Lionel Messi lit up Kansas City Stadium on June 16th after his hat-trick against Algeria. This feat helped him equal Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals at the World Cup. Naturally, with such a feat, Ronaldo's performance at the World Cup has come under the spotlight.

Underdog recently shared a post on X that again reignited an age-old debate. They chose to compare the stars of the soccer World Cup against their NFL counterparts. What caught the eye was how Cristiano Ronaldo was compared to Peyton Manning.

On the other hand, Lionel Messi was compared to the GOAT of football, Tom Brady. The football folks are taking this as a snub for Ronaldo. Just like Ronaldo and Messi, Brady and Manning, too, have been constantly pitted against each other.

Brady has been more successful in winning (7 Super Bowls, 3 MVPs). Brady also has more passing yards (89,000+) compared to Manning (71,000+), as well as touchdowns, where Brady leads. Their head-to-head encounters also have Brady leading 11-6.

The situation has been made to look similar to Ronaldo and Messi's. Messi has won every major trophy, including the elusive World Cup, which he also won in the last edition in Qatar.

He also has more Ballon d'Or awards compared to Ronaldo (8-5), so he is being lauded as the GOAT just like Brady.

Speaking of Brady, the Las Vegas Raiders minority owner himself is a big fan of soccer, and with the World Cup fever gripping the USA, he was in attendance during the Brazil game this week.

Tom Brady Watches Brazil Game With Daughter

With the GOAT debate heating up at the World Cup, Tom Brady also made it a point to visit the tournament. He, along with his daughter Vivian, watched Brazil compete against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 13.

The duo appeared in high spirits as they saw Brazil go up against Morocco, before the game eventually finished 1-1.

The Bradys were also seen involving themselves in a personalized handshake celebration. Brady was there rooting for Brazil as he shared his Instagram story. The photo showed three emojis of the Brazilian flag along with a snapshot of the game.

Brady's love for soccer is nothing new. Back in 2023, he became a minority owner and advisory board chairman for Birmingham City FC, which plays in England's EFL. Brady is also a big fan of Leo Messi.

"I was a big fan of Diego Maradona, but I saw little of the 1986 World Cup, because I was nine years old that time," said Brady back in 2020, "As such a connection with Argentina, it led me to be a big admirer of Leo Messi. Messi or Ronaldo? Messi, he’s a special player."

With this latest comparison to Messi, Brady would no doubt be pleased. What are your thoughts on the NFL player comparisons?

Read more at the Denver Broncos Community!

Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote