Giannis Antetokounmpo made the headlines with his public admiration for the soccer icon, Cristiano Ronaldo. The respect from the Greece international NBA star caught the eyes as he backed CR7 as the greatest of all time in the sport. The Milwaukee Bucks talisman even clarified his stance while explaining his beliefs on his YouTube channel.
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Upon discussing which Portuguese soccer star he would prefer to have on his team, Giannis shed light on the rich history of the soccer-loving nation. “You have unbelievable players. Luis Figo, Nani, Deco who was, growing up, was one of my favorite players,” he stated. Yet, the 29-year-old picked Ronaldo over others, mentioning, “At the end of the day, you gotta go with the GOAT. One and only Cristiano Ronaldo”.
The 2021 NBA champion paid his tribute to the 5x UEFA Champions League winner while showcasing respect for his work ethic. “Any sport he play, he probably good at it. He is so competitive. He is so driven. Being able to play such a high level at I think 37, 38 years old, it’s very, very impressive,” the 2x MVP highlighted. He further added, “So, I’ll go with the GOAT, Cristiano Ronaldo”.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has hardly been secretive about his love for soccer. His knowledge of the past greats of the Portuguese National Team, like Luis Figo, and Luis Nani provides a window into just how much and how long he has loved the sport for. Despite all his love for the greats, however, he was always going to pick Cristiano Ronaldo. After all, the former Real Madrid man is arguably the greatest player to ever lace up. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that he is a Nike athlete too, just like Giannis.
Despite his passion for the sport, many would think that he now has a laser focus on his basketball career, especially given how serious his demeanor has been in recent seasons. However, every now and again, his love for soccer has shined through, sometimes even in humorous ways.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s love for soccer
The NBA icon had once openly talked about his admiration for the sport while even shedding light on his favorite team, as per Goal India. “My favorite team used to be Arsenal and my favorite player used to be Thierry Henry,” he declared. “I am an Arsenal fan but I like PSG when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was here on the team,” he further added.
Thierry Henry played for Arsenal a very long time ago. However, given that he led his team to the Premier League’s only Unbeaten season, it is hard to blame Giannis Antetokounmpo for holding onto the era. While Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t do quite as much for PSG as Henry, he certainly was a massive personality. This, combined with his penchant for scoring goals made him deeply fun to watch.
Antetokounmpo once even admitted that he’d have loved to be a soccer player had he not been successful as a basketball star. “If I wasn’t a basketball player, I would be a soccer player for sure,” the Bucks star highlighted. In fact, he has displayed a knack for the global sport from time to time, even on an NBA court. More than two years ago, the power forward juggled a basketball with his feet during a match, grabbing the attention of the viewers.
Given Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 6ft 11″ stature, he may have been just a little bit too tall to play soccer professionally. That said, there have been, and still are many players in and around the 6ft 8″ mark playing in the best leagues in Europe. So, it certainly wouldn’t have been impossible for Giannis to make it, especially given his athleticism.
Over time, he has found different ways of channeling his likeness for soccer, with team acquisition being one of them. In March this year, Giannis became the minority owner of the MLS side Nashville SC before proving his loyalty to Ronaldo. In the Leagues Cup final match against the soccer legend’s arch-rival Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami team, he hit Cristiano’s iconic ‘siu’ celebration. The Greek Freak thus has truly embodied the spirit of a die-heart fan of the Portuguese at every step of the way.
Given that he pulled off the celebration on such a massive stage, right in front of Cristino’s long-time rival, Lionel Messi, his admiration for the Portuguese star likely shouldn’t come as news to die-hard fans of Giannis.
Thus, the game and the all-time of the game have made a huge impact on the mindset of him. Like the majority of the Europeans, he remains intricately linked with soccer. An undying passion that has kept him going throughout his career.
