Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima (foto: Getty Images)
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, renowned as one of the greatest footballers of all time, has confessed his greater love for tennis over football, surprising many of his fans.
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima will forever be remembered as one of the best footballers of all time, but who knows how his career would have unfolded had it not been for his severe knee injuries.
Many generations grew up idolizing Ronaldo, often referred to as the "real" Ronaldo after Cristiano Ronaldo emerged. The Brazilian has been and remains an icon to many, with hundreds of top footballers acknowledging that they drew strength and motivation from him throughout their careers.
Ronaldo is, in many ways, synonymous with football, but the former striker of Real Madrid, Inter, Milan, and Barcelona recently admitted something that left many in disbelief.
"I love tennis more than football," Ronaldo confessed. During a gala event at the Mouratoglou Academy on the French Riviera, he expressed his affection for this distinguished sport, which he has been following intensively for years.
His words sparked a heated debate on social media, with some football fans stating that they blindly trusted him as he was the greatest ambassador of football, making the sport even more popular and appealing.
Ronaldo, a Ballon d'Or winner in 1997 and 2002, and a two-time World Cup champion, has developed a keen interest in tennis post-retirement. "I love everything about tennis. I think tennis is now better than football," he said at the Mouratoglou Academy in front of 350 attendees while receiving a special award from his fellow Brazilian, Victoria Barros. "It's incredible. I can't watch full (football) matches; I find them too boring. Five hours of tennis? Yes, I can watch that, it's too exciting."
Ronaldo demonstrated his passion for tennis by spending €30,000 to win an auction for Coco Gauff's winning racket from the 2023 US Open, signed by the American player. "I train three times a week. I am very competitive; I want to get better every day. But my backhand, oh my God... I think it's the one thing Patrick (Mouratoglou) can't fix," Ronaldo joked.
"We haven't tried yet," responded Mouratoglou. The French coach has trained the Brazilian star several times, once on the central court in Miami this year, as shown in viral videos.
The football legend was one of the star guests at this annual event, which has raised five million euros over ten years to help young talented players achieve their dreams and become good tennis players.
Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Holger Rune are among those who have benefited, as well as Brenda Fruhvirtova, the 17-year-old world No. 88, who attended the ceremony.