Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made his stance on the “greatest of all time” debate in soccer clear, declaring World Cup champion Lionel Messi as the GOAT. The three-time Super Bowl champion praised the Argentine star when asked about the forward’s potential attendance at the title game between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“He’s the GOAT of his profession, and to have someone like that at the game will be awesome because I’ll get to showcase who I am and what talent I have,” Mahomes told reporters on Feb. 4 about Messi.
He recalled watching Messi play for Inter Miami in Kansas City. “I got to watch him when he played in Kansas City—I think it was last year or maybe a couple of years ago—and he had a couple of goals in that game. You see the greatness that he displays every single day. So, [he’s] someone else that I can look up to and try to get on his level someday,” he added.
According to a report from USA Today, Messi wants to attend the game on Feb. 9. However, he is expected to play in a preseason match for Inter Miami in Honduras on Saturday night. The flight from Honduras to South Florida takes just over two hours, similar to the travel time between South Florida and New Orleans.
Last year, Messi expressed interest in learning more about football. “I’m learning a lot about American football, getting to know it better, and loving it,” the Argentine said on the Big Time Podcast in 2024 (according to Goal).
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Messi and Mahomes met last year
Messi and Mahomes had a brief meeting last year before Messi found the net twice, helping Inter Miami secure a 3-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium on April 13, 2024.
Mahomes later admitted to feeling “nervous” about the meeting during an appearance on Impaulsive with Logan Paul in May 2024. The match drew a reported crowd of 72,610, ranking as the third-highest in MLS history.
Messi and Inter Miami are set to face Sporting KC again in a Concacaf Champions Cup match on Feb. 18. Meanwhile, Mahomes, a two-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP, is aiming to make history on Sunday by leading the Chiefs to a three-peat.
