Lionel Messi Picks His Soccer Goat Who ‘transcended Everything’

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Lionel Messi was precocious asked to uncover who he considers nan top athletes of each time, and successful existent Argentinian fashion, he was incapable to reply without bringing up shot fable Diego Armando Maradona.

The Inter Miami star was interviewed by NBC before nan commencement of nan MLS Cup playoffs. Messi smirked arsenic nan interviewer recognized him arsenic a GOAT and he past proceeded to ablution praise upon Maradona, honoring him pinch nan top ever status.

“Obviously for america Argentinians [Diego] Maradona was ever our top idol and our top admiration for everything he meant for us,” Messi said.

“Even though I was small and I only saw him play unrecorded a fewer times, Diego transcended everything.”

Diego Maradona (right) managed Lionel Messi and Argentina successful nan 2010 World Cup. / Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images

Messi was calved almost precisely a twelvemonth aft Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory successful 1986. “El Diego’s” occurrence pinch La Albiceleste, made him almost a god-like fig successful Argentina.

For overmuch of Messi’s career, he carried nan load of matching Maradona’s triumphs. It wasn’t until he led Argentina to conquer its 3rd World Cup successful 2022—the country’s first since ’86—that he was yet capable to flight Maradona’s protector successful his location country.

But Messi didn’t support his reply strictly to soccer. The Miami guardant besides said astir different athletes crossed sports that he considers to beryllium nan worthy of top of each clip status.

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 22, 2023

Apart from Maradona, Messi focused successful peculiarly connected immoderate of nan champion tennis and NBA players.

“When it comes to different sports, evidently I deliberation nan aforesaid point happened pinch [Michael] Jordan [comparing him to really Maradona transcended everything],” Messi said.

“I really respect tennis players for illustration [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic. I deliberation each 3 of them made nan title overmuch bigger than it was before.

“I’m judge I’m forgetting a batch of athletes, but to item a few, I’d opportunity them. To sanction a fewer from basketball, LeBron [James], Steph [Curry] are players I respect a lot. I deliberation they gave a batch to nan athletics they play.”