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Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. He has won the Ballon d'Or, football's biggest individual prize, a record seven times in his historic career. Messi has won almost everything there is to be won in the world of football and is still a force to be reckoned with at the age of 35.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward is one of the most iconic sports personalities in the world. He is one of the most recognizable faces on the planet and is admired all across the globe for his mesmerizing skillset and sheer determination to succeed.
He has billions of fans and that includes some of the biggest sporting personalities of the modern era and high-profile celebrities. Without further ado, let's take a look at Lionel Messi's five most famous fans.
#5 Pope Francis
Bishop of Rome and the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is a Lionel Messi fan. In 2016, the Pope hailed Messi as the best player in the history of football.
Addressing a group of young men and women participating in World Youth Day six years ago, the Pope opined that Messi is better than Pele and Diego Maradona.
He said (via Goal):
"For me, [Lionel] Messi is better than Maradona and Pele."
#4 AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers is one of the most celebrated cricketers of the 21st century. The former South African international cricketer is known for his explosive and innovative batting. He is widely viewed as one of the best finishers in the history of the game.
During an interaction with fans on Twitter, De Villiers was asked to pick between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He didn't hesitate a bit before picking Messi as his favorite player. He said:
“Alright, very easy question for me – my favourite player between Ronaldo and Messi? It’s always been Messi. I just feel that he’s a no-nonsense kind of player, doesn’t fake it out there, is all about his great skill that he has and ability to win games out of nowhere... it’s Lionel Messi”
#3 Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star and was also chosen as the NBA Finals MVP twice in his career.
Bryant met an untimely death along with his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash in 2020 and the whole world mourned his passing. He was a huge Lionel Messi fan.
In an interview with CNN just a couple of weeks before his death, Bryant hailed Messi as one of the best athletes of all time. He said:
“He’s [Messi] one of the best athletes of all time – his tenacity, intelligence with which he plays as well as his skill. It just puts him head and shoulders above the rest.”
#2 Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccneers' Tom Brady is widely considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He spent 20 seasons with New England Patriots and was a primary starter for them in 18 of those campaigns. He led the Patriots to 17 division titles and is one of the most successful American football players in history.
Brady, now 44, has several quarterback records to his name and is a revered figure in sporting circles. In an interview with Sportsags (via Goal) back in 2018, Brady was asked about how he takes to being compared to Lionel Messi. Brady responded:
"I love Messi and I think he's a great player. I'm a little older than him, though. I love soccer and I've watched soccer for a long time."
#1 Roger Federer
Tennis legend Roger Federer is one of the most popular sportspersons in the world. He is one of the greatest of all time and has won 20 Grand Slam titles in his career. The Swissman was ranked world No. 1 by ATP for a whopping 310 weeks in his career.
In a 2019 interview with Financial Times, Federer opened up about his admiration for Messi. He said:
“What I love about Messi probably most is when he gets the ball and is able to turn the body towards goal, and then he has full vision. Then he’s going to pass, or dribble, or shoot. There’s always three options for him. He’s one of the few who’s got that.”
He added:
“I think Messi is the best player in the history of football. I love watching him play and I hope that one day he can win the World Cup with his national team [Argentina].”
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