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Uncanny similarities between Virat Kohli and Leo Messi decoded amid GOAT tour in India

Anurag Dasgupta

Similarities between Messi and Kohli [Source: AFP Photo] Similarities between Messi and Kohli [Source: AFP Photo]

The Lionel Messi GOAT tour started on a sour note as things didn’t go according to plan in Kolkata, with fans vandalizing the stadium and not being able to see their Footballing superstar Messi, despite spending a hefty amount of money. However, the Hyderabad leg of the tour went smoothly, and on Sunday, Messi will greet the fans in Mumbai, followed by the final leg in Delhi on Monday.

If the latest reports are to be believed, then Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli will also attend the GOAT tour in Delhi, and there could be a chance for the two legends to meet each other for the first time. Interestingly, both Virat Kohli and Messi are polar opposites in terms of their on-field persona, but the icons have several things in common.

1) The two GOATS step up when the nation needs them

  • What makes a GOAT athlete different from others? They step up when the nation needs them the most. This is what Messi and Kohli have in common. Whenever the Indian team needed Kohli to deliver, the Delhi cricketer decided to unleash his best. He was pivotal in India’s T20 World Cup win last year, as the batter failed in the entire tournament, but when the team needed him, Kohli scored a match-winning fifty in the finals.
  • In the Champions Trophy, earlier this year, Kohli took his game to a different level against India’s arch-rivals, Pakistan, and then produced a match-winning knock in the semis against the Aussies. This is what Messi has done all his life.
  • In the 2022 World Cup, he scored in every crucial game, including the finals against France. The man from Rosario stepped up to take the key penalty and led from the front as the nation captured its third World title. Moreover, he was a pivotal member of the Barcelona side and won them countless titles when all hopes were done and dusted.

2) Both achieved their life-long dream after multiple attempts

  • Kohli won the World Cup in 2011, but had never won the T20 World Cup in five attempts before the 2024 edition. He single-handedly took India to the finals in the 2014 edition and the semis in 2016, but the elusive T20 World Cup trophy eluded him.
  • However, the T20 World Cup in 2024 came like a blessing as Kohli, who was out of form throughout the tournament, played a blinder in the finals and won the T20 World Cup for the first time in his career in his sixth attempt.
  • This was the case with Messi, who reached the finals of the World Cup in 2014, but Argentina lost to Germany. His team failed in the 2018 World Cup, but everything changed in 2022. Messi led a young side in the Qatar World Cup and the Argentine side defeated France in a nail-biter as Messi, for the first time in his career, won the trophy that eluded him in his illustrious career.

Still at the peak of their powers in their twilight

Kohli is 37, while Messi is 38, and despite them ageing and not getting any younger, the two athletes are still balling out in their respective fields. Kohli recently smacked two centuries against South Africa and was also awarded the Player of the Series, while Messi recently helped his MLS side, Inter Miami, capture the league title as he carried them throughout the campaign at 38.

Kohli only plays in the ODIs, but is still the undisputed best in the format, while Messi has been doing Messi things in the USA.