Cristiano Ronaldo gifts Novak Djokovic signed Al-Nassr jersey as sporting GOATS link up at Lisbon tennis club

Ronaldo has boldly billed himself as the greatest of all-time in football circles, with the Portuguese icon of the opinion that he sits above eternal rival Lionel Messi on that list. Many share that opinion, with the evergreen frontman already assured of a spot among the immortals.

Djokovic enjoys a similar standing in his chosen profession, with the Serbian superstar claiming a historic haul of 24 Grand Slam titles over the course of his remarkable career. Djokovic is still going strong himself at the age of 38, with there no plans to call it a day any time soon.

He continues to seek those marginal gains that keep elite performers at the top of their game, with Ronaldo having been doing that for several years on the football field. They are both born winners, with relentless drive ensuring that they are forever in pursuit of perfection.

They are likely to have discussed what keeps them coming back for more after rubbing shoulders in Lisbon. Ronaldo and Djokovic made a point of swapping signed jerseys, with the former passing over an Al-Nassr top sporting his famous No.7 while taking ownership of a red Lacoste shirt. Djokovic also passed over a signed racket, onto which he scrawled the iconic ‘Siuuu’ line that Ronaldo screams when celebrating his many goals.

Djokovic has spoken on a regular basis down the years of how he looks to the likes of Ronaldo for inspiration. He recently said at the Joy Forum in Riyadh of trying to emulate the longevity of other sporting greats: “Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go. If you see across all the global sports, LeBron James, he's still going strong, he's 40, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady played till he was 40-something years old. I mean, it's unbelievable. They're inspiring me as well. So I want to keep going and that's one of the motivations I have.”

He had previously said on the podcast hosted by Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios: “I identify with Tom Brady as well. And Serena [Williams] is first of all, the incredible mind of a champion, just incredible hunger for success, for improvement. Cristiano Ronaldo is also like that. But just willing on a daily basis. To take your body, your mind, your character, your emotions, to a different level. To be a better version every single day. And to crush the borders and limits that everyone imposes on you.”

Djokovic has broken out Ronaldo’s celebration in the past, and said in 2018 of playing in front of the man himself at the ATP Finals: “It’s great to have big football star, a sports star like him, court-side watching tennis. He used to come and watch a lot in Madrid. He used to come watch Rafa [Nadal], Roger [Federer] and myself. He’s a fan of tennis. It’s really, really nice as he’s one of the biggest sports stars in the last decade. It’s great for our sport to have him there.”

It is not just Ronaldo that Djokovic is a fan of, though, having also spoken of his respect for Messi in the past. He said at the 2025 Miami Open, with the Argentine icon now plying his trade in South Florida for MLS side Inter Miami: “It’s a great honour to have King Leo in the stands. I think it’s the first time I’ve played in front of Messi, and honestly, I was a little nervous. I am very grateful for his attendance with his family. I have always been a fan of him, as most of the world has, throughout his career.”

Djokovic has also billed Messi as a “phenomenon” and a “huge champion”. The same can be said about Ronaldo, with there a budding friendship there which will seemingly continue for many years to come as both delay any thought of retirement.