Roger Federer’s love of football has always rivalled his passion for the sport he dominated for so many years.
Federer nearly became a footballer in his youth, but decided to play tennis, much to the relief of fans all across the world.
The Swiss star is an avid fan of his beloved FC Basel, where he still holds a season ticket all these years later.
In 2008, Federer revealed a list of five legendary footballers that had the biggest impact on him growing up.
Roger Federer’s five favourite footballers ever
As a player renowned for his European elegance, it shouldn’t be surprising that Federer opted for some footballing giants from the mainland.
In a 2008 interview with Four Four Two, Federer said: “I used to love watching the big tournaments like the World Cups and the European Championships, and I think Italia 90 had quite an effect on me.
“I used to always support Italy and Germany after that. My heroes were Italian. I loved Roberto Baggio and Toto Schillaci, although later my favourite players were Ronaldo, Figo and Zidane.”
Schillaci won the Golden Boot at Italia’ 90 thanks to his six goals across the competition, while Baggio is a former Ballon D’or winner.
Ronaldo, Figo, and Zidane all starred as part of Real Madrid’s ‘Galacticos’ team in the early 2000s, and are all widely considered some of the best players to ever play the game.
What position did Roger Federer when he played football?
In the same interview, Federer revealed which position he used to play as a footballer, and it’s on-brand for the tennis icon.
It appears the Swiss superstar would have been just as creative on the pitch as he was when he played tennis.
He revealed: “I’d like to think I could have been a footballer. I was an attacking midfielder or striker. I was a good leader and I think I could have made a good captain.”
However, Federer needed to make a decision on his prospective career and he eventually plumped for the racket.
“Tennis took over really for me when I was 12. My tennis schedules were so busy that I couldn’t combine them with other sports, including football. I’d like to think I could have been a footballer if I hadn’t had to give up,” he said.
