Lionel Messi was recently asked to reveal who he considers the greatest athletes of all time, and in true Argentinian fashion, he was unable to answer without bringing up soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona.

The Inter Miami star was interviewed by NBC before the start of the MLS Cup playoffs. Messi smirked as the interviewer recognized him as a GOAT and he then proceeded to shower praise upon Maradona, honoring him with the greatest ever status.

“Obviously for us Argentinians [Diego] Maradona was always our greatest idol and our greatest admiration for everything he meant for us,” Messi said.

“Even though I was little and I only saw him play live a few times, Diego transcended everything.”

Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
Diego Maradona (right) managed Lionel Messi and Argentina in the 2010 World Cup. | Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images

Messi was born almost exactly a year after Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986. “El Diego’s” success with La Albiceleste, made him almost a god-like figure in Argentina.

For much of Messi’s career, he carried the burden of matching Maradona’s triumphs. It wasn’t until he led Argentina to conquer its third World Cup in 2022—the country’s first since ’86—that he was finally able to escape Maradona’s shadow in his home country.

But Messi didn’t keep his answer strictly to soccer. The Miami forward also spoke about other athletes across sports that he considers to be the worthy of greatest of all time status.

The Seven Athletes Lionel Messi Revealed Worthy of GOAT Status

Apart from Maradona, Messi focused in particularly on some of the best tennis and NBA players.

“When it comes to other sports, obviously I think the same thing happened with [Michael] Jordan [comparing him to how Maradona transcended everything],” Messi said.

“I really admire tennis players like [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic. I think all three of them made the competition much bigger than it was before.

“I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of athletes, but to highlight a few, I’d say them. To name a few from basketball, LeBron [James], Steph [Curry] are players I admire a lot. I think they gave a lot to the sport they play.”

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lionel Messi Picks His Soccer GOAT Who ‘Transcended Everything’.