777 slots online game Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States, dies at 100Awarded industry-first design win from a top-four hyperscaler SANTA CLARA, Calif. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG), the IT pioneer that delivers the world's most advanced data storage technologies and services, announced financial results for its third quarter fiscal year 2025 ended November 3, 2024. "Pure Storage has achieved another industry first in our journey of data storage innovation with a transformational design win for our DirectFlash technology in a top-four hyperscaler," said Pure Storage Chairman and CEO Charles Giancarlo . "This win is the vanguard for Pure Flash technology to become the standard for all hyperscaler online storage, providing unparalleled performance and scalability while also reducing operating costs and power consumption." Third Quarter Financial Highlights "Our third quarter results exceeded our expectations on revenue and operating income, demonstrating the sustaining strength of our business models," said Kevan Krysler , Pure Storage CFO. "We remain focused on driving both near-term results and long-term value creation through disciplined investments and innovation that position Pure as the leader in transforming the data storage landscape." Third Quarter Company Highlights Industry Recognition and Accolades Fourth Quarter and FY25 Guidance These statements are forward-looking and actual results may differ materially. Refer to the Forward Looking Statements section below for information on the factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from these statements. Pure has not reconciled its guidance for non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin to their most directly comparable GAAP measures because certain items that impact these measures are not within Pure's control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted. Accordingly, reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures guidance to the corresponding GAAP measures are not available without unreasonable effort. Conference Call Information Pure will host a teleconference to discuss the third quarter fiscal 2025 results at 2:00 pm PT today, December 3, 2024. A live audio broadcast of the conference call will be available on the Pure Storage Investor Relations website . Pure will also post its earnings presentation and prepared remarks to this website concurrent with this release. A replay will be available following the call on the Pure Storage Investor Relations website or for two weeks at 1-800-770-2030 (or 1-647-362-9199 for international callers) with passcode 5667482. Additionally, Pure is scheduled to participate at the following investor conferences: Wells Fargo 8th Annual TMT Summit Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Time: 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET Chief Technology Officer Rob Lee 27th Annual Needham Growth Conference Date: Thursday, January 16, 2025 Time: 9:45 a.m. PT / 12:45 p.m. ET Founder & Chief Visionary Officer John "Co z" Colgrove Chief Financial Officer Kevan Krysler The presentations will be webcast live and archived on Pure's Investor Relations website at investor.purestorage.com . ---- About Pure Storage Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) delivers the industry's most advanced data storage platform to store, manage, and protect the world's data at any scale. With Pure Storage, organizations have ultimate simplicity and flexibility, saving time, money, and energy. From AI to archive, Pure Storage delivers a cloud experience with one unified Storage as-a-Service platform across on premises, cloud, and hosted environments. Our platform is built on our Evergreen architecture that evolves with your business – always getting newer and better with zero planned downtime, guaranteed. Our customers are actively increasing their capacity and processing power while significantly reducing their carbon and energy footprint. It's easy to fall in love with Pure Storage, as evidenced by the highest Net Promoter Score in the industry. For more information, visit www.purestorage.com . Connect with Pure Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Pure Storage, the Pure P Logo, Portworx, and the marks on the Pure Storage Trademark List are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pure Storage Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. The Trademark List can be found at purestorage.com/trademarks . Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our products, business and operations, including but not limited to our views relating to our opportunity with hyperscale and AI environments, our ability to meet hyperscalers' performance and price requirements, our ability to meet the needs of hyperscalers for the entire spectrum of their online storage use cases, the timing and magnitude of large orders, including sales to hyperscalers, the timing and amount of revenue from hyperscaler licensing and support services, future period financial and business results, demand for our products and subscription services, including Evergreen//One, the relative sales mix between our subscription and consumption offerings and traditional capital expenditure sales, our technology and product strategy, specifically customer priorities around sustainability, the environmental and energy saving benefits to our customers of using our products, our ability to perform during current macro conditions and expand market share, our sustainability goals and benefits, the impact of inflation, economic or supply chain disruptions, our expectations regarding our product and technology differentiation, new customer acquisition, and other statements regarding our products, business, operations and results. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted include, among others, those risks and uncertainties included under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our filings and reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on our Investor Relations website at investor.purestorage.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov . Additional information is also set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 4, 2024. All information provided in this release and in the attachments is as of December 3, 2024, and Pure undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law. Key Performance Metric Subscription ARR is a key business metric that refers to total annualized contract value of all active subscription agreements on the last day of the quarter, plus on-demand revenue for the quarter multiplied by four. Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, Pure uses the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, and free cash flow. We use these non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision-making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. Our management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance and liquidity by excluding certain expenses such as stock-based compensation expense, payments to former shareholders of acquired companies, payroll tax expense related to stock-based activities, amortization of debt issuance costs related to debt, and amortization of intangible assets acquired from acquisitions that may not be indicative of our ongoing core business operating results. Pure believes that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our performance and when analyzing historical performance and liquidity and planning, forecasting, and analyzing future periods. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and our non-GAAP measures may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures, please see the tables captioned "Reconciliations of non-GAAP results of operations to the nearest comparable GAAP measures" and "Reconciliation from net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow," included at the end of this release.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today reported financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. Net revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 was $1.516 billion , $66 .0 million above the mid-point of the Company's guidance provided on August 29, 2024 . GAAP net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 was $(676.3) million, or $(0.78) per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 was $373 .0 million, or $0.43 per diluted share. Cash flow from operations for the third quarter was $536.3 million . "Marvell's fiscal third quarter 2025 revenue grew 19% sequentially, well above the mid-point of our guidance, driven by strong demand from AI. For the fourth quarter, we are forecasting another 19% sequential revenue growth at the midpoint of guidance, while year-over-year, we expect revenue growth to accelerate significantly to 26%, marking the beginning of a new era of growth for Marvell," said Matt Murphy , Marvell's Chairman and CEO. "The exceptional performance in the third quarter, and our strong forecast for the fourth quarter, are primarily driven by our custom AI silicon programs, which are now in volume production, further augmented by robust ongoing demand from cloud customers for our market-leading interconnect products. We look forward to a strong finish to this fiscal year and expect substantial momentum to continue in fiscal 2026." Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2025 Financial Outlook GAAP diluted EPS is calculated using basic weighted-average shares outstanding when there is a GAAP net loss, and calculated using diluted weighted-average shares outstanding when there is a GAAP net income. Non-GAAP diluted EPS is calculated using diluted weighted-average shares outstanding. Conference Call Marvell will conduct a conference call on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time to discuss results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. Interested parties may join the conference call without operator assistance by registering and entering their phone number at https://emportal.ink/4fngg8m to receive an instant automated call back. To join the call with operator assistance, please dial 1-800-836-8184 or 1-646-357-8785. The call will be webcast and can be accessed at the Marvell Investor Relations website at http://investor.marvell.com/ . A replay of the call can be accessed by dialing 1-888-660-6345 or 1-646-517-4150, passcode 47973# until Tuesday, December 10, 2024 . Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of stock-based compensation expense, amortization of acquired intangible assets, acquisition and divestiture-related costs, restructuring and other related charges (including, but not limited to, asset impairment charges, recognition of future contractual obligations, employee severance costs, and facilities related charges), resolution of legal matters, and certain expenses and benefits that are driven primarily by discrete events that management does not consider to be directly related to Marvell's core business. Although Marvell excludes the amortization of all acquired intangible assets from these non-GAAP financial measures, management believes that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase price accounting arising from acquisitions, and that such amortization of intangible assets that relate to past acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized. Investors should note that the use of intangible assets contributed to Marvell's revenues earned during the periods presented and are expected to contribute to Marvell's future period revenues as well. Marvell uses a non-GAAP tax rate to compute the non-GAAP tax provision. This non-GAAP tax rate is based on Marvell's estimated annual GAAP income tax forecast, adjusted to account for items excluded from Marvell's non-GAAP income, as well as the effects of significant non-recurring and period specific tax items which vary in size and frequency, and excludes tax deductions and benefits from acquired tax loss and credit carryforwards and changes in valuation allowance on acquired deferred tax assets. Marvell's non-GAAP tax rate is determined on an annual basis and may be adjusted during the year to take into account events that may materially affect the non-GAAP tax rate such as tax law changes; acquisitions; significant changes in Marvell's geographic mix of revenue and expenses; or changes to Marvell's corporate structure. For the third quarter of fiscal 2025, a non-GAAP tax rate of 7.0% has been applied to the non-GAAP financial results. Marvell believes that the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures provides important supplemental information to management and investors regarding financial and business trends relating to Marvell's financial condition and results of operations. While Marvell uses non-GAAP financial measures as a tool to enhance its understanding of certain aspects of its financial performance, Marvell does not consider these measures to be a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Consistent with this approach, Marvell believes that disclosing non-GAAP financial measures to the readers of its financial statements provides such readers with useful supplemental data that, while not a substitute for GAAP financial measures, allows for greater transparency in the review of its financial and operational performance. Externally, management believes that investors may find Marvell's non-GAAP financial measures useful in their assessment of Marvell's operating performance and the valuation of Marvell. Internally, Marvell's non-GAAP financial measures are used in the following areas: Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the costs associated with the operations of Marvell's business as determined in accordance with GAAP. As a result, you should not consider these measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of Marvell's results as reported under GAAP. The exclusion of the above items from our GAAP financial metrics does not necessarily mean that these costs are unusual or infrequent. Forward-Looking Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "forecasts," "targets," "may," "can," "will," "would" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, the statements describing our financial outlook and future period revenues. These statements are not guarantees of results and should not be considered as an indication of future activity or future performance. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those described in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: risks related to changes in general macroeconomic conditions, or expectations of such conditions, such as high or rising interest rates, macroeconomic slowdowns, recessions, inflation, and stagflation; risks related to our ability to estimate customer demand and future sales accurately; our ability to define, design, develop and market products for the Cloud, 5G markets, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) markets; risks related to our dependence on a few customers for a significant portion of our revenue, particularly as our major customers comprise an increasing percentage of our revenue, as well as risks related to a significant portion of our sales being concentrated in the data center end market; risks related to higher inventory levels; risks related to cancellations, rescheduling or deferrals of significant customer orders or shipments, as well as the ability of our customers to manage inventory; our ability to realize the expected benefits from restructuring activities; the risk of downturns in the semiconductor industry or our customer end markets; the impact of international conflict (such as the current armed conflicts in the Ukraine and in Israel and the Gaza Strip ) and economic volatility in either domestic or foreign markets including risks related to trade conflicts or tensions, regulations, and tariffs, including but not limited to, trade restrictions imposed on our Chinese customers; our ability to retain and hire key personnel; our ability to limit costs related to defective products; risks related to our debt obligations; risks related to the rapid growth of the Company; delays or increased costs related to completing the design, development, production and introduction of our new products due to a variety of issues, including supply chain cross-dependencies, dependencies on EDA and similar tools, dependencies on the use of third-party, business partner or customer intellectual property, collaboration and synchronization requirements with business partners and customers, requirements to establish new manufacturing, testing, assembly and packing processes, and other issues; our reliance on our manufacturing partners for the manufacture, assembly, testing and packaging of our products; risks related to the ASIC business model which requires us to use third-party IP including the risk that we may lose business or experience reputational harm if third parties, including customers, lose confidence in our ability to protect their IP rights; the risks associated with manufacturing and selling products and customers' products outside of the United States ; our ability to secure design wins from our customers and prospective customers; our ability to complete and realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions, divestitures and investments; decreases in gross margin and results of operations in the future due to a number of factors, including high or increasing interest rates and volatility in foreign exchange rates; severe financial hardship or bankruptcy of one or more of our major customers; the effects of transitioning to smaller geometry process technologies; risks related to use of a hybrid work model; the impact of any change in the income tax laws in jurisdictions where we operate and the loss of any beneficial tax treatment that we currently enjoy; the outcome of pending or future litigation and legal and regulatory proceedings; risk related to our Sustainability program; the impact and costs associated with changes in international financial and regulatory conditions; our ability and the ability of our customers to successfully compete in the markets in which we serve; our ability and our customers' ability to develop new and enhanced products and the adoption of those products in the market; supply chain disruptions or component shortages that may impact the production of our products including our kitting process or may impact the price of components which in turn may impact our margins on any impacted products and any constrained availability from other electronic suppliers impacting our customers' ability to ship their products, which in turn may adversely impact our sales to those customers; our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for existing or new products and services; risks associated with acquisition and consolidation activity in the semiconductor industry, including any consolidation of our manufacturing partners; our ability to protect our intellectual property; risks related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (or future pandemics) which have impacted, and for which lingering effects may continue to impact our business, employees and operations, the transportation and manufacturing of our products, and the operations of our customers, distributors, vendors, suppliers, and partners; our maintenance of an effective system of internal controls; financial institution instability; and other risks detailed in our SEC filings from time to time. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that affect our business described in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by us from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and we assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Marvell To deliver the data infrastructure technology that connects the world, we're building solutions on the most powerful foundation: our partnerships with our customers. Trusted by the world's leading technology companies for over 25 years, we move, store, process and secure the world's data with semiconductor solutions designed for our customers' current needs and future ambitions. Through a process of deep collaboration and transparency, we're ultimately changing the way tomorrow's enterprise, cloud, automotive, and carrier architectures transform—for the better. Marvell ® and the Marvell logo are registered trademarks of Marvell and/or its affiliates. Marvell Technology, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended November 2, 2024 August 3, 2024 October 28, 2023 November 2, 2024 October 28, 2023 Net revenue $ 1,516.1 $ 1,272.9 $ 1,418.6 $ 3,949.9 $ 4,081.2 Cost of goods sold 1,166.7 685.3 867.4 2,485.1 2,451.7 Gross profit 349.4 587.6 551.2 1,464.8 1,629.5 Operating expenses: Research and development 488.6 486.7 481.1 1,451.4 1,436.6 Selling, general and administrative 205.3 197.3 213.0 602.5 622.0 Restructuring related charges 358.3 4.0 3.4 366.4 105.3 Total operating expenses 1,052.2 688.0 697.5 2,420.3 2,163.9 Operating loss (702.8) (100.4) (146.3) (955.5) (534.4) Interest expense (47.2) (48.4) (52.6) (144.4) (159.1) Interest income and other, net (0.5) 2.6 11.4 5.4 22.1 Interest and other loss, net (47.7) (45.8) (41.2) (139.0) (137.0) Loss before income taxes (750.5) (146.2) (187.5) (1,094.5) (671.4) Provision (benefit) for income taxes (74.2) 47.1 (23.2) (9.3) (130.7) Net loss $ (676.3) $ (193.3) $ (164.3) $ (1,085.2) $ (540.7) Net loss per share — basic $ (0.78) $ (0.22) $ (0.19) $ (1.25) $ (0.63) Net loss per share — diluted $ (0.78) $ (0.22) $ (0.19) $ (1.25) $ (0.63) Weighted-average shares: Basic 865.7 865.7 862.6 865.5 860.1 Diluted 865.7 865.7 862.6 865.5 860.1 Marvell Technology, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (In millions) November 2, 2024 February 3, 2024 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 868.1 $ 950.8 Accounts receivable, net 997.9 1,121.6 Inventories 859.4 864.4 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 91.4 125.9 Total current assets 2,816.8 3,062.7 Property and equipment, net 781.9 756.0 Goodwill 11,586.9 11,586.9 Acquired intangible assets, net 2,957.7 4,004.1 Deferred tax assets 406.5 311.9 Other non-current assets 1,165.8 1,506.9 Total assets $ 19,715.6 $ 21,228.5 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 538.1 $ 411.3 Accrued liabilities 825.2 1,032.9 Accrued employee compensation 270.9 262.7 Short-term debt 129.4 107.3 Total current liabilities 1,763.6 1,814.2 Long-term debt 3,965.5 4,058.6 Other non-current liabilities 613.6 524.3 Total liabilities 6,342.7 6,397.1 Stockholders' equity: Common stock 1.7 1.7 Additional paid-in capital 14,629.0 14,845.3 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (0.3) 1.1 Accumulated deficit (1,257.5) (16.7) Total stockholders' equity 13,372.9 14,831.4 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 19,715.6 $ 21,228.5 Marvell Technology, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (In millions) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended November 2, 2024 Best trending stories from the week. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. You may occasionally receive promotions exclusive discounted subscription offers from the Roswell Daily Record. Feel free to cancel any time via the unsubscribe link in the newsletter you received. You can also control your newsletter options via your user dashboard by signing in.“I spoke with him, and he’s definitely shown interest. He even prostrated himself on the field after scoring a goal. He ensures the players pray and stops training whenever the muezzin calls for prayer. When he bowed, all the players shouted ‘Allahu Akbar.’” 1 View gallery Cristiano Ronaldo rocking a keffiyeh ( Photo: Al Nassr Football Club /AFP ) These words, spoken by Nasser Walid Abdullah, a former goalkeeper for the Saudi club Al-Nassr, have sparked a storm in the football world – all because of the man he was talking about. Could Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese icon and global superstar, truly be considering converting to Islam? “He’s very interested in the local culture,” Abdullah continued, referring to a man widely recognized as one of the finest soccer players ever . “At first, he had so many questions about Saudi Arabia. He wanted to know everything about our way of life here.” Adding fuel to the fire, a fake photo of Ronaldo supposedly reading the Quran began circulating online, further stoking speculation. It was later revealed to be someone else entirely, reading a completely different book. But the rumors didn’t stop there. When asked on Cristiano’s YouTube channel if he wanted to play with his father, his 14-year-old son, Cristiano Jr., replied with “Inshallah.” While it’s likely the boy, who lives in Riyadh and plays for Al-Nassr’s youth team, picked up the phrase from his new friends, the Saudis – obsessed with Ronaldo – seized on the comment. Of course, there’s no suggestion that Cristiano Jr. plans to fast during Ramadan, but every little detail about the former Real Madrid legend is enough to send fans into a frenzy. CR7 surfing This isn’t the first time such rumors have surrounded Ronaldo. Back in 2013, during his time at Real Madrid, similar speculation emerged due to his close friendship with Turkish midfield maestro Mesut Özil. Rest assured, Ronaldo will continue going to church and isn’t about to change his name to Mahmoud. But one thing is undeniable: as a master marketer, Ronaldo knows how to give his audience exactly what they want. Should the Saudis want him to embrace their traditions, the Portuguese star will happily celebrate a goal like a Muslim player – it’s no big deal for him. Another thing is equally clear: Ronaldo feels completely at home in Saudi Arabia. First person ever to reach a billion followers It’s been two years since Ronaldo made the groundbreaking decision to sign with Al-Nassr, a move that shocked the football world and triggered a wave of high-profile signings in the Saudi league. While other stars, such as Neymar, have openly expressed frustration with life in the desert kingdom, Ronaldo is thriving. The Portuguese phenomenon, who turns 40 this February, shows no signs of longing for European football or his old life on the continent. His new chapter in Saudi Arabia is not only lucrative but picture-perfect. Case in point: in September, Ronaldo became the first person in history to reach one billion followers across social media. Saudi Arabia pays Ronaldo $300 million a year, and in return, they’ve gained the most passionate ambassador imaginable. His commitment to the Saudi project was evident last week when FIFA announced the hosts of upcoming World Cups. Saudi Arabia secured the 2034 tournament , a decision that drew sharp criticism from the Western world. Meanwhile, for the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by his home country of Portugal alongside Spain and Morocco, Ronaldo wrote: “This will be the most special World Cup ever.” For the Saudis, however, he appeared in a high-production video that was as emotional as it was strategic. “This will be the best World Cup in history,” Ronaldo declared. “Football is evolving rapidly – we already have seven or eight strong clubs in the Saudi league. This is an amazing country that’s developing every day. The Saudis are good people, and the future here is bright. I’m certain I’ll be watching this World Cup.” Cristiano Ronaldo performs Sajda after scoring a goal ❤️. pic.twitter.com/9k3szAsVAZ — Life in Saudi Arabia (@LifeSaudiArabia) May 24, 2023 When the man known as "CR7" talks about Saudi Arabia, his enthusiasm is infectious, his eyes lighting up with genuine excitement. It’s hard not to believe him. If the video had gone on a bit longer, you might have expected him to start reminiscing about a fictional childhood in Riyadh or recounting fond memories with his “school friend,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. With a billion followers, Ronaldo is undoubtedly the world’s greatest marketer. But sarcasm aside, Ronaldo is making a sincere effort to embed himself into the Saudi story – and that’s exactly why they adore him. A one-man economic empire Life in the oil-rich kingdom has been nothing short of luxurious for Ronaldo. At first, he and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, stayed in a hotel for several months. Hotel? More like a sprawling mansion with 18 rooms in one of the most opulent establishments in Saudi Arabia. Eventually, they moved into a $15 million home in Riyadh’s most exclusive neighborhood. “My family and I love life here,” Ronaldo shared in an interview with his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand. “Adjusting wasn’t easy at first, but everyone was so welcoming. I’m used to moving between countries in my career, but here it felt simpler.” Ronaldo and his family were among the first visitors to the Red Sea Project, the Crown Prince’s ambitious development initiative. They stayed in a futuristic resort village featuring villas designed like floating steel spheres – something straight out of Back to the Future Part II. Ronaldo was captivated, even calling the area “my second home.” His contract is set to expire this summer, but there are already discussions about a two-year extension, which could see him retire while wearing Al-Nassr’s colors. Meanwhile, a bizarre rumor has emerged: that Ronaldo could be loaned from Al-Nassr to their rivals, Al-Hilal, to play in the Club World Cup this summer. Al-Hilal’s president denied the possibility, but reports in Saudi Arabia insist the idea is being explored –with hopes of seeing Ronaldo face his former club, Real Madrid, and perhaps Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the knockout stage. Ronaldo’s ambitions remain as lofty as ever. Chief among them is becoming the first player to score 1,000 career goals – a milestone he estimates will take him another “two or three years.” Currently, his tally stands at 916. “Unlike others, all my goals are documented – even the ones from training,” Ronaldo remarked, taking a subtle shot at the late Brazilian superstar Pele. Congratulations to all my friends in Saudi, I know how proud you all are today and I am sure @Saudi2034 will be historic 🇸🇦🏆 #WelcomeToSaudi34 pic.twitter.com/m0GB1O2R4w — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) December 11, 2024 As captain of Portugal’s national team, Ronaldo also hopes to become the first player to appear in six World Cups, though Lionel Messi is poised to share that honor in 2026. After Portugal’s elimination in the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo famously broke down in tears, as he did again during Euro 2024. Many assumed these were moments of farewell, but he made it clear they were wrong: “I cry because it’s part of the game I love. I’m invested in it, and I’m not afraid to show my emotions. I think that’s why people connect with me.” 'People understand I’m real' Whether you call him a “social media influencer” or something else, Ronaldo is a global phenomenon. On Instagram alone, where he’s the most-followed person, Ronaldo boasts an astonishing 645 million followers. Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play : https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store : https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv He’s not just Saudi Arabia’s ambassador – he endorses everything under the sun. From skincare products (Georgina jokes he’s “addicted”), cars, apps and even his sponsor-in-chief, Saudi Arabia itself, Ronaldo’s influence is unparalleled. “Do you think people follow me just because of my goals or the titles I’ve won?” Ronaldo asked Ferdinand. “That’s only part of the story. People connect with me because I’m real. They love my values, my family, my lifestyle and the inspiration I give. I’m an emotional person – I don’t hide anything, and I won’t change. People understand I’m authentic.” Ronaldo’s philosophy is as inspiring as his career: “The past is the past. There’s no point dwelling on mistakes. The present is the greatest gift we have, and we need to live in the now. Whatever happens, keep working, and the results will come.” It’s hard not to be moved by his outlook. He almost makes you want to pack your bags and move to Saudi Arabia. >

Stormont minister Maurice Morrow told an official he would not raise the issue with the Northern Ireland Executive, despite similar measures being considered in England and Wales. A file on planning arrangements for the jubilee celebrations reveals a series of civil service correspondences on how Northern Ireland would mark the occasion. It includes a letter sent on January 11 2001 from an official in the Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to the Department of Social Development, advising that a committee had been set up in London to consider a programme of celebrations. The correspondence says: “One of the issues the committee is currently considering is the possibility of deregulating liquor licensing laws during the golden jubilee celebrations on the same lines as the arrangements made for the millennium. “It is felt that the golden jubilee bank holiday on Monday 3 June 2002 is likely to be an occasion on which many public houses and similar licensed premises would wish to stay open beyond normal closing time.” The letter said a paper had been prepared on the issue of extending opening hours. It adds: “You will note that paragraph seven of the paper indicates that the devolved administrations ‘would need to consider deregulation separately within their own jurisdictions’. “I thought that you would wish to be aware that this issue is receiving active consideration for England and Wales and to consider whether anything needs to be done for Northern Ireland.” Some months later a “progress report” was sent between officials in OFMDFM, which again raised the issue of licensing laws. It says: “I spoke to Gordon Gibson, DSD, about Terry Smith’s letter of 12 January 2001 about licensing laws: the matter was put to their minister Maurice Morrow (DUP) who indicated that he would not be asking the NIE (Northern Ireland Executive) to approve any change to current licensing laws in NI to allow for either 24 hour opening (as at the millennium) nor a blanket approval for extended opening hours as is being considered in GB. “In both cases, primary legislation would be required here and would necessitate consultation and the minister has ruled out any consultation process.” The correspondence says individual licensees could still apply for an extension to opening hours on an ad hoc basis, adding “there the matter rests”. It goes on: “DSD await further pronouncements from the Home Office and Gibson and I have agreed to notify each other of any developments we become aware of and he will copy me to any (existing) relevant papers. “Ministers may well come under pressure in due course for a relaxation and/or parity with GB.” The document concludes “That’s it so far...making haste slowly?” Emails sent between officials in the department the same month said that lord lieutenants in Northern Ireland had been approached about local events to mark the jubilee. One message says: “Lord lieutenants have not shown any enthusiasm for encouraging GJ celebrations at a local level. “Lady Carswell in particular believes that it would be difficult for LLs to encourage such activities without appearing political.”