Captain Luke Donald presents victorious Team Europe star with a custom pair of sneakers designed by pal Michael Jordan

• Luke Donald and Michael Jordan have been close friends for years
• Europe captain lives near Florida basketball icon
• Giving gifts is a tradition among captains at the biennial Ryder Cup

Luke Donald has gifted his Ryder Cup-winning player a pair of limited-edition sneakers designed by his close friend Michael Jordan.

The Europe captain lived just a few doors down from the basketball icon in a gated community in Jupiter, Florida, after meeting in Chicago more than a decade ago.

Giving gifts during the biennial game is a tradition among captains and it is understood Donald called on Jordan to help him with a unique gift that went beyond the obvious.

The shoes were custom-made for Donald’s 12 men who took home the trophy on Sunday with a stunning 16.5-11.5 victory.

Jordan has long been Team USA’s most visible cheerleader at the Ryder Cup, but Donald revealed shortly before the game that the NBA legend would miss the showdown in Rome for the first time in 1997.

A few weeks before the game, Jordan predicted to Donald over dinner that Europe would win despite being disadvantaged – and whether sincerely or not, this proved to be accurate.

An estimated 150 million pairs of Air Jordans have been sold since their introduction in 1985, making them one of Nike’s most profitable products.

The version distributed to European players is not believed to be commercially available.

Golfers from the European and American teams also received watches from Rolex, which sponsored the tournament.