Tim Howard's incredible comparison of Lionel Messi

Tim Howard, one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the USMNT and MLS, has made statements about what it feels like to play against Lionel Messi. The former Everton goalie compared Messi with one of the best athlete in the history of all sports and, without any doubt, one of the top three players of all sports in the world.

For the USMNT's goalkeeper in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, facing Lionel Messi is different to to everything else, and cannot be compared to any other forward. Tim Howard says that if you see Messi training on the tape, you realize that he's faster and more skilled than other footballers, but when he steps on the field, all of that multiplies by 10.

Howard was on the staff of the USMNT at the America Centenario Cup in 2016, which was hosted by the United States. They met in the semifinals with a 4-0 victory for Argentina. Howard said that prior to the game they had prepared a plan to stop the Argentinian striker. However, it was all in vain because when the game began, no player from the USMNT was able to get close to the best player in the history of FC Barcelona.

In this sense, the Memphis 901 FC goalkeeper of the USL Championship compared Messi to the recent NBA champion and Finals MVP, LeBron James, of the Los Angeles Lakers. Howard said that what basketball players feel when facing Lebron James should feel the same as footballers feel when facing Lionel Messi. He added that all rivals, including him, get in the field thinking they know how to stop Messi, but that's just the mistake: to spot Messi, as well as to stop LeBron James, it's necessary to be a superhero, like them.