Martin Tyler reveals what he'd love to ask Lionel Messi

Legendary soccer commentator Martin Tyler has done just about everything in his prestigious career. Having started in the industry back in the 1960s, Tyler eventually became the voice of the Premier League in the subsequent years. He then remained in this position for over 30 years. In undoubtedly his most famous call from the booth, the Englishman emphatically screamed “Agüeroooo!” during the Argentine’s title-winning goal for Manchester City on the final day of the 2012 season.

In fact, Tyler recently admitted during an interview with The Guardian that fans still reference the call when they approach him in the street. Although the now 78-year-old commentator will go down as one of the great voices in the sport, Sky Sports elected not to renew his contract last summer.

The veteran, however, will not be forced into retirement just yet. Instead, Tyler has been freelancing for multiple television networks throughout the current campaign. He previously called an FA Cup game between Aston Villa and Chelsea before making a return to the Premier League. Tyler was then also in the booth for a recent Champions League fixture between RB Leipzig and Real Madrid.

Tyler wants one chance to sit down with Lionel Messi

While he has completed many accomplishments and spoken to a plethora of superstars in the sport, there is still a white whale for Tyler. In the final stages of the aforementioned interview, the commentator claimed that he would love to have a discussion with Lionel Messi.

“The person I would most like to meet is Messi,” proclaimed Tyler. “It’s distance and enchantment, isn’t it? So maybe somebody who reads this will think: ‘How do we get these two together?’”

“I’d ask him: ‘When did it start?’ The only player I compare him to in my mind is the Jimmy Greaves who started at Chelsea and glided across terrible pitches,” Tyler continued. “I would also ask Messi: ‘What are you thinking when you’re on top of your game? What do you have to work at to make it look so easy?’”

“There have been a couple of Champions League nights with my commentary where he’s just pulled a hat-trick out of nothing and I run out of words.”

Argentine superstar has not talked with media much since move to States

A meeting between the two legends would certainly be welcomed by just about every serious soccer fan in the world. After all, the duo are indisputably at the top of their respective fields of the sport. Nevertheless, a potential discussion between the pair could very well be difficult to organize.

Since arriving to the United States, Messi has not spoken much to the media. In fact, an Inter Miami reporter, recently criticized both Messi and the team for a lack of access to the star. As of February 1st, the World Cup winner has only done one brief interview with local press. This is obviously not exactly an ideal situation for beat writers covering the club.

Soccer fans, however, will be hoping that Messi’s crew learns of Tyler’s comments regarding a possible interview. Timing of a discussion could be difficult though. Messi, and Miami, are set to start their lengthy 2024 Major League Soccer season in less than one week.

Photo credits: IMAGO / Sportsphoto : IMAGO / PanoramiC