Salomón Rondón and his admiration for Michael Jordan

Salomón Rondón has four goals in six games for Pachuca and he will be looking to add to his tally when they face América on Saturday. Before the match, the Venezuelan spoke of his admiration for Michael Jordan.

In an interview with ESPN, Rondon recalled the time in his life when he was close to quitting football to play basketball, due to his passion for Jordan. “I always liked basketball and since I was a little boy I watched basketball,” he said. “At one point in my life, I thought about changing sports, but my parents wouldn’t let me. But I watched Michael Jordan videos, it was what I liked the most and I still watch them to this day.”

After his parents convinced him to stay in the world of soccer, the striker wanted to express his passion for the former Bulls player on the pitch by acknowledging that his number is in recognition of Jordan. “That’s why I wear 23, I do it because of him. Jordan even used 45 for the Bulls, because 23 wasn’t available, but 23 marked him,” he said.

The 34-year-old forward also revealed that he has a collection of the NBA legend’s trainers. “I have several (trainers)... I have a small collection that I wear. I have a version with some Chinese letters, which are from the Chinese basketball team and I have others that are black with gold and others that are white with gold.”