Lionel Messi Names Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Steph Curry Among Athletes He Admires

Lionel Messi has nothing but respect and admiration for his fellow GOATs.

During an interview with Tom Llamas for 'NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas' on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET, Messi was asked what other all-time greats across the sports world he admires and studies. He pointed to fellow Argentina soccer legend Diego Maradona but also highlighted a number of names who will be quite familiar to American sports fans:

"For us Argentinians, [Diego] Maradona was always our greatest idol and greatest admiration for everything he meant to us. I was little and saw him play live. Diego transcended everything. When it comes to other sports, obviously I think the same thing happened with [Michael] Jordan. I really admire tennis players like [Roger] Federer, Rafa [Nadal] and [Novak] Djokovic, and I think that all three of them made the competition much bigger than it was before, competing for so long to be the best and being so close to each other made it all much more fantastic. I don't know, I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of athletes, but to highlight a few, I think I'd go with those, to name a few from basketball. LeBron [James], Steph [Curry], the best. The players that I admire a lot and I think they gave a lot to the sport, each in their own way. So, well, there are several names."

Messi would be included on any list of the greatest athletes in history, especially after leading Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022.

He is now playing for Major League Soccer's Inter Miami CF and won the Golden Boot as the top goal scorer in the league this season with 29. He also took home the MVP last season and is well positioned to capture the award for a second straight year.

The one thing Messi hasn't done in what is now his third season in MLS is lead Inter Miami CF to an MLS Cup. However, he has the opportunity to do so as the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and already leads Nashville SC 1-0 in the best-of-three first round.

That Messi is playing so well in the latter portion of his career at 38 years old makes his admiration of Jordan, James and Curry all the more notable.

Jordan won his sixth championship at 35 years old and then returned to play until he was 40 following retirement. James remains one of the league's top players at 40 years old, as does Curry at 37.

There are parallels between the way Curry and Messi both dance through opposing defenses with their lightning-quick footwork and dribbling skills, and he has the unstoppable finishing ability of James when he does get through the opposition.

That's how he was able to win the Golden Boot at 38 years old.