Cristiano Ronaldo received the award for Best Player in the Middle East at the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards on Sunday, but he was not the only winner at the 16th edition of this ceremony.
Novak Djokovic was named winner of the Globe Sports Award, and the captain of the Portuguese national team was in charge of presenting him with the award, sparing no praise or parallels between the two.
CR7 and Novak have “similar stories”
The truth is that both athletes are great icons in their respective sports, having overcome various obstacles and arduous competitions and remaining active and relevant today, so these awards came as no surprise to fans.
However, Cristiano’s words did give people something to talk about. When it came time to award the 38-year-old Serbian tennis player, the Al-Nassr captain dedicated some heartfelt words to him.
Reflecting on the past and careers of both men, CR7 drew a parallel between them: the passage of time.
“For me, he is an example. When you have people as an example, he speaks the words coming from himself. So for me, [he is an] example [in] longevity. We have a similar story,” said Ronaldo.
“So I think he deserves [the award] because he is a great example for this generation, all generations, the generation [that] is going to come. So he deserves this,” added the Portuguese player.
The truth is that, at 40, Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to stamp his name at the top of soccer, still fighting to reach the goal of 1,000 goals (956). For his part, two years younger but heading in the same direction, Djokovic is ranked number 4 in the ATP rankings and is the male tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in history, with 24.
Meanwhile, age does not seem to be a determining factor in the careers of both professionals. Although CR7 announced that the next edition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his last tournament, he extended his contract with Al-Nassr until 2027.
For his part, Novak assured that he has no plans to retire anytime soon, stating: “Yes, I want to continue. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are a kind of guiding star, but honestly, there is no limit. So, we’ll see.”
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