Lionel Messi listed among Michael Jordan, Tom Brady as 'GOATs' during Super Bowl broadcast

The Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry has changed the landscape of football over the course of the last decade, with the two superstars battling for the GOAT title. The duo shares 11 Ballon d'Or titles between them and the two have constantly pushed competitive boundaries, breaking records competing for the pinnacle. GOAT debates are commonplace across all sports and the Super Bowl 2021 coverage brought plenty of discussion on social media. 

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Lionel Messi named as football GOAT alongside Tom Brady and Michael Jordan 

The Super Bowl action on Sunday saw the debate summoned into action, with Spanish broadcasters opting for Messi ahead of Ronaldo in the GOAT stakes. In the early stages of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an image by Movistar highlighted 'The Goats' in sport. The image featured Tom Brady from the NFL, Wayne Gretzky from the NHL, Michael Jordan from the NBA, and Lionel Messi from football. 

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While Brady and Gretzky were straight picks, Jordan and Messi were more arguable considering their competition, with LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo both making compelling cases towards the debate. Messi in particularly was named the GOAT on the back of his four Champions League wins and that is exactly what has stirred controversy. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has won five Champions League titles, winning four with Real Madrid and one coming during his time at Manchester United. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named Messi in the top position ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, and Andres Iniesta on Sunday, the same day as of the Super Bowl 2021. 

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The Barcelona legend has had a dream run in the last decade, bagging six La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey trophies, two Champions League titles, and four Ballon d’Ors. In the ongoing LaLiga season, Messi has once again emerged as the lone shining spot for the struggling Catalan giants by scoring 13 goals and chipping in two assists in 18 LaLiga games, and three goals and two assists in four Champions League fixtures. Ronaldo meanwhile, has shown no signs of slowing down and is the leading goal scorer in the Serie A this season with 15 goals, just ahead of Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku and Lazio superstar Ciro Immobile. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has also overtaken Josef Bican's all-time goalscoring record, netting 763 goals in his career, compared to the 759 scored by the Czech legend.

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(Image Courtesy: Lionel Messi Instagram)