Tom Brady retired from the NFL for the second and final time following the 2023 NFL season after what was his third year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization.
While the seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback is no longer a player, he has still found ways to be around football in various capacities. The 48-year-old became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders after a deal for 5% was finalized in 2024. He also signed on to be an analyst for Fox, in a 10-year deal worth $350 million.
Thanks mate. Real insight https://t.co/oZau1QFZW2
— Vince Rugari (@VinceRugari) August 4, 2025
American football isn’t the only kind of football he is involved in following his playing days, as he has also become a minority owner and chairman of EFL Championship club, Birmingham City.
With his involvement in the football club, Brady is also starring in a docuseries that follows him and the team through the 2024-25 season. Being that he has become more of a known commodity in the soccer space, he appeared on “Men in Blazers” to discuss his minority ownership venture, and American soccer.
Tom Brady Fires Off Lionel Messi, United States Take
When discussing what it would take for soccer to surge in popularity in the United States, Brady expressed that the country needs a phenom to get behind.
“We need a young phenom like a Yamine Lamal, a young Lionel Messi to take over,” Brady said. “And I believe that there will be the most amazing cultural revolution for soccer here in America.”
A take that led to Sydney Morning Herald reporter Vince Rugari taking a jab at Brady, presumably due to how on the nose it was.
The chirp from Rugari has amassed over two million views on X, with many different opinions on what Brady had to say with some agreeing with him, while other fans think Brady is being painfully obvious.
Does America Have a Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal?
The closest thing to a generational player that the United States has seen in recent years is AC Milan’s, Christian Pulisic. While he isn’t at the level of Messi or Yamal by any means, he is certainly a polarizing and well-known player, amassing nearly eight million followers on Instagram.
His efforts in the 2022 World Cup helped him gain even more popularity as the 26-year-old was named FIFA World Cup Man of the Match in the US’s 0-0 tie against England. An honor he earned the following game after netting the USMNT’s lone goal in their 1-0 win against Iran.
He was also infamously referred to as the “LeBron James of Soccer,” on an episode of “Pawn Stars.”
While Pulisic may not have the ceiling that Brady is mentioning, another player worth looking out for is Philadelphia Union midfielder, Cavan Sullivan. He signed with the club at 14 in what was the largest homegrown contract in MLS history, and is set to join Manchester City in 2027 as a part of a future transfer that will occur when he is 18.
Sullivan has that superstar potential, but being that he is so young there are plenty of questions yet to be answered.
How Brady’s Club is Doing
Easily the biggest talking point of Brady’s docuseries on Prime is the fact that he criticized and eventually played a role in the firing of the manager of legendary Manchester United striker, Wayne Rooney.
In terms of how his club is performing, the Blues are looking to make a return to the Premier League after being relegated under Rooney’s leadership.