Messi pays tribute to Kobe Bryant on Instagram

Lionel Messi credits Kobe Bryant with fostering his interest in basketball

Football legend Lionel Messi paid tribute to Basketball legend Kobe Bryant via a post on Instagram. The LA Lakers star announced his retirement on the conclusion of the NBA season recently, using player-journalist website ‘The Players Tribune’ to pen a poem titled ‘Dear Basketball’ announcing his retirement from the game.

Messi acknowledged Bryant’s contribution to the game of basketball, “It’s always sad to hear when a sportsman is retiring. Kobe Bryant will always be in the history books as one of the greatest. It was he who helped me become interested in basketball. All the best in the next stage of your life, Kobe.”

Messi & Bryant have worked together in various commercials and have grown to become good friends. Arguably their greatest double act was a ‘selfie shootout’ advertisment they made for Turkish Airlines.

Messi has a burgeoning interest in basketball, having been spotted attending Barcelona matches in the Euroleague as well as NBA games. The two sports share a lot of overlap as many top-tier footballers such as Thierry Henry are ardent fans of the sport, while Kobe Bryant counts football as his favourite sport. “I am actually [a huge fan]. I grew up in Italy. From the age from six to 14 I played soccer every day. It is actually my favorite sport,” Bryant told FIFA.com in an interview in 2014.

Messi taking in a Euroleague match involving Barcelona and Maroussi BC

Messi, who is in contention to win his 5th Ballon d’Or, has only recently made his return from injury and is keen to re-integrate to a Barcelona side that performed extremely well in his absence.