Luka Doncic has been the poster boy of the Dallas Mavericks since his NBA draft. Now in his prime years, Mavs look up to their Slovenian maverick for inspiration. With the NBA season shaping up for the playoff race, the Mavs’ glory is not the only thing on their minds for the 5-time NBA All-Star.
Doncic, being a die-hard soccer fan, specifically Real Madrid, is also interested in the fortunes of the men in white from Spain. With the soccer world buzzing about the rumors related to Kylian Mbappe’s impending move to the European giants, Doncic chipped in with his thoughts on the matter as well.
Luka Doncic seemingly unfazed about potential Mbappe transfer
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic shared his opinion about the highly anticipated transfer of Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to one of the most successful soccer clubs, Real Madrid. Doncic who was once called Luka Modric for showing his soccer skills on-court is well known for his love for European football.
When Doncic was asked to share his thoughts on whether the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners will be able to sign Mbappe or not after him being linked for multiple transfer windows, he said, “With or without Mbappe, we can win many (UEFA) Champions Leagues.” He feels that the Real Madrid soccer team will remain a successful club even if they fail to sign the 25-year-old World Cup winner (2018).
The 24-year-old NBA guard recently appeared in the NBA All-Star game, where his side lost to the Eastern Conference team (211-186). Post-game, he spoke about the Copa del Rey finals, the annual cup competition between the Spanish basketball teams, where his former team, Real Madrid, had beaten their rivals, Barcelona, by 96-85. It was safe to say he was indeed very delighted with the Madrid-based club’s success in the Spanish basketball scene.
Doncic’s Real Madrid fandom
Given that Luka Doncic comes from a family of sports enthusiasts, it is no surprise that the Slovenian made it to the NBA. But Doncic, along with basketball, is a massive soccer aficionado. He often played soccer during his early years but as time passed, his genes pushed him towards the 6’7″ that he is today. This led to his inclination towards professional basketball and now we have an NBA superstar in our hands.
Luka Doncic, after moving to Spain, joined the Real Madrid basketball team. In 2012, at the age of 13, Doncic signed a 5-year deal with Los Blancos. Obviously enough, he became an avid fan of the club that gave him his first break in European basketball scene. With the soccer stars around the corner in the famed Valdebebas complex, Doncic grew up looking up to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Iker Casillas and Karim Benzema.
In 2012, he signed a five year contract with the Spanish giants and was the youngest player in the history of the club to debut in league games. He honed his craft but spent much of his time watching the La Fabrica (Real Madrid academy for soccer) talents. He even joined them to fulfill his passion for soccer but later had to be stricter about his basketball discipline. Even Real Madrid stats joined the basketball team for some fun sessions. Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, and Gareth Bale were the notable participants, along with a young Luka Doncic.
After leading Real Madrid to 2018 EuroLeague championship as the MVP of the competition, Doncic signed up for the NBA draft and was subsequently picked up by the Atlanta Hawks.
Despite moving to the USA, his unwavering love and passion for Real Madrid stayed. As an honorary member of Real Madrid, is it too unreasonable if he keeps bringing up Real Madrid every other day? Tell us your view on this in the comments section.
