Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Jordan meet on holiday and the internet goes nuts
- Instagram photo of Juventus superstar and NBA great goes viral, with more than 6.5 million likes
- Ronaldo also leaves €25,000 tip to hotel staff in Cota Navarino, Greece for their hard work
It’s not often two sporting icons meet and grab a photo together but that was the case when soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and US basketball legend Michael Jordan bumped into each other on holiday.
The Juventus forward took to social media to share a photo of himself together with arguably basketball’s greatest player with a simple caption that read “we made history” accompanied by emojis of a soccer ball, a basketball ball and a gold medal.
Ronaldo’s Instagram photo has since gone viral with more than 6.5 million likes and over 41,000 comments and it was well received by his 172 million followers on social media.
“What an inspiring mixture of history and greatness in a picture,” wrote one fan on Instagram in response.
Ronaldo was holidaying in Greece with his family after a successful season with Juventus, who won a record-extending 35th Italian Serie A title, although the Turin club suffered disappointment in the Champions League.
The 34-year-old Portuguese forward also helped his country win the Nations League, beating the Netherlands in the final recently.
The Portuguese is a five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, an award for the world’s best footballer, and the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has a mantelpiece that is filled with medals that he has won all over Europe.
It’s not the first time Ronaldo had met an athlete of similar stature, having stood alongside Conor McGregor inside the cage during the mixed martial arts superstar’s training camp a few years ago.
But his photo with Jordan probably tops them all.
Jordan is a basketball icon whose Chicago Bulls were the most dominant force in the NBA 20 years ago.
He made history wearing the number 23 jersey for the Bulls, winning the NBA Championship six times in a phenomenal career that saw him win just about every accolade, including Most Valuable Player five times.
Jordan was also an instrumental member of the original US “Dream Team” that won the Olympic gold medal with consummate ease at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The 56-year-old former NBA legend is now the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets.
Ronaldo has also been in great form on holiday as well in Cota Navarino, Greece.
According to Spanish publication El Espanol, the footballing superstar generously tipped a huge €25,000 (US$28,500, HK$222,000) to hotel staff for their hard work during his stay.
El Espanol reported that the Portugal captain, who was holidaying with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and eldest son Cristiano Junior, spent around €56,000 on their holiday.
