Hailing from Mexico, Sergio Perez is a huge soccer fan and even played the sport quite a bit. He follows the sport to this day and even visits matches during his free time. One soccer star that Perez is a huge fan of is Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he once met thanks to a friend. Perez has now revealed to Tom Clarkson on Apple’s F1: Beyond the Grid Podcast about how he would like to have the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as his first guest on his podcast, should he ever start one.
The Red Bull driver said, “Well I have to go big. So, I’ll invite Cristiano Ronaldo“. Detailing his stance behind the same, Perez claimed he would want to invite people who have had a positive impact on society. Perez added that he would look for people who have done great things in life and bring them as guests on his podcast.
The 34-year-old believes it is important in today’s time to look up to people who aren’t just successful but also serve as great examples to follow. Ronaldo is a great humanitarian who donates millions of dollars to various charities and organizations working towards the betterment of the people.
Perez then digressed from the topic and spoke about his own soccer skills as well. He claimed to be a good striker in the sport. Clarkson then asked him if he was as good at soccer as he was at golf.
Without any hesitation, the Mexican claimed he was much better at soccer, especially since he never had time for golf. However, Perez never brought up the subject when he met Ronaldo.
Sergio Perez likens himself to Cristiano Ronaldo
In December 2022, Sergio Perez came up with an unusual analogy to compare himself with his teammate, Max Verstappen. As per the Mexican driver, he was the Cristiano Ronaldo of F1. On the other hand, Perez believed that Verstappen was the Lionel Messi of the sport.
Detailing further, Perez claimed Verstappen was born to be a racer, and most of his success came from his skills and talents. Similarly, according to him, Messi too seems as an individual who was born to play soccer.
As things currently stand, both Messi and Verstappen have won everything there is to win in their respective sports, providing further credibility to Perez’s claim. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is someone who has had immense success thanks to both his talent and hard work. Perez feels he bears a likeness to Ronaldo in that sense.
Perez and Ronaldo have climbed to the top thanks to their hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Furthermore, they have both won almost everything there is to win in their sports. While Perez has yet to win the Drivers’ Championship, a World Cup trophy eludes Ronaldo in a similar sense. Hence, Perez’s analogy might not be too far off.
