Roger Federer has paid tribute to Lionel Messi’s ‘consistent greatness’ after the Argentine made the list of 100 most influential people in 2023. This week Messi, 35, saw his name appear on TIME’s list of the most influential people of 2023.
At the end of 2022, Messi led Argentina to the title at the World Cup in Qatar. For Argentina, it was the third World Cup title and the first title in the competition since 1986 and the days of the great Diego Armando Maradona.
Messi united all of Argentina during the World Cup and his influence is still going strong.
Federer’s tribute to Messi.
“Lionel Messi’s goalscoring and winning records need not be recalled here.
What strikes me about Messi, 35, is the consistency of his greatness for so many years. It’s so hard to achieve and maintain. He dribbles like a magician and his angular passes are works of art.
His sense of observation and anticipation almost surpasses understanding. My career has just ended. I now realize the weight that we athletes carry. But in our daily life, we don’t even realize it.”For a football player like Messi, this weight is probably more important, because he represents both a world-class club and a very passionate country.
Argentina’s victory in the World Cup was magnificent. The millions of supporters who took to the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate the event constituted an extraordinary sporting moment, which the whole world witnessed.
Even those who don’t follow football must have realized the true impact of the world’s most popular sport,” Federer wrote for TIME. Meanwhile, Federer is enjoying his retirement. Since retiring from sport after the 2022 Laver Cup, Federer has not made any guest appearances in tournaments.
But this summer, Federer should be back at Wimbledon. In 2023, he is rumored to take part in BBC coverage of Wimbledon.
