{"id":11264,"date":"2025-07-20T20:20:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T20:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/11264\/"},"modified":"2025-07-20T20:20:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T20:20:10","slug":"javier-mascherano-compares-lionel-messi-to-michael-jordan-after-masterclass-vs-ny-red-bulls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/11264\/","title":{"rendered":"Javier Mascherano compares Lionel Messi to Michael Jordan after masterclass vs. NY Red Bulls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lionel Messi<\/a> once again defied Father Time with a dazzling performance in Inter Miami\u2019s comeback win over the New York Red Bulls, further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest athletes in history. His continued brilliance prompted head coach Javier Mascherano to compare the Argentine icon to basketball legend Michael Jordan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like MJ in the NBA, Messi has ushered in a new era in soccer\u2014shattering records, collecting trophies, winning individual accolades, and reshaping the way the game is played and defended. That level of respect was on full display at a packed Red Bull Arena, filled with both Red Bulls and Inter Miami<\/a> fans. When asked about the attention Messi still commands, Mascherano reflected on his experience as a longtime teammate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a surprise because I had the chance to be around him for eight years at Barcelona and over 15 with the national team as a teammate. Everywhere he goes, especially places where he hasn\u2019t been regularly, people go crazy. Not just in stadiums\u2014I\u2019ve seen it happen in airports, hotels\u2014he creates all this buzz,\u201d he said at the post-match press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe admiration is total, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s only because of the kind of soccer player he is,\u201d Mascherano<\/a> continued.\u201d I also believe he\u2019s an example of what it means to be an athlete, and he goes beyond just our sport\u2014soccer. I think anyone who is a fan, not just of soccer but of sports in general, feels admiration for athletes like him, whether it\u2019s Leo Messi, Michael Jordan in his time, or Rafa Nadal,\u201d the coach stated.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re people who go beyond their sport, and honestly, those of us who get to experience this up close are very privileged,\u201d Mascherano concluded, reflecting on Messi\u2019s cultural and sporting impact.<\/p>\n

Messi shines again against a familiar opponent <\/p>\n

Following their run in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Inter Miami had been riding a strong wave of form until a 3\u20130 midweek loss to FC Cincinnati. Eager to bounce back, Messi once again rose to the occasion against one of his favorite MLS opponents.<\/p>\n

After Inter Miami conceded the opening goal, Messi responded with a pinpoint assist to Jordi Alba and added two composed finishes of his own. With one assist and two goals on the night, Messi climbed to the top of the MLS scoring chart with 18 goals. And with this being his fourth appearance against the Red Bulls<\/a>, he now boasts five goals and seven assists in those matchups\u2014proof that the Bulls continue to be one of his favorite victims in the league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi once again defied Father Time with a dazzling performance in Inter Miami\u2019s comeback win over the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,10882,10883,10884,3004,10885,561,82],"class_list":["post-11264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-inter-miami","tag-javier-mascherano","tag-lionel-messi","tag-michael-jordan","tag-new-york-red-bulls","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}