SMALLING LEADS TRIBUTES TO MUHAMMAD ALI

The world was saddened when it was announced on
Saturday that boxing legend Muhammad Ali had died,
and several Manchester United players have paid
tribute to the American icon.
Adnan Januzaj , Anthony Martial , Ashley Young , Bastian
Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay and Morgan
Schneiderlin were among the Reds who expressed their
shock at the news.
Chris Smalling has previously discussed his love of Ali
and the imposing centre-back was among the first to
react on Twitter, when he posted a photo of a framed
picture (above) that he has hanging at home with the
quote: “He who is not courageous enough to take risks
will achieve nothing in life.”
Back in December 2015, during an interview with
ManUtd.com , Smalling was asked to identify his
greatest sportsman outside of football and he explained
why he is continually inspired by Ali, the famed
heavyweight champion of the world whose influence
exceeded the mere boundaries of sport.
“There are lots to name, but I’m a big fan of
Muhammad Ali,” Chris said. “I have got a few pictures
of his quotes around my house as well. He always
backed himself. You can be overconfident, but he could
back it up and he had that belief. That was somebody
who was really at the top of his game.”
A number of United players posted photos of Ali and
quote graphics that encapsulated his career, while
others wrote personal tributes. Schweinsteiger tweeted
this message on Saturday: “One of the greatest athletes
ever born. May you rest in peace. Your legacy will live
on.”