Dwayne Johnson becomes first to welcome Muhammad Ali on Instagram

Muhammad Ali joined Instagram and Dwayne Johnson welcomed him by posting a picture of both of them that was taken 40 year ago.

The Rock wrote that the two have had a bond that spans nearly 40 years, as he met his "hero" when he was just 6-year-old and pretended to spar with him and pulled him up on his lap to take the picture, ABC News reported.

The 42-year-old added that 12 years passed before they met again, but Ali remembered him.

After encouraging his more than 5 million followers to follow Ali, Johnson concluded by thanking the legendary boxer for his kindness: "Welcome to Instagram champ! ThankUForBeingSoKindToMeAsAKid NeverForgotIt NothingIsImpossible YouAreTrulyThePeoplesChamp.