Lionel Messi Shockingly Not Among Top Five Athletes in GOAT Debate for U.S. Sports Fans 

Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi is one of the more recognizable players in the world; for some, the 35-year is the GOAT. However, in the United States, more athletes are ahead of the veteran for that label.

Morning Consult polled sports fans in the U.S. about which athlete should hold the GOAT label and 19 percent believe that former NBA star Michael Jordan is the undisputed best athlete ever.

Additionally, names like Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were ahead of Messi, who finished with 3 percent believing that he’s GOAT when it comes to athletes.

While it’s understandable that football isn’t the most popular sport in the country as it is for the rest of the world, names like Babe Ruth and Jim Thorpe ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner do seem absurd.

It will be interesting to see what the percentages would be like had this poll been done along with fans outside of the U.S. Nonetheless, it seems Messi still has a lot to do to convince people and perhaps a move MLS might turn some heads.