Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo receive praises from NBA legend Magic Johnson after Lionel reaches 900th goal

The NBA legend of the Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, is also a devoted fan of soccer, revealing that one of the best experiences of his life was watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi live in Spain. He shared these thoughts following Messi’s 900th career goal in Inter Miami’s loss to Nashville SC.

On his X account, Magic showed his admiration for the sport and its two legends: “One of the greatest moments in my life was being able to fly to Madrid and watch Lionel Messi play against Cristiano Ronaldo live. It’s a privilege to be able to witness two superstars at the top of their game compete!” he said.

It was clearly a memorable experience, seeing what many consider the two greatest players in the history of the world’s most popular sport compete in Spain. This matchup took place during one of the most historic El Clásicos ever, with Barcelona facing Real Madrid.

Magic congratulating Messi’s milestone

As mentioned, Messi reached his 900th career goal during Inter Miami’s defeat to Nashville SC, and Magic seemed to be watching the match, sending a message congratulating the Argentine star.

“What an unbelievable feat! Soccer great Lionel Messi has scored his 900th goal, joining Cristiano Ronaldo as the only two players to accomplish this incredible milestone,” Magic said, recognizing greatness with greatness.

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Magic’s history with Messi and Ronaldo

This is not the first time Magic has expressed his admiration for Messi and Ronaldo. In a 2015 interview with ESPN, he compared his rivalry with Larry Bird to that of the two soccer superstars. “I loved competing against Larry. I adored him as much as I hated losing to him. Ronaldo and Messi feel the same way: they hate losing to each other,” Magic explained.

Beyond the admiration, there were rumors in 2016, during the peak of Ronaldo and Messi’s rivalry and careers, that Magic wanted to bring them together at LAFC, the club he co-owns. While that never happened, Messi eventually joined the MLS with Inter Miami under David Beckham, and Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.