As a fan of Arsenal and Hibernian, Andy Murray has consistently shown fans his passion for football.
The three-time Grand Slam champion reportedly came close to becoming a professional footballer, and even turned down a chance to play for Rangers to pursue his tennis career.
The star spent time in his youth in Barcelona, where he trained to become a tennis icon, and he fell in love with Ronaldinho after watching him in the Camp Nou.
In 2021, Murray shared the Premier League footballer who most reminded him of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.
Andy Murray was a huge fan of Mo Salah in 2021
Murray heaped praise on Salah for his performances for Liverpool during their 2020/2021 season, which saw the Egyptian win the Golden Boot alongside Son Heung-min.
After watching his performances, Murray even namechecked Messi and Ronaldinho when praising the Egyptian.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Murray said: “I’m not saying he’s the same as Lionel Messi but obviously they’re both left-footed, both great dribblers and stuff. I find his personality like kind of similar to Ronaldinho.
“When I was in Barcelona, when I was 15, I used to go along and watch the matches there a lot. And I just always loved him because I watched him and he just looked like he was having the time of his life and just partying.
“I watched them warming up before a match once and the whole team were doing sprints and everything and he was just on his own, just playing with the ball, keepy-ups, dribbling, kicking the ball like way up in the air and then trapping it and stuff.
“Salah reminds me a bit about that, the way he goes about the game and stuff, so I love watching him.”
Salah was named in the PFA Team of the Year that season and Liverpool came second, just one point shy of Manchester City.
Who Andy Murray named in his dream 11
Four years prior, Murray named his dream 11 during an interview with Sky Sports, which featured several legendary names.
Players from Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Real Madrid all featured, including the likes of Andre Iniesta, Dani Alves, and Zinedine Zidane.
- Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
- Defenders: Dani Alves, Rio Ferdinand, Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba
- Midfielders: Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Zinedine Zidane
- Forwards: Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo
There was no space for Salah yet, as Murray opted for a front three of Messi, Thierry Henry, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Only one English player made the cut, with Rio Ferdinand lining up against Barcelona legend, Gerard Pique.
