Khabib Nurmagomedov congratulates Cristiano Ronaldo for '15 years at the top' in football

UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently took to Instagram and praised Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo for his longevity in football. The Eagle is a big fan of the sport as well as a supporter of CR7’s former club Real Madrid. On several occasions, the Russian has been photographed with Ronaldo, who is also a huge UFC fan. In fact, during a recent interview, Cristiano Ronaldo even admitted that he prefers watching a UFC or boxing bout over a 90-minute long football match.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov congratulates Cristiano Ronaldo

As the two legends remain fans of each other, Khabib Nurmagomedov congratulated Ronaldo after the Portuguese footballer scored twice for Juventus against Parma on Saturday. “15 years at the top. Almost impossible,” the Russian wrote on his Instagram story next to an image of the footballer. Apart from Khabib, the 35-year-old received praise from millions of fans for his achievement and was even awarded the Golden Foot Award for his long-term contribution to the sport.

The Golden Foot Award is given to outstanding players who are over the age of 28, with previous winners including Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta. While Ronaldo became the 18th man to win this distinction, his arch-rival Lionel Messi is yet to receive the prestigious award. The Barcelona captain is way behind on the goalscoring list, as he has scored 26 goals this year across all competitions, compared to Ronaldo’s 44.

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Cristiano Ronaldo prays tribute to Khabib Nurmagomedov

Earlier this year, Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to Khabib Nurmagomedov after he defeated Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and went on to announce his retirement from the sport. The footballer took an image of Khabib celebrating his victory over Gaethje and posted on Instagram with the caption, “Congrats bro! Your father is proud of you”.

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After the win, The Eagle broke down in tears while remembering his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away in July following complications arising from COVID-19. The Russian fighter then placed his gloves in the middle of the octagon, saying that he made a promise to his mother that this would be his last fight. While Nurmagomedov has no interest in coming back, UFC President Dana White is confident that the Eagle could return for one last bout.

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Image Source: Cristiano Ronaldo, Khabib Nurmagomedov/ Instagram