The US sports world is currently swept up in euphoria and admiration for Lionel Messi. The Argentina national team captain pulled off an extraordinary comeback while eliminating Egypt at the 2026 World Cup, an event that earned high praise from American sports legends.
Tom Brady, the American football icon holding 'GOAT' (Greatest of All Time) status, publicly acknowledged Messi's greatness on social media. Brady compared the pitch drama to his legendary '28-3' moment when winning the 2017 Super Bowl. For Brady, Messi's success in coming back from a two-goal deficit in the final minutes of the match possessed a dramatic intensity that even surpassed his team's historic comeback.
The magic happened when Argentina trailed 0-2 against Egypt until the 67th minute. Messi led his teammates in a heroic display by scoring one goal and providing one assist, before Enzo Fernandez sealed Argentina's victory in extra time. Alongside Brady, other NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes paid tribute with the 'goat' symbol, acknowledging the Argentine star's greatness.
The Messi phenomenon also caught the attention of young Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. On his social media, Haaland bluntly called Messi the greatest player of all time. Although Haaland himself is performing impressively in the Golden Boot race, he humbly admitted that Messi's dominance on the field is hard to stop as long as the legend is still competing in the tournament.
So far, Messi has tallied 8 goals and 1 assist, placing him above younger rivals like Haaland and Kylian Mbappé on the 2026 World Cup top scorers list. Praise from the global sports elite serves as collective recognition of the mental toughness and football magic Messi continues to showcase in the twilight of his professional career.
