"Unbelievable... seeing all the magic you do on that soccer field" - When Magic Johnson was in complete awe of Cristiano Ronaldo at Dodger Stadium
Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo is often considered as one of the best to grace the game of soccer. The 39-year-old is often appreciated not just by his fellow players but also by greats of other fields as well for his immense contribution to soccer.
One such moment was when NBA legend Magic Johnson was completely bowled over to meet the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner during his visit to the Dodger Stadium in 2013.
Back then, Ronaldo was at the stadium to throw the ceremonial first pitch in the team's game against the New York Yankees. When Johnson went to meet the former Real Madrid star, he seemed to be excited.
The 12-time NBA All-Star appreciated Ronaldo's 'magic' on the soccer field.
[00:02:08] "Unbelieveable man. It's a pleasure to meet you and seeing all the magic that you do out on that football field or the soccer field, I appreciate it," Johnson said.
During his visit to the Dodgers stadium, the former Manchester United and Juventus star showed off his skills with a soccer ball and a baseball. He then practiced for his first pitch in the nets.
The Portuguese star was seen signing a lot of baseballs for the fans in the stadium. He gelled quite well with the Dodgers stars and was seen spending some good time with them as they laughed and talked for quite some time while he took notes from them for his first pitch.
The club handed the soccer legend a special signed bat and a customized Dodgers shirt with Ronaldo's name and 'No. 7' printed at the back as memorabilia.
A look at Dodgers' journey since Cristiano Ronaldo visited their stadium in 2013
LA Dodgers have come a long way since Cristiano Ronaldo visited them to throw the complimentary first pitch of their match against the Yankees in 2013. Since then, the Dodgers have had 10 AL West Division titles and won the World Series in 2020.
This time in 2024, Dodgers want to go back to the winning ways. They have added star names like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez and Tyler Glasnow. Fans would surely hope for great things from the new stars as they look to get back to their glory days.