Khabib Nurmagomedov has always had massive admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo, which is probably why the UFC legend sent a heartfelt message to the world-renowned football player following his retirement from Portugal’s national team.
Earlier this week, Ronaldo shocked the sports community by announcing his retirement from international football. This came after Ronaldo was handed down a 30-day suspension for a dispute with Portugal’s new head coach, Jorge Jesus. The 41-year-old released the following
message to his fans:
“The day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team,” said Ronaldo in a five-minute retirement video. “I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world,”
As expected, fans across the world were devastated to learn that Ronaldo is stepping away from his international duties. After all, Ronaldo is one of the most popular football players of all time and has cracked Forbes’ list multiple times as one of the highest paid athletes in the world. Ronaldo is not only a role model but he is beloved by many.
This includes Nurmagomedov, who has formed a close friendship with Ronaldo over the years. After learning of Ronaldo’s retirement, the former UFC lightweight champion wasted little time taking to social media to send him a message and congratulate him on a “legendary career.”
Check it out below:
“When you give it your all, you become obsolete,” wrote Nurmagomedov via Instagram.
“There are the best ones, and there are the best of the best. Ronaldo belongs among the best of the best. It’s hard to understand the mentality of giants like him. It’s hard to describe in words what he has done for football, just as it’s hard to describe how he’s been treated by the teams he gave his all to.”
