“I could’ve been on some Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe type” - NFL superstar Lamar Jackson thinks of different life as footballer

NFL star Lamar Jackson recently hinted on social media that he would've been a Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe-like superstar had he taken up football.

However, the 27-year-old is the Baltimore Ravens quarterback who has performed exceedingly well in his sport. He's a two-time NFL MVP and a three-time Pro Bowler.

Despite these achievements, Jackson has still raised the question of how life could've turned out if he ended up kicking a ball more than throwing it.

Taking to his X account, the NFL player wrote:

"Just sitting here thinking...I could've been on some Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe type."

Although Jackson seems confident, both footballers are amongst the best of their generations. Messi is widely regarded as the greatest ever to play the sport, having won the Ballon d'Or title on eight occasions, more than anybody else.

He has scored an incredible 726 club career goals and even led Argentina to World Cup success in Qatar in 2022. Messi is a 10-time La Liga champion and a three-time UEFA Champions League winner with Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Mbappe has a long career ahead of him. The 25-year-old Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star has scored 250 goals and assisted 106 from 297 appearances across competitions for his current club.

He won the World Cup with France in 2018 and is yet to win a Ballon d'Or award. The Frenchman is poised to achieve great things and is expected to join Real Madrid after his contract at the Parc des Princes runs out in the summer.

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When Kylian Mbappe admitted he misses playing with Lionel Messi

Kylian Mbappe (right) and Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi spent two years at PSG from 2021 to 2023 after putting an end to his illustrious career at Barcelona. He got the opportunity to play alongside one of the brightest talents at the time, Kylian Mbappe.

Together, the pair made 67 appearances and managed 34 joint goal contributions across competitions. Revealing that he misses playing alongside the great man, Mbappe told Amazon Prime Sport in January 2024 (via GOAL):

"Playing with Leo Messi is definitely something I miss a lot. You always miss not playing with Messi anymore! For an attacker like me, who likes to attack spaces with him you have the certainty that you can get the ball. It was a luxury that almost only he can give you."

In the summer of 2023, Messi left PSG to join MLS outfit Inter Miami, where he now plies his trade. Since joining the Herons, the 36-year-old has bagged 16 goals in 19 matches.