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No athlete in sporting history has managed to capture the showbiz side of a sport in as grand a manner as Cristiano Ronaldo has. The Portuguese footballer is the most followed personality on Instagram with 399 million followers. To call him the biggest influencer of this generation wouldn't be wrong.
He has spent over 18 years playing football at the highest level since first arriving at Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon back in 2003. Since then, Ronaldo's stature in the game has only risen, as a player, as an entertainer, as a goalscorer and most of all, as an athlete. He has transformed himself into 'the sporting spectacle'.
Cristiano Ronaldo's influence in global sports is unparalleled
He has carried himself in an inspirational manner over the years. He has consistently put in the hard yards and he continues to have an unsatisfiable appetite for glory. Hence, not just footballers, but other sporting personalities who are well renowned celebrities themselves still go crazy over Ronaldo.
Now 37, his fans are slowly coming to terms with the fact that soon there will be a day when the Portuguese says goodbye to the game. When he calls it quits and hangs his boot, there is no doubt that Ronaldo will be remembered for decades to come.
He has managed to break many records, win many titles and score many goals, 803 and counting to be precise in his career. For all of that, for the number 7, and without a shadow of doubt for a celebration that he has immortalized.
So much so that whenever fellow sports superstars have gotten a chance to celebrate their special moments, they have done so in CR7 style. The Portuguese will live in memory through his iconic "Siiuuu" celebration.
On that note, here are five non-football personalities who imitated Ronaldo's "Siiuuu".
#5 Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. is a name that stirs polarizing emotions among National Football League (NFL) fans. He started his professional career in 2014 and was first drafted by the New York Giants where he spent the next five seasons. In 2019, he moved to the Cleveland Browns, where he played until November last year.
For the past three months, the wide receiver has been playing for the Los Angeles Rams and has truly come into his own. He now stands just one game away from winning his first Super Bowl.
Like Ronaldo, Beckham Jr. has broken some records of his own. He is the fastest-ever NFL receiver to reach both 200 career receptions and 4000 career receiving yards.
Back in the days when he was still a New York Giants player, he imitated the iconic Ronaldo celebration. He did it after completing a 67 yards touchdown against Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
In 2018, Beckham Jr. met with the Portuguese in Madrid. Notably, both athletes are endorsed by Nike. The American star also got the opportunity to check out Ronaldo's Bugatti Chiron.
#4 Manel Kape
Considered by many as one of the best in his division, UFC fighter Manel Kape is currently ranked 14th in the flyweight category. The Angolan won two of his four fights in 2021 and ended the year in a rich vein of form. He has had his ups and downs since entering the division and lost consecutive fights to Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau.
In August last year, he trained with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. It evidently helped him take his game a notch higher in the ring. Kape's last fight was a display of his sheer strength and quality.
In December, he fought against Zhalgas Zhumagulov and defeated him via first-round TKO (punches). After registering his victory in dominant fashion, Kape performed Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic celebration.
Zhumagulov was on the receiving end of a barrage of punches which could be best described as fast and furious. He couldn't regain his footing and the referee interwened to stop the fight. This was the second time the UFC audience had seen the Angolan perform Ronaldo's 'Siiuu' celebration.
He celebrated in that style when he registered his first flyweight victory, against Ode' Osbourne. Kape's next fight is scheduled to take place in April at UFC Fight Night 67 against Su Madaerji.
#3 Fabio Quartararo
Even the MotoGP has been penetrated by Ronaldo's immense persona and aura. Monster Energy Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo idolizes the Portuguese footballer and just like him at an early age has emerged as a sensation in his sport.
In his very first year at MotoGP (2019), the Frenchman won the Rookie of the Year award with seven podium finishes and an overall standing of fifth.
He started as a Petronas Yamaha SRT rider, which is Yamaha's satellite team. But in 2021 the 22-year old replaced legend Valentino Rossi in the manufacturer's official factory team, Monster Energy Yamaha.
With a new machine and a new factory team by his side, Quartararo had a blistering year. He was crowned the Moto GP champion with two races to go in 2021. The Frenchman raced in Portugal at the Portimao race track and won the Portuguese GP after starting in pole position.
He then decided to mark the special occasion by celebrating in Ronaldo's iconic style. He got off his bike in excitement and exalted "Siiuu" in typical fashion. Later in 2021, Quartararo met Ronaldo and the Portuguese gifted him his signed jersey.
#2 Mohammed Siraj
Anyone who follows the Indian Cricket team is familiar with the fact that they like to play football in their training sessions. Well, if you didn't know, then now you know. Many of them are football fans, including star batsman Virat Kohli. But it was pacer Mohammed Siraj who brought his love for football, particularly Ronaldo, out with himself on the cricket field.
Indian fans had only countable moments of joy as the Indian Cricket team lost the recent Test series against South Africa to the hosts by 2-1. Despite finishing the series on a disappointing note, the visitors did start on the front foot by winning their first match at Centurion. One of the highlights of the game was produced by Siraj.
On Day 3 of the test match, the seamer took the wicket of South African batsman Rassie van der Dussen as he was caught by Ajinkya Rahane. Siraj's happiness knew no bounds and he set off to pull a Ronaldo special. India won the match by an impressive margin of 173 runs after they bowled out the Proteas in the second innings for 191.
#1 Novak Djokovic
Two men at the top of the world, at the top of their game being friends sounds fair, doesn't it? Novak Djokovic has been in the headlines for the past month for the wrong reasons. But it does not take away from the fact that he continues his domination as the world No.1 for a record 358th week.
The Serbian is a friend of Ronaldo's and on a couple of occasions in the past the two have spent time in each other's company. In December 2019, the two sportsmen had a fun training session together at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex in Dubai.
Earlier that month, Ronaldo had defied gravity by scoring a mesmirising header with a leap measuring 8ft 5in from the ground against Sampadoria. The striker stayed airborne for 1.5 seconds. When the two stars got together in Dubai, the Portuguese and Djokovic competed with each other in a jumping contest.
The pair lined up next to each other, ran towards a hanging rope and tried to touch their heads to it. It was then, almost a year later in 2020 that the tennis sensation channeled his inner Ronaldo and went "Siiuu". The Serbian performed the footballer's celebration after tackling the Nitto ATP Finals Pyramid Challenge.
As part of the challenge, Djokovic had to arrange the tennis balls in a pyramid arrangement within two minutes. He got it done with just a minute remaining on the clock. The ATP's official handle posted the video on Twitter and the tennis ace asked for Ronaldo's comments on it. The Portuguese even replied saying, "Not bad bro".
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