WATCH: Novak Djokovic tells IShowSpeed he plays for AC Milan – and YouTuber hilariously believes him

Shahida Jacobs 31 Oct 2023 8:57 AM

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic arrives at the 2023 Ballon d'Or

Novak Djokovic delivered one of the great “humiliation” stories at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony as he got famous YouTuber IShowSpeed to believe he plays for one of the top football clubs in the world.

Just days after attending the Rugby World Cup Final between South Africa and New Zealand at Stade de France alongside Rita Ora and Jason Mooma, the 24-time Grand Slam winner was among the who’s who of the football world at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday for the annual awards showpiece.

Also in attendance was IShowSpeed – the famous YouTuber with a following of 21.3m on the online video-sharing platform.

Djokovic and IShowSpeed ran into each other on the red carpet and that was where the world No 1 brought his A-game in terms of fooling the social media personality.

When asked “What’s your name, you look so familiar”, Djokovic replied: “I am a new AC Milan star. I haven’t played yet, but I am getting on in the next game, going for a hat-trick.”

And the social media star, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr, lapped it up.

🚨| WATCH: Speed meets an AC Milan player (can't remember his name) pic.twitter.com/wnmoacVGpK

— Speedy HQ (@iShowSpeedHQ) October 30, 2023

Of course, the tennis community was astonished that IShowSpeed didn’t know who Djokovic – one of the greatest tennis players, if not the greatest – was.

“Show me you know nothing about tennis without showing me you know nothing about tennis. 😅” one person wrote.

Another said: “Nole never fails to humiliate the younger generation on and off the court.”

Djokovic also met Argentina and Inter Milan forward Messi, who won the men’s Ballon d’Or trophy for a record-extending eighth time.

Ahead of the ceremony, the world No 1 spoke of his love for football.

“It’s nice to take the opportunity, when you have a tournament in the city where you have some big sporting events like the World Cup Finals of rugby and of course, the Ballon d’Or, you have to take the chance and I am enjoying myself,” he said.

“Football is by far the most popular sport in the world. I grew up watching football, playing football and my father was a professional for a time. So I am excited to be here.”

Later on, he presented the women’s Ballon d’Or to Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati.

“It’s a great privilege, surrounded by the best players in the world, in the greatest spot in the world,” The 26-year-old said. “The sport I grew up with, playing every single day … I think I was around 9 or 10 years old and I was deciding whether I was going to play football or tennis, so I chose tennis.”

“I don’t know if it was a good choice; I think it was.”