At this World Cup, the entire planet is watching Lionel Messi, who has produced a historic start to the tournament just days before his 39th birthday — something that, in terms of both age and level, can only be compared to Novak Djokovic, who was also born in 1987.
But, perhaps surprisingly, Messi has spent these weeks watching Rafael Nadal. The Argentine, already a hero after scoring five goals in his first two matches, revealed that the Spanish tennis great has been a source of inspiration during the opening weeks of the tournament.
“We’ve been watching Rafa Nadal’s documentary, and I really identify with him. I think we’re very similar in that respect. I always want to give my very best,” said the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Messi’s comments came just weeks after the release of Rafa, the four-part documentary series that looks back on Nadal’s career while revealing personal and previously untold stories about one of the most influential figures in tennis history.
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Despite that connection, it is hard not to compare Messi with Djokovic rather than Nadal. Both were born in 1987 and are virtually the only athletes still capable of dominating their sport at that age. The Serb began the year by reaching the Australian Open final, where he defeated world No. 1 and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner. Messi, meanwhile, became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history on 22 June, taking his tally to 18 goals after a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria.
The only other athlete who belongs in that longevity debate is LeBron James. In 2024, at the age of 39, he won Olympic gold, became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and finished seventh in the regular-season MVP voting.
Still, during this football-filled month, Messi has not been the only link between the World Cup and tennis. Ignacio Buse has already “put himself forward” to represent Peru in 2030, while the son of a former Top 15 player is part of Morocco’s squad.
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The central figure in the other story is 24-year-old Morocco international Neil El Aynaoui, the son of former tennis player Younes El Aynaoui, who reached a career-high ranking of world No. 14 in 2003 and twice made the quarter-finals of both the Australian Open and the US Open.
Neil plays for Roma, has represented Morocco since 2023 and made his World Cup debut in a 1-1 draw against Brazil. “I used to play tennis, but then my father realised that all I cared about was football. I always had a ball at my feet and he let me make my own decisions, just as he did with my brothers. We still play tennis together from time to time,” Neil said when he was unveiled by Roma.
The other crossover between football and tennis this past week came courtesy of Ignacio Buse. While preparing for his opening match at Queen’s, the Peruvian shared a video of himself playing foot tennis and joking about earning a call-up to Peru’s squad for the 2030 World Cup.
