Crossovers in sports are pretty common. One might be a professional hockey player, but he can be a crazy football fan too. An experienced campaigner like Wayne Gretzky knows what it takes to play well consistently for decades. It is no surprise therefore that Gretzky once praised the NFL G.O.A.T Tom Brady during an interview.

When Gretzky was asked about Brady’s career, he was at a loss for words. Moreover, he also gave his opinion on why Tom Brady has done so well in his career. What did Gretzky exactly say about Brady? Let’s find out.

Wayne Gretzky explains why Tom Brady is an exceptional player

 Gretzky was asked about how he felt while watching Tom Brady play. He answered the question by looking back at his own experience. Regardless of what sport one plays, the basics remain the same.

While praising Brady, Gretzky said, “First of all, what he’s doing is pretty remarkable. In this day and age, the younger athletes are better trained, better conditioned, seem to be at a much higher level as every year goes by. So he’s competing against a new breed of athletes that are in every sport truly better as time goes by—which is not a knock on anybody, it’s just a fact of life.”

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Gretzky continued, “So to be many years older than a lot of his opponents and teammates, is something that maybe we won’t see for a long time. For what he’s doing in his particular sport, I don’t even know if you can put into words how exceptional he has really been. Ultimately, winning is the criteria for a team athlete and I think that he’s reached the top of the mountain as far as comparing athletes in each sport for what he’s done.” 

Gretzky promoted being selfish for being successful

Selfishness is usually the first thing coaches ask a player to abort. Especially in a team game. However, when asked about what an older player should do to keep up with the new younger players, Gretzky had some different advice.

The Great Gretzky said, “I don’t mean this in a bad way, but if you want to be successful as a professional athlete, you have to be really selfish.” However, he made it clear that he didn’t intend the statement negatively.

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What do you think about Tom Brady’s incredible career? Also, what do you think about Gretzky’s statement on being ‘selfish’?