Pat McAfee Highlights Lionel Messi’s Box Office Credentials, Amidst Patrick Mahomes Talk

If you had to name the biggest sportsman in the entirety of sports, what name comes to mind? Yes, it most definitely is Lionel Messi, who is now one of the most influential players known to mankind. Moreover, according to Pat McAfee, he just might be the biggest box office hero, surpassing the likes of Patrick Mahomes as well.

Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, is far and wide, the best player in the current generation of the NFL. With 3 Super Bowls already, he has established a huge name for himself. Also, some fans believe him to be a prodigy who could very well go on to be the next Tom Brady. But when it comes to his box office impact outside of the USA, he sure lags miles behind Lionel Messi.

Pat McAfee speaks up on Lionel Messi as the GOAT

In a recent clip from the ‘Pat McAfee show’, the host took up a question that asked whether Patrick Mahomes is the most box office athlete at the moment. The Chiefs’ QB is no stranger to lucrative endorsement deals and has a lot of his valuation stemming from his advertisements. Moreover, he earned $20 million in endorsements in 2022 alone, attributing to deals with brands like Adidas, State Farm, and Oakley as per Forbes.

McAfee made his stance clear in the debate and voiced his opinion by saying, “Then you go over to the world of a man who has more followers than the entire population of the United States of America. A man, who I think the rest of the world would say is the biggest star on the Earth. A man, who actually got me to download an app to watch soccer. So you think maybe Messi is the biggest box office hit in the the entire athletic sphere. ” Thus, while Mahomes is one of the biggest athletes in America right now, Lionel Messi’s name echoes through the world as more than just a player, but as a crowned faith of greatness.

With all that said, here’s a comparison between Patrick Mahomes and Lionel Messi based on their salaries and valuations.

Patrick Mahomes versus Lionel Messi: Their earnings compared

Before the Patrick Mahomes versus Lionel Messi debate is tackled, the readers should know of the disparity level between the sport of football and soccer itself. In the 2024 Super Bowl, the viewership stood at 123 million while the 2022 FIFA World Cup amassed a viewership of a staggering 1.5 billion people. Thus, the global sport of soccer takes over American football any day but how do Patrick Mahomes and Lionel Messi stand amid that?

As per Mahomes’ new contract, he will be earning over $210.6 million between 2023 and 2026, with a possibility of rising to $218 million. Additionally, his annual average salary stands at $52.65 million. Even though Lionel Messi’s influence is far more than Mahomes’, the numbers are almost equivalent between the two athletes.

Ever since Messi switched from European soccer to American soccer by joining Inter Miami, his pay has been reduced drastically. As per a September 2023 report, Messi’s base salary stood at $12 million, with more than $20.4 million in added compensation. Moreover, his endorsement partnerships with companies like Adidas, Fanatics, and Apple TV increase his pay to over $50-$60 million annually. Thus, though Lionel Messi is an idol to the entire world, he is almost on par with Mahomes when it comes to cashing in his check.

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Will Mahomes be able to surpass Messi’s pay soon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.