Author: Ronnie Schmidt

Neymar has recently stated that Lionel Messi remains his “idol” to this day, despite calling recent reports “fake news” which stated that he wants to make a return to Barcelona. The Brazil international is currently in his second season with the renowned Paris Saint-Germain club and was targeted by Marseille fans who threw objects at the French champions after they claimed a 2-0 victory towards the end of October.

Neymar recently spoke to Players’ Tribune as a crossover interview that also included Stephen Curry, the basketball star of the Golden State Warriors. In the interview, Neymar discussed training and playing alongside Lionel Messi which was followed by praise for Christiano Ronaldo who is currently playing for Juventus.

Neymar’s Comments on Messi and Ronaldo

“I played with Lionel Messi for a while who is the greatest football players of all time for me and he is undeniably my idol when it comes to football,” he stated. “With Lionel Messi, I managed to learn every single day, whether it was playing with him or during practice, or simply just watching him play. It certainly made me stronger and it managed to increase my capacity while I’m on the field as a kept learning a great deal from him.

“As for Christiano Ronaldo, he is undoubtedly a monster on the field. Facing him is both an honour and a pleasure, but there’s no denying that we have to be much more prepared. He is also one of the best when it comes to football, so you need to be more alert and smarter while learning a great deal from him too.

“They are the two greatest football players that I can relate to, as I want to continue learning. This will help me win more matches, claim more trophies, and score a lot more goals. Therefore, I will continue to learn from them every single day.”

Neymar’s Most Difficult Moments in his Career

Neymar has recently released a comic book series of his own called “Inked” which showcases tattoos that come to life in order to fight crime as Dan Hajducky explained at New York Comic Con, and was also questioned about the most difficult moments in his career. The Brazilian football star listed his 2014 World Cup where he suffered a back injury as well as overcoming an injury that took place earlier in 2018 prior to the start of the Russian World Cup.

“The first difficult moment occurred when I injured my back,” Neymar stated. “I was on cloud nine as I played in a World Cup. It suddenly ended due to my injury. That was like the end of just about everything for me.

“I asked myself: ‘Will I ever return to the field?’ My friends and family were very important to me when it occurred and managed to help me overcome it. The second difficult moment occurred earlier in 2018 after I had my first surgery which was close to the Russian World Cup. I didn’t think I would be able to play at all.

Floyd Mayweather has recently responded to the challenge requested by Khabib Nurmagomedov to come out of retirement and meet him in the ring. Nurmagomedov wants to make Las Vegas great again and its’ for this very reason that he decided to challenge Floyd Mayweather to a fight.

Floyd Mayweather

The world-renowned boxer with a 51-0 record was last seen when he entered the ring to battle it out against Conor McGregor in August 2017 where he managed to defeat the UFC fighter in a 10 round bout. This was little over a year ago before Nurmagomedov defeated the Irishman when he made his return to the UFC.

Khabib Nurmagomedov

After he successfully defended his lightweight championship at UFC 229, Nurmagomedov has loads of options in front of him. He can either agree to a rematch against Conor McGregor, look forward to an exciting showdown against Tony Ferguson, or make a move to WWE or Bellator if he so chooses.

However, the current lightweight UFC champion decided to take a completely different route by calling out Mayweather to return to the ring which will also provide the largest payday of Nurmagomedov career so far. His message to the American boxer, that is still undefeated after 51 fights, appeared on the Instagram page of Leonard Ellerbe’s for everyone to see. “Let’s go, Mayweather” Nurmagomedov stated. “We need to fight now, 27-0 vs 51-0, two fighters that have never lost a bout. Cause in the jungle there can only be one king. I am obviously the king as I managed to drop McGregor.”

Mayweather accepted the challenge and called out several companies to book the bout between the two fighters that are both still undefeated. “MGM Grand, Showtime, and CBS get your chequebook ready,” Mayweather stated. “ Visit Leonard Ellerbe’s Instagram page to view Nurmagomedov’s challenge.”

His statement to make Las Vegas great again seems to be a direct link to the unfortunate events that unfolded after the main event at UFC 229, with Nurmagomedov and his team involved in a distasteful scene with McGregor’s team as vicious fights broke out both out and in the Octagon.

Nurmagomedov triggered the post-fight brawl when he jumped the Octagon fence to confront McGregor’s trainer and teammate, Dillon Danis, while McGregor was punched by three of Nurmagomedov’s team members in the Octagon following pre-fight insults regarding Nurmagomedov family, background, and religion.

Fight Won’t Happen Anytime Soon

Due to the events that took place at UFC 229, the fight between Nurmagomedov and Mayweather is likely to happen far into the future as Nurmagomedov is facing a prolonged ban from the sport while remaining under investigation by the NSAC. Nurmagomedov had his $2 million purse withheld due to his awful actions. Both Nurmagomedov and McGregor are scheduled to appear in at the NSAC hearing on 24 October 2018. Mayweather constantly teases that he will make a return and recently claimed that he would like a rematch against Manny Pacquiao when they met last month in Japan.

Whenever Real Madrid used to play against Barcelona in a professional soccer match, the most obvious subplot was always the battle between Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They are, without a doubt, the two highest paid soccer athletes in the world. Christiano Ronaldo recently signed a multi-year contract deal with Juventus for $136 million and makes a whopping $36 million as an annual salary.

Lionel Messi has Christiano Ronaldo beat in the salary department. When he signed a multiyear contract with Barcelona, there was a staggering $835 million buyout clause. He also received a cool $59 million signup bonus and makes an annual salary of $50 million per year, including bonus money.

Both of them have won the FIFA Player of the Year award on multiple occasions and scored goals in the Champions League final. Their statistics and style of play will offer hints on who the best player actually is. Let’s take a look.

Head vs Feet

Soccer players are allowed to score with both their feet or head, and Ronaldo and Messi have distinct differences when it comes to this area. Messi is a left-footer and completes most of his goals on the left side. Messi is also incredible in one-on-one’s and has the ability the curl the ball into a corner, or even produces a couple of spectacular piledrivers. Where Messi enjoys displaying true finesse when it comes to scoring a goal, Ronaldo relies on sheer power. Ronaldo is a right footer but can also score with his left foot. His record of goals speak for themselves, but when it comes to foot power, Messi certainly has the edge.

Free Kicks

Messi has the ability to produce exquisite goals that bend past the goalkeeper and his free kicks incorporate more finesse as opposed to brute force. On the other hand, Ronaldo has more variation when it comes to free kicks where he manages to swerve the ball into the goalpost which is quite remarkable each and every time. Therefore, Ronaldo has the edge when it comes to free kicks.

Control and Dribbling

Messi is an incredible dribbler, and no one can argue that he is the best in the world, especially when you look at how he destroys his opponents. Messi’s greatest strength is the fact that he has quick feet and a beautiful technique over and above his pace. There’s a handful of players that can perform a stepover in the same manner as Ronaldo and it is this skill that assists him in beating his opponents every time. However, he relies more on his pace to beat his opponents as oppose to Messi which means Messi has him beat in this department.

Conclusion

Messi, due to his small size, can be knocked over quite easily but he is very capable of holding his own, especially when its one-on-one. On the other hand, Ronaldo is far more physically imposing. Messi has more influence in the game, while Ronaldo is a bit of a bully. Ronaldo has obviously scored more goals, but when it comes to overall performance and technique, Messi certainly takes the crown.

A couple of days into the new century, a teenager from Switzerland managed to win his first Grand Slam. A couple of months thereafter, Tiger Woods burst onto the golfing scene and began to dominate the sport. Just days after that, a doughy, unheralded quarterback was selected as an afterthought during the draft for a faceless franchise that hardly had a footprint in the world of football. A 15-year-old Baltimore swimmer managed to stun the world when he qualified for the Olympics during his first training camp.

With so much talent in the 21st century when it comes to sport, we decided to look back on the last 18 years and provide a list of the greatest athletes in the 21st century.

1. Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps was initially in third position on our list but that changed. Phelps went to Rio where he won 5 gold medals and 1 silver and had the 4th best Olympic performance in swimming history. Phelps also won 6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals in 2004, 8 gold medals in 2008, and 7 golds in Munich, This placed him as the greatest athlete in the 21st century with a total of 23 gold medals in his career.

2. Roger Federer

Roger Federer is a professional tennis player from Switzerland and is currently ranked 2nd in the world of tennis. He managed to win 20 Grand Slam titles, which is the most for a male player in the history of the sport and has held the number 1 position in the world for 310 weeks. After starting his career as a professional tennis player in 1998, Federer has ranked in the top 10 from 2002 to 2016. He managed to re-enter the top 10 list after his 2017 victory at the Australian Open.

3. Tiger Woods

As one of the most popular athletes in the 21st century, Tiger Woods is also the highest paid athlete for several years. Woods was only 20 years old when he turned pro in 1996. By April 1997, Woods won 3 PGA Tour events as well as the 1997 Masters. Throughout the 2000’s, Woods dominated the sport of golf, winning the 2000 US Open by a whopping 15-shot margin. Woods was the world’s top-ranked player from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2010.

4. Tom Brady

As a quarterback for the New England Patriots, Tom Brady is one of the only players to win 5 Super Bowls and the only football player to win them all while playing for the same team. Tom Brady has also been honoured with 4 Super Bowl MVP’s which is the most any NFL player has received in the history of the sport. He also has 3 League MVP awards, has been selected for a total of 13 Pro Bowls, and managed to lead his team to 15 division titles. After 2017, Brady is ranked 4th in total career passing years, 3rd in career touchdown passes, and 3rd in career passer rating.

Three professional footballers, one NFL quarterback, two basketball superstars, a tennis player, and two boxers have made it to the 2018 highest paid sports athletes in the world. Here’s a look at each of them, including bonuses earned, salary, and prize money since June 2017 to June 2018.

Floyd Mayweather

The number 1 earning sports star in the world is also the oldest to make it on our list. In his fight against Connor McGregor, the world-class boxer managed to take home a staggering $285 million along with $10 million in endorsements. In 2017, Christiano Ronaldo took the number 1 spot with only $93 million.

Lionel Messi

The superstar from Argentina has managed to edge out his rival when it comes to endorsements, winnings, and salary which totals $111 million. The salary for Messi is considerably higher than Ronaldo, $84 million compared to $61 million. However, when it comes to endorsements, the Barcelona forward makes significantly less, $27 million compared to $47 million.

Christiano Ronaldo

The Juventus superstar comes in at number 3 this year, just below his rival. There will always be a debate on who is the best between Messi and Ronaldo, but as you can see from the rankings, Ronaldo is the second highest paid footballer on our list which tells you everything you need to know.

Conor McGregor

The transition McGregor made from MMA fighting to boxing against Mayweather last year produced a massive paycheck for both these fighters. The Irish boxer managed to take home a cool $99 million from the fight even though he lost. Most of McGregor’s earnings are primarily made from winnings and salary, while only $14 million is made from endorsements.

Neymar

The time Neymar spent at PSG has been extremely fruitful for the Brazilian football star. He’s combined endorsements, and salary comes in at a staggering $90 million. With rumours going around that he might join Real Madrid, Neymar can easily increase his overall income when he joins the world-class squad.

LeBron James

There’s no doubt that LeBron James is the best NBA player at the moment and his salary and endorsements prove it. The professional basketball player took home a gorgeous $85.5 million over the course of a year.

Roger Federer

This incredible athlete needs no introduction as he is an 8-time Wimbledon champion who managed to make most of his earning from endorsements that accumulated to $77.2 million. He also managed to rake in $12.2 million from his wins.

Steph Curry

Steph Curry’s sensational basketball career started when he was the seventh overall pick during the first round. Playing for the Golden State Warriors, his highlights include 2 NBA championships in 2017 and 2015, 2 MVP Awards and the Scoring Championship Award which he received in 2016. Curry made a total of $76/5 million in the last year which is quite impressive for the second highest basketball player on our list.

Matt Ryan

As the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback, Matt Ryan recently signed a 5-year extension to continue playing for his team. He managed to rake in a wonderful $67.3 million in the last year and is the only American football player to make it on our list this year.

Sports are a great way to enjoy both physical and mental health and while these facts should be more than efficient in motivation every human to get active, sometimes that extra push to give us the last bit of motivation often comes from the most unexpected. Several great films have inspired many to get into active gear, while some movies have inspired some of the top sports stars to reach new levels. Here are some of the most inspirational sports films well worth watching:

Warrior

For many, this film finally answered their wish to see an A-listed film based on martial arts. Director Gavin O’Connor succeeds in following up his inspiring triumph of the film Miracle with a film created with equal motivation and emotional tug in Warrior, a film in which he solidifies himself as probably one of the best sports movie creators. Brilliant directing allows him to take a relatively marginal ordinary sport in MMA and make it into an embracing and engaging experience for all viewers, whether they’re sports enthusiasts or not. Released only on the 9th of September it is already classed as one of the Top Inspirational Sports Films.

Rocky

A small-time boxer from Philadelphia and the telling of his classic tale of how he was given a chance to fight in the heavyweight championship of the world, shows anyone in sports that once in a lifetime chance can materialize when you least expect it. For many sports professionals and viewers, Rocky remains at the top of the list when it comes to inspiration in any sports. Therefore, there is no denial that Rocky is the most inspirational film of all times.

The Karate Kid

Daniel LaRusso needs to adapt to a new school in Los Angeles after he and his single mother move cross-country. He instantly becomes a victim as the new kid of bullying and is targeted due to his affection for the most popular girl. Eventually, he forms a bond with Mr Miyagi, his neighbour who gives him lessons. In the end, it is LaRusso that triumphs over his challenger in the karate tournament even when the bully’s mentor encourages unethical and cheap tactics. The film is both an inspiration to kids been bullied as well as motivating youngsters to participate in sports.

Miracle

Miracle is based on America’s biggest sports moments in history, starting off with the Winter Olympics of 1980, where the American team was clearly the underdogs and the Soviets dominated. It about a nation inspired their home-team to pull off one of the biggest upsets in sports history on their way to the gold medal. It is one of the films that shows the power of teamwork and being supported.

The Rookie

It is based on a true story and tells the tale of the baseball coach and science teacher who would never have a chance of playing baseball due to circumstances when they were younger. Encouraged by the students and small community, Kim Morris, now 35 years-of-age tries out at the camp of the Major League and is offered the opportunity to pitch for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, empowered to follow his dreams he gets the change to spend no less than two seasons in the MLB.

Non-fiction films regarding sports or athletics are referred to as documentaries and by connecting to pastime favourites in a more profound way remains the most viewed. BT Sport and BBC in the UK have made several efforts to catch-up although when it comes to exceptional documentaries, it is ESPN that leads and have major success with over 100 films broadcasted across BT sports channels.

When it comes to sports-documentary excellence, the Esquire line-up includes three 30 for 30 films, as well as the OJ: Made in America, Oscar and Bafta 2017 winners and Hillsborough. What grabs the attention most is that no matter how many individuals think they know the full story, film-directors, writers and producers get to step back in time, do all the research and then offer all the reasons surrounding the event.

1995 Jean-Claude Bragard Hit

One of the most watched and loved documentaries is that of Jen-Claude Bragard called Kicking and Screaming. The six-part BBC history is difficult to locate on YouTube, especially if you wish to view the full series of English football. This series is a masterpiece and draws the line when it comes to unregulated ball games to the birth of the Premier League. Many see it as a classic and so it should as it offers a wide variety of never seen before footage as well as an understated great sense of humour. It is one of the documentaries that will remains a favourite now and, in the future, and to mention just one of the amazing episodes it is Denis Law from Scotland that tells how he was enjoying golf in Manchester, as he added unlike Manchester it was raining that day and only two where on the golf course him and the awful guy that beat him. He remembers as they turned they became aware of all the members at the window of the clubhouse, it was the day that England enjoyed a 4-2 won and Law thought the world had come to an end.

Ken McGill 1994 Impossible Job

It remains popular for many and one of the most watched sports documentaries. Tributes included that the pundit and former managers were a true football nice guy after Graham Taylor passed away, it was at this time the group that almost managed to ruin him could recall Taylor’s good nature. After the filming of the English World Cup in 1993, they were banned by from filming, by the Dutch FA. However, it was Taylor who smuggled them into the pitching side in tracksuits used by England while hiding their gear in team kit bags. These are all part of the moments captured in the documentary, as well as shots on the touchline of Taylor as England loses their opportunity to qualify for the poignant. What made Taylor a laughing stock was his openness, phrases such as “can we not knock it” or “Do I not like that” both became catchphrases and what this documentary did was killing the fly-on-the-wall documentaries.

Asif Kapadia’s 2010 Senna

If you a racing fan you know Senna and have probably watched this documentary several times, there is no doubt that Asif Kapadia raised the documentary-biopics standards with just one. Senna is recounting the life of the legend Ayrton Senna and uses lots of archive footage, and without the use of talking heads or captions he captivates the audience and make them fit into the seat of the racing driver while sharing in his public and private moments. It is one of few films where the audience is no longer onlookers they at the moment. There are no pauses no analysis and, also no after-the-fact context it is about Senna’s life that was really special and then also so tragic. This documentary is enthralling from the first second to the very end. The talented Kapadia is made quite a few documentaries after Senna including one about the life of Amy Winehouse and that of Diego Maradona, both exciting prospects, yet none able to match the intense brilliance of that of Senna 2010.