It may have been a brief handshake and conversation, but consider it a moment in American sports history.
Lionel Messi, the World Cup champion who’s arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, and Patrick Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl MVP who’s the NFL’s biggest star and best quarterback, met for the first time in the hallways of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Messi and Mahomes – two of the greatest players in the history of their sports, playing in the United States – shared a brief interaction before Messi’s Inter Miami played Sporting Kansas City, the MLS team co-owned by Mahomes, at the Chiefs’ stadium on Saturday night.
“What’s up man? Hey, good luck man. Have fun out there,” Mahomes said to Messi in a video clip shared before the game.
It’s unclear what Messi said to Mahomes, but it’s likely Messi, who refrains from speaking English publicly, spoke to Mahomes in English based on their interaction.
Either way, their meeting was the essence of the saying “game recognize game.”
Messi is in the starting lineup, and expected to play in front of more than 70,000 fans on the same field Mahomes has graced during his standout NFL career.
Messi is an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the sport’s best player, and captivated soccer fans worldwide by leading Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar in December 2022 to cap his standout career, which was spent mostly with Barcelona.
Messi has also taken an interest in the NFL since joining Inter Miami last summer.
Mahomes is the star quarterback of the Chiefs, leading Kansas City to NFL dynasty status with three Super Bowls in five years alongside star tight end Travis Kelce and future Hall of Fame coach Andy Reid.