“Lionel Messi is the best footballer who’s ever played the game”: Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash gushed about the Argentine while calling him underrated

NBA legend Steve Nash, who is an avid football enthusiast, absolutely adores the kind of player Lionel Messi is.

Steve Nash is quite clear as to who his picks for the GOAT conversations are. In basketball, the former Phoenix Suns legend has often lauded Michael Jordan. Whereas, Lionel Messi is his choice among all football icons.

Messi is considered to be one of the most iconic athletes in the sporting world. An incredible talent with a trophy cabinet filled with most of the major silverware, Leo is one of the most accomplished players to ever play the game.

With a resume including 10 Player of the Years, 4 UEFA Champions League titles, 7 Spanish Cups, 10 Spanish titles, 1 Ligue 1 title, Olympic Gold Medal, and 7 Ballon d’Or awards, among several others, it isn’t a surprise as to why the forward is regarded as the football god.

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Nash, who is a huge football enthusiast, has often spoken about the admiration he has for the Argentine.

“Lionel Messi is in a completely different category than anyone”: Steve Nash

Back in 2019, Steve Nash visited La Masia, FC Barcelona’s youth academy. During the trip, the Canadian spoke about Leo being the game’s greatest player. Complimenting the then-Barcelona star’s ability and success, Nash said:

“For me, Leo Messi is the best footballer who’s ever played the game. He’s in a completely different category than anyone. It’s just, for me, there’s no comparison with that. The time that he’s playing in, the ability and the way he plays, and the success he’s had, it’s almost impossible, but he’s underrated. And he’s, for me, the greatest player to ever play the game.”

Nash further spoke about Messi’s ability to score goals from set pieces. Throwing out an interesting fact about Leo’s free-kick conversion, the 6-foot-3 guard further praised the football sensation:

“Like free-kicks are becoming tap-ins for him. I saw a stat the other day that he has more free-kick goals this calendar year than almost any other club. I mean the way he hits his free kicks is amazing, but more importantly, just how he’s able to find space and dance around people and for somebody who’s one of the most prolific goal scorers the world has ever seen, he’s also the best passer on the planet. For me, there’s no one ever been like him.”

Coming off a pretty average season, Lionel Messi will hope to lead Paris Saint-Germain FC to their 11th Ligue 1 title this campaign while being victorious in the UCL.

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