Max Verstappen has become the talk of the town due to his recent heroics in the dominant 2023 season of the Formula 1 championship. He has broken records and set his own without stopping in almost every race of the season. The already fast car of Red Bull seems to have become even faster in the hands of Max Verstappen.
There are numerous predictions around Max Verstappen and many F1 pundits believe that he is going to bring his own legend into the sport. Max is a phenomenon in Formula 1, and that has invited notable figures to draw comparisons between him and other sportspeople.
Ronald Koeman compares Verstappen to Messi
Ronald Koeman is a fellow compatriot of Max Verstappen, who also happens to be the manager of the Dutch Football Team. He is one of the new enthusiasts enchanted by the racing and perfection delivered by Super Max, much like Virgil Van Dijk, who is already a huge fan of Max.
Ronald Koeman has even had the fortune to attend the Abu Dhabi 2021 race and live the moment of Max Verstappen’s sensational win over Lewis Hamilton to clinch his very first driver’s title.
In a recent interview, Koeman shared his thoughts regarding Max Verstappen and other sportsperson who are like him, “There is something in it, yes, but I also see similarities with Lionel Messi. The will to win at all costs. Being hard, sitting on top of it when something is not arranged. You can see that in Max, in his behavior, in his gaze, from the poison in his eyes. He determines. For example, when he enters a race for new tires. He doesn’t ask, he reports it. He takes responsibility. Messi has that too, which I experienced at Barcelona for a year and a half. And, another similarity, they are pure lovers.”
Max Verstappen ‘always delivers’ according to Koeman
Coming from the immensely demanding world of football himself, Koeman seems to be impressed with Max’s ability to perform, no matter what the situation calls for. Max Verstappen has shown us his amazing race craft all throughout the season in every predicament, ultimately claiming the win and lifting his well deserved trophies.
Ronald Koeman was keen enough to take a note of this quality and further commented on Max’s consistency, “You know, there are a lot of sports people who can be very good, but in top sport it is about being good at the moments that matter. To make the comparison with football: everyone sometimes scores a goal or a penalty, but there are times when it really has to. And then a lot fall away. Max is always there at the moment supreme and that is a special quality.”
“I had that myself as a footballer. The more important, the more exciting and the more difficult it became, the better I felt. I just got a kick out of showing it. To prove who you are and how good you are. Max is not confused by anything. He is focused and confident, even if, as in Zandvoort, 300,000 Dutch people come to the circuit for him. He delivers if necessary. And those are the very best, the Messis, the Ronaldos and the Steps of this world.”
Max is becoming a worldwide sensation, even featuring on the Times magazine. Do you think the next year will be the same for Verstappen? Let us know down in the comments.
