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Khabib Nurmagomedov has never held back from showcasing his love for 'The Beautiful Game'. The UFC superstar is a lifelong soccer fan, whose favourite club is Real Madrid.
Although Nurmagomedov is one of the most popular combat sports athletes in the world, he still desires to explore the realm of professional soccer. The Russian fighter recently referred to soccer as the 'king of sports'.
"To play football on a professional level is a childhood dream. Of course, I have such a wish. Football is the king of sports after all. Who haven't I discussed this with? I've spoken even with the UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin, with the owner of PSG, yes, and even with Cristiano Ronaldo," Nurmagomedov told Match TV.
The idea of Khabib Nurmagomedov playing professional soccer may seem hypothetical. However, there have been quite a few popular sportspersons who ended up switching to an entirely different sport later on in their careers.
Michael Jordan, Paolo Maldini and Andrew Flintoff are some of the legendary names who have competed in different sports professionally, but three failed to succeed in their second sport. The same could happen to Nurmagomedov too, should he decide to be a professional soccer player, at this point in his career.
However, if Khabib Nurmagmedov had trained in soccer instead of judo, sambo and wrestling in his childhood days, the Dagestani fighter may have made a name for himself in The Beautiful Game, considering how dedicated he has always been.
Needless to say, the UFC lightweight champion would have also required the services of a soccer coach, preferably as good as Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who is hailed as being an excellent combat sports coach.
Khabib Nurmagomedov received an offer from a Russian soccer club
Last month, Khabib Nurmagomedov jokingly claimed that he is ready to commence his soccer career, following which he received an offer from FC Kamaz, a third-tier Russian soccer club.
FC Kamaz posted a photo to Instagram, expressing their interest in signing Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"We want you to make your debut in big football as part of our team... We invite you to the training camp in Novorossiysk, from February 12 to March 5, 2021," read FC Kamaz's post.
As mentioned above, Nurmagomedov is a huge fan of Spanish giants Real Madrid. He also supports Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, Galatasaray, and Liverpool F.C.
