As Patrick Mahomes pursues Tom Brady’s status as the greatest of all time in the NFL, another G.O.A.T. could possibly attend Sunday’s big game in New Orleans.
Lionel Messi wants to attend the Super Bowl, but not yet sure if he’ll be able to make it, a source close to Inter Miami star and Argentine World Cup champion told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday night.
It would be a tight turnaround for Messi, who is expected to play in an Inter Miami preseason game in Honduras at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night. The club routinely flies home immediately after road games. The travel time from Honduras to South Florida is roughly more than two hours, about the same distance from South Florida to New Orleans.
Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback, was asked by a reporter about Messi potentially attending the Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles. His answer was posted by MundoNFL, a Spanish-language social media account affiliated with the NFL.
“[Messi is] the GOAT of his profession. To have someone like that at the game would be awesome. I get to showcase who I am and what talent that I have,” Mahomes said.
“So I got to watch him when he played in Kansas City, I think it was last year… And he had two goals in that game. And you see the greatness, the greatness that he displays every single day. And so [he’s] someone else that I can look up to and try to get to his level someday.”
MLS TRANSFER TRACKER: Atlanta United smashes league transfer record
Messi and Mahomes briefly met last year, before he scored a goal with an assist (so yeah, two goals) as Inter Miami defeated Sporting Kansas City, 3-2, at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium on April 13, 2024. A reported crowd of 72,610 attended, marking the most-attended soccer match in state of Missouri and the third-most attended MLS game in history. Messi and Inter Miami will play Sporting KC again in a Concacaf Champions Cup match on Feb. 18.
Messi also had one of the most popular Super Bowl commercials last year with Michelob Ultra, featuring Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino.
Messi — the reigning MLS MVP and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the sport’s best player, is widely regarded as one of the best soccer players of all time. He’s certainly the most famous athlete living in the United States with more than 500 million followers on Instagram.
All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.