Khabib Nurmagomedov loves a few things- fighting, his family, and soccer, not necessarily in that order. ‘The Eagle’s undying love for soccer is well-known. He has spoken about how becoming a professional football player was his childhood dream. But alas, that wasn’t part of ‘Father’s Plan.’ But since he has given up fighting and even coaching (except for brief appearances in camps for the fighters closer to him), the former UFC champ has rekindled his love of soccer.

After he retired from the UFC in 2020, Nurmagomedov’s dream was somewhat realized. In 2021, the Russian Professional Football League club, FC Kamaz even offered him a contract. But his favorite club, of course, remains the illustrious and storied Real Madrid FC.

This is why it was so heart-warming to see one of the RMFC’s players, Toni Ruediger issuing a ‘1v1’ soccer (or as they call it football) challenge to ‘The Eagle’ on Instagram. And Nurmagomedov responded almost immediately, with a tongue-in-cheek warning to the Real Madrid and German center-back.

“1v1 is not football its MMA Be careful” he wrote in an Instagram Story in response to the Real Madri star’s challenge. Clearly, the only one on one ‘The Eagle’ is interested in is a mixed martial arts fight, and has found quite a witty way to refuse Ruediger’s challenge. But as far as playing football is concerned, his dreams finally came true three years ago.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s childhood dream of being pro in ‘king of sports’ still unfulfilled

Khabib Nurmagomedov, despite being a former Combat Sambo and mixed martial arts champion, considers soccer to be the ‘king of sports.’ And he believes this despite even the biggest soccer stars, like Cristiano Ronaldo being fans of not only MMA but Khabib personally.

“Playing football at a professional level has always been a childhood dream of mine. Of course, I wish to explore that path. Football is the king of sports, after all! I’ve discussed this with many influential figures, including Ronaldo and the PSG owner,” he said.

Khabib Nurmagomedov did finally get the chance to become a professional footballer as he joined the FC Legion Dynamo, the football team of Dagestan’s capital city Makhchkala. However, the former UFC champion has not really played any games for the club, which makes it seem that his joining the club was more of a promotional move. This, of course, means that Nurmagomedov’s childhood dream of being a professional player still remains largely unrealized.

What are your thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov and Toni Ruediger’s back-and-forth?