Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic named Lionel Messi as the champion over Cristiano Ronaldo following his meeting with the World Cup winner. The two athletes met each other at an event just before the opening of the US Cup in New York.
Novak Djokovic recently shared the interaction in an interview with ESPN Mexico. The Serbian revealed, “It’s a second time we met with each other. We talked 15 minutes about everything, I would like to meet him and talk about everything again. Messi is a phenomenon. He’s a huge champion, I have a huge respect for him.”
This interaction between two of the biggest athletes in the world has the fans melting. One fan was seen expressing their joy as they wrote, “Goat recognizes Goat.”
Novak Djokovic knows ball 🐐 pic.twitter.com/osThM5u5Dh
— GOAL (@goal) August 31, 2023
Another fan rated Lionel Messi as the most popular sportsman, as they shared, “Most popular sportsman ever, give it to Messi.” While another fan shared, “That’s why he’s the greatest.”
On the other hand, some supporters tried to deem the hype about the interaction as they wrote, “Just mere words for a normal player, stop hyping.”
The Serbian tennis player had already met the Argentine international while the latter was still playing for his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, in France. Sports fans are hoping to see more such meetings between the two all-time best in the future.
Novak Djokovic calls Lionel Messi a ‘great example’ after Argentina’s World Cup win
The Grand Slam title holder had once called Messi a ‘great example’ after the latter won the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Djokovic revealed, “I was really fortunate to be there present. By many people, it’s the best World Cup final ever. What an outstanding finish, the way they won it, the way they were welcomed at home.”
He further continued, “As a sports fan, as a football fan, of course, I admire Messi and respect him a lot. I think most of the world is happy with his achievements and what he has managed to do.”
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic congratulating Lionel Messi and Argentina for winning the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/2ujeO5Eyjo
— Rakshit (@FantasyScout_11) December 20, 2022
“Him being humble, a down-to-earth guy, not taken away by success. All these years is something I feel like serves as a great example to all the children that look up to him, they want to be like him.”
Argentina won the World Cup on penalties after the scoreline remained 3-3 in the sanctioned time. This was Argentina’s first World Cup since 1986. The World Cup title has thus made Lionel Messi one of the most decorated players to ever grace the beautiful game.