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re: Who's more famous at their peak Michael Jordan or Lionel Messi?
Posted on 7/16/26 at 5:39 pm to Juan Betanzos
Posted on 7/16/26 at 5:39 pm to Juan Betanzos
quote:
Those saying Messi…. Please reply and post your age. I guarantee most are of the recent generation.
Jordan legitimately started the worldwide interest in NBA basketball….
Lionel Messi has 513 million instagram followers. LeBron James who’s inarguably the second best player behind Jordan and a global superstar has…. 4.2 million
3
Posted on 7/16/26 at 5:47 pm to Juan Betanzos
quote:
Those saying Messi…. Please reply and post your age. I guarantee most are of the recent generation.
I'm 46... soccer dominates this worldwide. It's Messi and it's not even remotely close.
The fact that Jordan is even in the discussion is a testament to his massive appeal.. but still not close.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 5:48 pm to CPA Yung Boi
quote:
LeBron James who’s inarguably the second best player behind Jordan and a global superstar has…. 4.2 million
He has 154m.. still not even 1/3 of Messi.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 5:57 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
Maybe people are too young to remember the Olympic teams
Well, I am 42 and saw MJ play in person... So I don't think I am too young. But after thinking about it some, I am going to change it to Jordan. More people might idolize Messi because Soccer is a bigger sport, but Jordan changed more than just basketball... Something I didn't take account of other than jerseys... He changed fashion for a lot of people. Shoes, clothing, etc.
So I am now team MJ.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 5:58 pm to FlyingTigerBo
I couldn’t pick Messi out of a line up of a few Baws
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:02 pm to FlyingTigerBo
Jordan by far. He's iconic worldwide. Air Jordan's are worn all over the world by people that have no clue what basketball is. Average American has no clue who Lionel Messi is. Ronaldo is way more well known that Messi.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:06 pm to FlyingTigerBo
How many shoes does Messi have named after him?
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:07 pm to FlyingTigerBo
Never heard of messi till now
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:16 pm to Fun Bunch
I’d almost say Jordan is STILL more popular
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:43 pm to FlyingTigerBo
Jordan. He was more popular in Asia. There are a lot of Asians.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:44 pm to Jor Jor The Dinosaur
I think that most males just know Taylor Swift as the woman their wife is obsessed with but they couldn’t care in the least about.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:45 pm to FlyingTigerBo
quote:
FlyingTigerBo
Neither had a WIDER appeal than your wife...
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:47 pm to CPA Yung Boi
quote:
Lionel Messi has 513 million instagram followers. LeBron James who’s inarguably the second best player behind Jordan and a global superstar has…. 4.2 million
Ok, but the question is "at their peak", not who it is today with the rise of social media. Jordan was a worldwide name before the internet was even available in many homes, much less social media.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:50 pm to UFFan
quote:this is the correct answer.
Jordan in the US. Messi worldwide.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:51 pm to FlyingTigerBo
Jordan was an absolute rock star at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. No one is running around chasing Messi down in the street
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:54 pm to rowbear1922
quote:
Messi, and it’s not even close.
A bigger factor in that is social media
I mean the biggest factor is that the world watches soccer.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup in France reached an estimated cumulative global television audience of 37 billion viewers across its 64 matches. The tournament final between France and Brazil attracted a peak audience of over 1 billion viewers worldwide.
The 1998 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz averaged 29.04 million viewers per game.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:56 pm to rowbear1922
quote:
Messi, and it’s not even close.
Correct, Jordan is one of my favorite athletes ever and I’m the furthest thing from a soccer fan but Messi is so much bigger than Jordan ever was
Posted on 7/16/26 at 6:58 pm to LSU-MNCBABY
quote:lol part of the reason he came to Miami was because of privacy and how Americans don’t give AF about soccer compared to Europe. You think he could walk the streets of Paris and Barcelona and not get noticed?
No one is running around chasing Messi down in the street
This post was edited on 7/16/26 at 8:18 pm
Posted on 7/16/26 at 7:01 pm to FlyingTigerBo
Messi
Posted on 7/16/26 at 7:14 pm to FlyingTigerBo
I’m 48 and don’t know what Messi looks like. In the mid 90s it was impossible to not know who Jordan was or what he looked like
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