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“No Longer Needed..”: $600 Million Soccer Star Lionel Messi Put On the Same Level as Michael Jordan by Big Spanish Analyst

Published 10/06/2022, 8:01 AM EDT

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NBA legend Michael Jordan was one of the most popular athletes in the world. He has had a global impact with his displays on the basketball court. Many fans around the world consider him the greatest basketball player ever. Jordan has inspired generations of basketball players. Not just in the country, but around the world as well.

Jordan has won almost every individual and team accolade he could. Because of his global impact, he is compared to other great athletes irrespective of the sport.

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Now, soccer superstar Lionel Messi was being compared to Jordan by the reputed Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué. The Argentine is one of the most popular athletes in the world and is adored by fans everywhere. Like the Chicago Bulls legend, Messi is considered one of the greatest soccer players ever. Similar to MJ, he is one of the richest athletes with a net worth of $600 million reportedly. Over the course of his career so far, he has won multiple awards, trophies, and titles.

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He first broke into the scene when he was just a teenager. Messi made his professional debut for Barcelona in 2004 when he was just 17 years old. The very next year, he scored his first-ever goal for them. He then went on to accomplish everything with the team.

Lionel Messi draws comparisons with Michael Jordan after recent performances

After playing 16 years for Barcelona F.C. in the Spanish League, Lionel Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the French League in 2021. Millions of fans were devastated by his news. Ever since his move, there has been some level of criticism about his performances. However, he has been in great form this season with seven goals and eight assists in 12 appearances. This has made Guillem Balagué compare Messi with Michael Jordan. He talked about Messi adapting to life in Paris and with the team.

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“It’s a bit like what happened to the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan when his coach Phil Jackson told him that he no longer needed to do everything, that to be better, you might have to do something different,” Balagué said.

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In Barcelona, Messi has played with some superstars over the years, however, he always had the center stage. But in Paris, even though he is much more accomplished, he has to share the spotlight with superstars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Also, it is not just about sharing the spotlight, it is about the style of play as well.

He had to adapt to the style of play of PSG and the league. Now, he doesn’t have to do everything on his own; he has two stars who could help him in many ways. It will be interesting to see if Messi could deliver PSG their first-ever Champions League trophy.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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Edited by:

Pritam Priyedarshi