Watch: When Conor McGregor revealed that Kieran Tierney is his favorite soccer player today

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Mason Mount & Kieran Tierney (left), Conor McGregor (right) [Images Courtesy: @kierantierney @thenotoriousmma on Instagram]

Former UFC double champion Conor McGregor is unsurprisingly an avid watcher of MMA, but is also a huge soccer fan.

In a 2019 interview with RT Sports, the Irishman revealed who his favorite current and past players are.

In terms of current soccer players, Conor McGregor's pick was somewhat obscure. He went with Scotland's Kieran Tierney, who at the time had just been signed by Premier League team Arsenal from then-Scottish champions Celtic.

"Nowadays there's a young guy, Kieran Tierney. He was the captain of Celtic Football Club and he recently signed with Arsenal. He's been a phenomenal supporter of mine, he's supported me over the years. And he's rose up. He's a phenomenal, phenomenal football player. Check him out. He recently just signed with Arsenal. I am in conversation with him. I am in conversation with him a lot, he's a great guy, a good kid and I'm rooting for him," said Conor McGregor.

Watch McGregor's soccer revelation below:

Conor McGregor's favorite soccer player from the past

While Tierney may be Conor McGregor's favorite player still in action, his top player of all time is a fellow Irishman. McGregor picked former Manchester United player Roy Keane, who now works as a pundit.

"Past, I would have to say Roy Keane," said Conor McGregor. "A cut no corners, a man that would take no prisoners on the pitch. He was a serious man about his craft, still is to this day. He's a manager now of football. But he's a good solid Irish man. A true Irishman. He speaks his mind and he backs his words up also. I've a lot of respect for Roy Keane."

Before he found mixed martial arts, Conor McGregor had aspirations of being a soccer player himself. He grew up playing football for Lourdes Celtic, a club based in his hometown of Crumlin.

Since making his fortune in MMA, McGregor has since returned to Lourdes Celtic to become the club's primary sponsor.

The team's shirt now has McGregor's name emblazoned across the front of it, something that a young Conor McGregor no doubt would have dreamed of.

While he may never fulfill his dream of playing soccer professionally, he has already begun to leave his mark on the sport from the outside.

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