Cristiano Ronaldo

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi became just the second person to hit 500 million followers on Instagram this week, joining fellow footy star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Meanwhile, WWE legend and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson sits at No. 5 on the list:

This weekend, Lionel Messi became the second person to ever hit 500 million followers on Instagram. https://t.co/yb0oVcMZAB

Top countries for followers:
Brazil: 12%
India: 8.1%
Argentina: 6.5%
U.S: 6.2% pic.twitter.com/GpzHzMaJbH

— Sportico (@Sportico) February 26, 2024

Yes, in the ever-present rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, the latter wins the Instagram wars and holds the edge in total goals (877-822) and Champions League titles (5-4).

But Messi holds the advantage in Ballons d'Or (8-5), won 10 La Liga titles to seven domestic titles for Ronaldo, easily eclipses his counterpart in assists and, most importantly, won a World Cup title with Argentina, an accomplishment his rival has never matched.

It continues to be a fun debate for footy fans, but one thing is certain: At least on social media, there aren't two people in the entire world more popular than Messi and Ronaldo.

Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly facing an investigation after making what appeared to be lewd gestures toward Al Shabab supporters on Sunday following his club's 3-2 win, per Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat (h/t Reuters).

The national football federation (SAFF) in Saudi Arabia is reportedly investigating the incident, though no formal response has been issued.

"The disciplinary committee is facing the biggest test. We will wait and see," Saudi writer and television host Waleed Al Farraj noted on social media, per Reuters. "Everything has its limits, no matter how famous you are. This is how the major leagues are."

Al Shabab supporters were reportedly chanting "Messi" toward Ronaldo, referencing his longtime rival Lionel Messi from when the pair played for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. Messi now plays for MLS side Inter Miami.

It is not the first time Ronaldo made headlines for an obscene gesture in his stint with Al Nassr.

Last April, he appeared to grab his crotch in response to Al Hilal chanting and singing Messi's name as he stormed off the pitch. In February, he rubbed a piece of Al Hilal merchandise that was thrown in his direction inside of his shorts before throwing it back to the crowd. Al Hilal supporters were also chanting Messi's name during that contest.

Ronaldo scored the opening on a penalty in Sunday's victory, while his teammate Talisca scored twice. Al Nassr currently sit second on the Saudi Pro League table, four points behind Al Hilal, which also holds a game in hand over Ronaldo's squad.

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who is playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, went viral on Thursday for all the wrong reasons.

Following Al Nassr's 2-0 loss to Saudi Pro League rival Al Hilal, Ronaldo appeared to rub an item of the opposing team's merchandise on his groin as he entered the tunnel at Kingdom Arena.

A video posted to X showed the moment Ronaldo picked up one of a number of Al Hilal items tossed at him after the match and place it inside his shorts before throwing it back into the crowd:

ننتظر فيه ايقاف على هالحركة المعيبه بحق كورتنا ولالا ! pic.twitter.com/hwj5njM6lF

— ريّان (@OfificaRlay) February 8, 2024

Ronaldo nor his representatives have commented on the incident.

Thursday's match was the 39-year-old's first since a Dec. 30 win over Al Taawon. A calf injury kept him off the pitch for several games, including a 6-0 win over Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on Feb. 1.

Ronaldo is the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League this season with 20 goals. It's his second season in Saudi Arabia following a run that saw him suit up for the world's most prolific clubs, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Ronaldo and Al Nassr will be back in action on Wednesday against Al Feiha in the AFC Champions League. The club currently sits second in the Saudi Pro League standings behind Al Hilal.

The Undertaker officially retired from WWE in 2020, but he had the opportunity to resurrect his iconic character on Thursday.

The Undertaker, whose real name is Mark Callaway, presented the trophy before Thursday's final of the exhibition Riyadh Season Cup between Al Nassr and Al Hilal. Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo was seen geeking out during The Undertaker's entrance:

https://twitter.com/AlhilalBayt/status/1755654289240830066

WrestleMania season is officially here as WWE gears up for WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia on April 6-7, so perhaps this won't be the last we see of The Undertaker.

Al Hilal ended up winning the friendly 2-0. Ronaldo played all 90 minutes in his first match since a muscle problem forced him to sit out since Dec. 30.

The 2023 list of highest-paid athletes was revealed Wednesday, with two of the most recognizable soccer players in the world ranking in the top three.

Per Sportico, Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list by earning $275 million last year. His longtime rival Lionel Messi was not far behind, placing No. 3 with $130 million. 2023 Masters winner Jon Rahm took the No. 2 spot with $203 million.

After previously starring for Manchester United, Ronaldo signed a contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr that is believed to be worth over $200 million per year. With well over half a billion followers on social media, Ronaldo is making an estimated $60 million in off-field endorsements.

Ronaldo and Messi are two of four soccer players in the top six on Sportico's list, as they are joined by Kylian Mbappé ($125 million) and Neymar ($121 million). Conversely, the only two football players to rank in the top 25 are Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes ($84.3 million) and Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson ($82.5 million). Four NBA players were ranked in the top 10, with LeBron James leading the way at $125.7 million.

The top 10 on Sporico's list of highest-paid athletes looks like this:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo ($260M)
2. Jon Rahm ($203M)
3. Lionel Messi ($130M)
4. LeBron James ($125.7M)
5. Kylian Mbappé ($125M)
   
6. Neymar ($121M)
7. Stephen Curry ($98.9M)
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo ($88.4M)
9. Kevin Durant ($86.9M)
10. Patrick Mahomes ($84.3M)

The most glaring part of the list is that no women's athletes made it into the top 100, which marks the first time that only men made the cut in the three years that Sportico has been compiling the highest-paid athletes, per Kurt Badenhausen.

U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff was the highest-paid female athlete in 2023 with an estimated $22.7 million from prize money, endorsements and appearances. Badenhausen noted that Gauff's earnings wouldn't have landed her in the top 200, either.

The highly anticipated clash between legendary soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not happen Thursday despite a scheduled friendly between Al-Nassr and Inter Miami.

According to Kyle Bonn of Sporting News, Al-Nassr head coach Luís Castro said Wednesday that Ronaldo will not play in the friendly since he was not fit enough to train with the team and could only participate in individual drills.

Al-Nassr confirm Cristiano Ronaldo will not play against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on Thursday.

No last dance 💔 pic.twitter.com/L88uXOUKTu

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 31, 2024

Thursday's match was being billed as "The Last Dance" due to the strong possibility that it would have marked the final Ronaldo vs. Messi encounter, as both players approach the end of their careers.

Per ESPN's Chris Wright, Messi and Ronaldo have faced each other 36 times in competitive matches, the first of which occurred in 2008 when Messi was a 20-year-old playing for Barcelona and Ronaldo was a 23-year-old playing for Manchester United.

In their 36 meetings, Messi has the upper hand with 16 wins, 11 losses and nine draws. Messi has also registered 22 goals and 11 assists in those matches compared to 21 goals and one assist for Ronaldo.

Wright noted that the most recent meeting between Messi and Ronaldo was a friendly between Paris Saint-Germain and a Saudi Pro League XI in January 2023. Although the match didn't count in their record against each other since it was an exhibition, Ronaldo scored twice and Messi scored once in a 5-4 Saudi win.

Their most recent competitive meeting was in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage when Ronaldo scored twice in Juventus' 3-0 win over Barcelona.

Ronaldo and Messi are recognized as the two top goal scorers in major professional soccer history across all competitions, as the 38-year-old Ronaldo has 873 goals and the 36-year-old Messi has 821 goals.

Messi and Ronaldo also happen to be two of the most decorated players in the history of the sport in terms of individual and team accomplishments.

Messi is a four-time UEFA Champions League winner with Barcelona and a one-time FIFA World Cup and one-time Copa América winner with Argentina.

He has also won the Ballon d'Or eight times, the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball twice and the FIFA World Cup Silver Boot once.

Ronaldo won the UEFA Champions League four times with Real Madrid and once with Manchester United, plus he won the UEFA European Championship with Portugal in 2016.

Individually, Ronaldo is a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or and he won the UEFA European Championship Golden Boot in 2020.

At this point in their careers, Messi and Ronaldo aren't likely to be battling for many more major trophies or awards, as Ronaldo took a big-money contract to play in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, while Messi chose to spend the golden years of his career in the United States with MLS club Inter Miami.

Ronaldo's absence undoubtedly takes away a large chunk of the excitement surrounding Thursday's match, but assuming Messi still plays at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, it will be a major event in Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami has quite the preseason plan.

The MLS side announced Monday it will host Argentine side Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys at the DRV PNK Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 15 as part its preseason preparations.

"I am delighted to welcome my beloved Newell's to our home here in Miami. It will be a special match due to everything Newell's Old Boys means to me," Inter Miami manager Tata Martino said in the club's statement. "It will also be a good opportunity to prepare for what will surely be an exciting season."

Both Martino and Messi hail from Rosario, where Newell's Old Boys plays. Messi joined the club at the age of six and played there for six years before signing with Barcelona, where he spent the majority of his career. He later would add stops at PSG and now Inter Miami.

Inter Miami will also travel to Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Season Cup and matchups against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr and Al-Hilal.

The club will additionally face the El Salvadoran national team before embarking on an extensive international preseason tour that will include matchups against the Hong Kong national team and the J1 League champions Vissel Kobe alongside the trip to Saudi Arabia.

Inter Miami will indeed play a preseason match against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr FC on Feb. 1 in Saudi Arabia, the club announced on Monday.

Adding a stop to our Preseason International Tour📍🌏

We will play two matches in Saudi Arabia in the Riyadh Season Cup as part of our first-ever international tour!

In a round-robin tournament format, we will take on Saudi powerhouses Al-Hilal SFC and Al Nassr FC on Monday,… pic.twitter.com/Xi9M0QApLi

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) December 11, 2023

Lionel Messi's side will also face Al-Hilal on Jan. 29.

"This is another major opportunity to create lasting relationships with passionate fans," Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi said in a statement. "We are excited to connect with new supporters in Saudi Arabia, and also hope people all over the world will be tuning in to see a pair of dream matches like these."

Inter Miami's inclusion in the Riyadh Season Cup will be its first international tour, though back in November the club denied its participation.

Inter Miami statement on rumored friendly vs. Al-Nassr, calling the news “inaccurate”:

“Earlier today, an announcement was issued stating that Inter Miami CF is scheduled to play in the Riyadh Season Cup. This is inaccurate.” pic.twitter.com/DoRsm2kp30

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) November 21, 2023

Football fans will be thrilled to see Messi and Ronaldo, one of the truly great rivalries in the history of the sport while Messi was at Barcelona and his counterpart was at Real Madrid, play out at least one final time.

The two have gone head-to-head 35 times, with Messi holding a 16-10-9 record in those contests. Messi scored 21 goals and 12 assists in the head-to-head showdowns, while Ronaldo put up 20 goals and an assist.

But it will also be a chance for an Inter Miami team that was reborn after Messi's arrival to sharpen its skills against solid competition.

"These matches will offer important tests for our team, which will benefit us as we approach the new season," Inter Miami's chief soccer officer and sporting director, Chris Henderson, said in the club's statement. "We're excited for our group to get the chance to go up against teams with as much quality as Al-Hilal and Al Nassr."

Inter Miami is reportedly set to sign Messi's former attacking partner at Barcelona, striker Luis Suárez. Now, the duo may have the chance to go toe-to-toe with Ronaldo one last time.

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is facing a $1 billion class-action lawsuit relating to his promotion of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) issued by Binance, which is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

The lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of Florida on Monday, accuses Ronaldo of being "deceptive and unlawful" in his promotion of Binance. The plaintiffs claim that the company's partnership with public figures like Ronaldo "led them into costly and unsafe investments," according to the AP.

"Evidence now reveals that Binance's fraud was only able to reach such heights through the offer and sale of unregistered securities, with the willing help and assistance of some of the wealthiest, powerful and recognized organizations and celebrities across the globe—just like Defendant Ronaldo," the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit also claims that Ronaldo's promotion of Binance was "incredibly successful" and that the company saw a 500 percent increase in online searches after his NFT collection was announced.

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Ronaldo should have disclosed how much he was earning through his partnership with Binance because federal law requires celebrities to disclose such information on crypto and other securities.

Ronaldo launched a "CR7" NFT collection with Binance in November 2022 prior to the Qatar World Cup. The collection included seven animated statues showing Ronaldo "from iconic moments in his life, from bicycle-kick goals to his childhood in Portugal," per the AP.

The NFTs ranged from $77 to $10,000.

My first ever NFT collection is live now on @Binance. Don’t miss out!
Sign up now with code RONALDO to explore the collection and get a free mystery box too.

Join me: https://t.co/CTz5dyJbTO pic.twitter.com/e1pEmswVkS

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 20, 2022

Ronaldo has continued to promote Binance despite the company being accused of operating as an unregistered securities exchange in a separate lawsuit over the summer. The company was also accused of violating a number of U.S. securities laws in that same lawsuit.

Binance reached a $4 billion settlement last week in relation to that lawsuit. The company's CEO, Changpeng Zhao, also stepped down and pleaded guilty for failure to prevent money laundering on the platform.

Ronaldo promoted Binance as recently as Monday on his social media accounts:

Cooking something up with @binance https://t.co/FMAP5GAdxE

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 28, 2023

The Portuguese international is currently playing for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr following a stint with Premier League side Manchester United.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has tallied 15 goals and seven assists in 13 games for Al Nassr this season.

Well here's a first.

Cristiano Ronaldo protested a penalty in the box that was called in his favor during Al-Nassr's scoreless draw against Iran's Persepolis in Asian Champions League play.

Cristiano Ronaldo waved off his own penalty against Persepolis, telling the referee himself he didn't believe it was a foul. 👀

Not something you see every day in football. 👏 pic.twitter.com/do8L58tFYJ

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 27, 2023

After being awarded a penalty, Cristiano Ronaldo told the referee that it wasn't a foul 👏 pic.twitter.com/R2Rxq1udPL

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 27, 2023

Referee Ma Ning ultimately overturned the call after reviewing the replay.

Al-Nassr, which played much of the match with just 10 players after Ali Lajimi was sent off in the first half, would have benefited from a penalty kick and a chance to steal a 1-0 win. It's certainly possible that the call would have been overturned even without Ronaldo's surprising dissent.

Football players have a reputation for exaggerating contact and diving in an attempt to get free kicks or penalty opportunities. Ronaldo has not been an exception in that regard, so Monday's display was a shocking one, to say the least.