Even champions cry: When the superheros of sport show us their human side

"Singing the anthem on the top step of the podium is a sportsman's dream. I couldn't help but get excited at such a moment." declared Samuele Ceccarelli, the fastest man in Europe in the last indoor world championships in Turkey which took place on 4 March.

But his are not the first tears to fall on the face of a champion and this is not the first time that an athlete has shown the world the (beautiful) human side of sport.

Not even a stoic and solid champion like Cristiano Ronaldo was able to hold back his tears when he, accompanied by his son Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, received the Ballon d'Or in 2013. Next to him, was the unforgettable Pele.

On June 12, 1991, the world of basketball changed forever: Michael Jordan won his first ring and the legend began. MJ couldn't hide just how much the title meant to him in the dressing room afterwards.

On November 5, 2020 in the Turkish Grand Prix, British driver Lewis Hamilton conquers not only the top step of the podium, but also his seventh world title. A moment of huge importance as it brought him level with Michael Schumacher in world title numbers, ensuring he will go down in history as an all-time great.

This was Lionel Messi's reaction when he said goodbye to a team and a city, Barcelona, which he had called home for over 20 years.

For Tania Cagnotto, winning gold in the 1-meter springboard in Kazan in 2015 meant more than most gold medals: in a discipline dominated for years by Chinese divers, winning the medal for Italy would be the crowning achievement of the sacrifices of a lifetime. She retired 5 years later.

This was Lara Gut-Behrami's reaction after winning gold in Super-G at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. It was not only her first time on the Olympic podium for this discipline, but it was her first ever gold medal, and the first Swiss skiier (man or woman) to win an Olympic Super-G gold.

This image of a desolate and heartbroken Djokovic went around the world after the defeat against Juan Martín Del Potro. The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were his third participation in the games: for a champion who has won everything, Olympic gold is still something to dream about.

George Russell will hardly be able to forget the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, a feeling so intense that he himself described his first victory in Formula 1 as a roller coaster of emotions.

Anyone who practices a sport like cycling knows how much effort, commitment and grit are needed... and not just to win. The Dutch cyclist in 2022 could not hold back tears on the podium of the Tour de France.

For a very young Sebastian Vettel, the 2011 Monza GP was such a unique experience that he couldn't handle the emotion: after winning, he burst into tears on the podium.

Skiier Mikaela Shiffrin let out a cry of relief during the American anthem after her victory in the Giant Slalom in January 2023. For her, it was victory number 82 in the World Cup.

Marc Marquez arrived at the Sachsenring Grand Prix in 2021 after a serious accident and 19 months of ordeal, including repeated operations and countless rehabilitation sessions. For him, that first place on the podium had a meaning that went beyond the victory itself: it was the revenge of a champion who had suffered.

It was probably Fernando Alonso's finest victory during his time at Ferrari, the one obtained in Valencia in 2012, at the end of an exciting race that didn't see him among the favorites when the green light went off. The "Freccia delle Asturias" was unable to hide its pride in its feat, most likely also increased by the emotion of having accomplished it in front of their home crowd.

The inaugural day of the Alpine Ski World Championships in February 2023 opened with a fantastic gold for Italy, the combined one won by Federica Brignone and the first world title in her career for the Italian skier. Seeing her with the gold medal was a thrill. For her and for us.

Who doesn't remember Maradona's tears of sadness when his Argentina was defeated by Germany in the Italy '90 World Cup final?

Considered the greatest swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps has so many medals to his credit that he should have been used to it. Yet at the Rio Olympics in 2016, in which he won 5 golds and a silver, not even a champion of his caliber could avoid tears and he cried, as if for the first time.

Between the safety car and difficulties, the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim in 2000 was one of the most daring races of the season, but for the Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello, driving a Ferrari, he will always have a privileged place in his heart: it was his first career win.

"What I feel is incredible, I am overwhelmed by emotions." the Australian rider Miller would say after winning the Spanish GP at Jerez in 2021 with Ducati.

Judoka Rafaela Silva couldn't contain her excitement over her gold medal win at the 2016 Olympic Games in her native Brazil.

In February 2023, Marco Odermatt, a Swiss skier, won his first world championship medal in the downhill skiing event held in Courchevel. It was clear how much the victory meant as her broke out in tears of joy just moments after securing the victory.

But, beyond the successes and defeats, gold medals, podiums and laurel wreaths, there is probably nothing more beautiful for a person who has dedicated their life to sport than being able to look around and note the esteem, respect, and affection that even those who have been our bitterest opponents in their careers show us.

In the photo: the tears of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, at the end of the Swiss icon's last match.