the charges of tax default however the term was terminated after a deal with the authorities. Ronaldo is also famous for his welfare work.
Ronaldo’s contemporary player Messi is rated among the best football players. He has won Ballon d’ Or awards seven times. His assets stand over $620 million which makes him the riches football player. Messi is the brand ambassador for Pepsi, Adidas and other enormous brands. His real name is Lionel Andres Messi aka Messi. He was born on June 24, 1987 in Argentina.
He is 5 feet and 7 inches tall. His father George Messi used to work as a laborer in a factory. He has two brothers and one sister. He got married with Antonela Roccuzzo in 2017. He has two sons and one daughter. Messi started playing football at the age of 5. He learned many skills by the age of 9. Messi has announced that he is going to play his last world cup. He remained associated with Barcelona club till he quit it in 2022.
Having him in the team, the club won 35 trophies. He is the highest goal scorer of Argentina. Besides, he was the highest paid football player in 2019 and 2022. He was among the 100 most influential personalities in 2010 and 2011. He is the second player who has earned $1 billion during his career. Messi was also under investigation for tax default in 2013. His name also surfaced in Panama papers. Messi was also sentenced for 23 months on the charges of tax default.
