Didier Drogba, Pele pay tribute to Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali in 1987

The late, great Muhammad Ali, of course, proved an inspirational figure outside of just the world of boxing--his work and activism outside the ring helped lead to lasting change. Naturally, then, the effects of his passing at age 74 on Friday, June 3 continue to reverberate. It's no surprise that some of soccer's biggest stars have posted tributes to his influence on their lives.


The Montreal Impact's Didier Drogba posted this message and image to his Instagram account--the powerfully Afrocentric photo comes from Ali's historic 1974 trip to Zaire.



Brazilian legend Pele, however, probably enjoyed a closer relationship with Ali than anyone else in soccer. He, too, took to Instagram to post a tribute to a man he called "my friend, my idol, my hero."