SPIELBURG, Austria: Valentino Rossi said he had become "very emotional" as messages poured in from sports stars round the world after he announced he would retire from MotoGP at the end of 2021.
"From my close friends but also from other sports, soccer players, Formula One drivers and especially from old rivals and those are the best," said the 42-year-old, who won nine world titles, seven in the elite category between 1997 and 2009.
"It was great. I was very happy."
He also told a virtual press conference on Friday how much he had enjoyed springing the news of his decision on his mother Stefania and girlfriend Francesca less than 24 hours before the announcement.
He said the three eat together on Wednesday evenings before a race weekend.
"I didn't say anything to my mother," he said of the meal, giggling throughout the anecdote.
"Before leaving I said 'Stefi, tomorrow I have a press conference that I stop' and she was 'Ooooh. Yes!' She didn't have the power to say nothing. And I left. It was quite funny."
After the announcement on Thursday that Rossi was ending his 26-year-career as a rider, farewells poured in on social media.
"I received a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of messages from all around the world," he said. "Yesterday was incredible."
Rossi is a fan of Inter Milan and one of his many famous victory celebrations came in Germany in 2006, shortly after Italy had won the World Cup in Berlin, when he donned the azzurri shirt of his friend Marco Materazzi, the Inter player who had been involved in the sending off of Zinedine Zidane in the final.
"For me, you will always be on the top step of the podium," wrote Materazzi.
Another Italian World Cup winner joined in.
"Dear Vale, it's not easy for a Juventus fan to cheer for an Inter fan.... but it was easy for you!" said Alessandro Del Piero in a video message. "Thank you for everything, idol."
Italian-born Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, noted "the joy, happiness, excitement you brought to so many."
Others in Formula One, including drivers George Russell, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, the Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren teams and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also praised Rossi.
Rossi said he was most touched by messages from his MotoGP rivals.
"You've been without a doubt one of my greatest rivals, my achievements have been all the more validated having raced against you," tweeted double MotoGP champion Casey Stoner.
Jorge Lorenzo tweeted photos of himself, Rossi, Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, who has come out of retirement to ride in this weekend's race, but compared Rossi to some of the greats in other sports.
"End of an era," wrote Lorenzo. "On the track the 4 of us were just as fast, but in terms of charisma and transcendence @valeyellow46 is at the level of Jordan, Woods, Ali or Senna."
Marc Marquez also praised his former rival in his press conference at Spielberg on Friday.
During the years when the rising Spaniard deposed Rossi as the top dog in MotoGP, the two were involved in a series of incidents culminating in what the Italian saw as a deliberate crash in Argentina in 2018.
"Everyone knows that our personal relationship is not the best one but I can recognise we are losing something big," Marquez said.
"Maybe the biggest part of MotoGP. Valentino always brings a lot of people. He did many good things inside the track but also outside the track."
"If you evaluate his career, it's something special, unique and a legend." -- AFP
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