Prestigious American magazine TIME has just released its annual list of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’, which includes an NBA star who is flying the flag for gay athletes and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Besides Ronaldo, the only sports players on the list are Serena Williams (tennis), Lydia Ko (golf), Richard Sherman (NFL) and Brooklyn Nets centre Jason Collins, whose unexceptional stats (an average of 1.1 point and 0.9 rebounds per match) belie the inspirational role he has played since coming out as gay. There is no place on the list for Leo Messi.
Ronaldo’s profile for the accolade was written by none other than Pelé and includes the following lines: “Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most influential athletes in sports today. I greatly respect his competitive mind-set on the field, and it’s no surprise that he is currently considered the best soccer player in the world. He reminds me a bit of my late friend and Portuguese soccer legend Eusébio”.
