The crossover between the iconic figures of world sports always excites the fans to the extreme. One such instance occurred recently as a 9-year-old photo of Luka Doncic and Cristiano Ronaldo resurfaced. Expectedly, the instance floored the NBA fans as they expressed their thoughts soon after.
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During Doncic’s debut campaign with Real Madrid in 2015, the Slovenian spent time with Ronaldo and his teammate Marcelo over a meal. Following their time out together, the basketball star clicked a group selfie with the soccer icons. Later, he uploaded the photo on X (formerly Twitter) on December 18, 2015, with the caption, “Great lunch”.
The image recently caught the attention of an NBA follower as he retweeted the post. Shedding light on Doncic’s charisma, the supporter wrote, “Nah bro been Hollywood since day 1”.
Another viewer pointed out the rarity of the occasion in the replies, commenting, “Casually hanging out with Ronaldo and Marcelo is blasphemous”.
One more fan voiced a similar opinion, admitting to the charm of the NBA star. “Wtf nah Luka got it bruh,” he wrote to express his thoughts.
Amidst the excitement around the photo, the timing remained a key factor. At that time, Doncic had just stepped into Spanish league to establish his status as a rising star. Whereas, both Ronaldo and Marcelo had solidified their legacy for the club with the UEFA Champions League win.
Following that, the trio kept on building on their success as the soccer stars won three more UCLs alongside a league title. Refusing to be outdone, the basketball star took the club to new heights in Europe, winning the EuroLeague in 2018 while clinching the MVP award. Hence, looking back, the image seemed more iconic than it initially was, justifying the hype from the NBA community.
The lesser-known influence of Cristiano Ronaldo on Luka Doncic
The 25-year-old reflected on the moment during a 2020 interview with Steve Nash for B/R Football. The Dallas Mavericks star admitted feeling anxious around his favorite soccer player leading to his inability to open up. Upon looking back on the instance, he mentioned,
“I was like 16 when I met him. I was so nervous, I couldn’t even talk, so I didn’t ask anything”.
The admiration was sustained throughout the years as Doncic paid an immense tribute to the Portuguese icon in November last year. The newly released sneaker of his line, The Jordan Luka 2 “The Pitch”, took inspiration from the soccer legend’s cleats. It contained Ronaldo’s world-famous shirt number 7 on the inside of its heel as a sign of gratitude.
This remarkable crossover was bound to excite the fans to the extent it eventually did. Simultaneously, they might look forward to more such instances as the influence of both the stars grew tremendously since then.
