Despite Cristiano Ronaldo being a walking brand, Lionel Messi topped Forbes’ list for the highest paid soccer players in 2020. Christina Settimi of Forbes reported that the top ten wealthiest soccer players are anticipated to rake in a combined $570 million with Messi and Ronaldo receiving roughly 42 percent of the money.
For those that like to pretend that Lionel Messi is anything but the definition of loyal (see: marriage to childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo, 138 international appearances spent dragging a woefully unbalanced Argentina to the precipice of glory and 19 years in Barcelona), the Argentine’s latest endorsement deal with Budweiser showcases just how little he cares about your personal quest for social media recognition.
The Premier League has cancelled its contract with Chinese broadcasters PPLive Sports International after just one season, the league said in a statement on Thursday.
The broadcasters, part of retail group Suning, paid around $700 million for three years of English Premier League (EPL) streaming rights from the 2019-20 season.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says the single-game knockout format, used in the Champions League this year from the quarterfinal onwards, has produced more exciting football than the usual two-legged games and could be revisited in the future.
The format was changed in order to allow the competition to be completed in a shorter time-span after the COVID-19 pandemic halted play for several months across Europe in March.
Eight clubs headed to Lisbon and the final will be contested later on Sunday, pitting Bayern Munich against Paris St Germain.