Jozy Altidore knows better than anyone what it takes to excel on the global stage at the World Cup.
The 36-year-old former striker is one of the best-known names in Team USA history, appearing in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Altidore was just the 17th player in Team USA history with 100 caps when he accomplished the feat in 2017 and he also had a notable international career while playing in La Liga and the Premier League.
Fast forward to the present day and the biggest storyline is Lionel Messi’s quest for a second consecutive World Cup as Team Argentina takes on the favorites, Team Spain, in the 2026 World Cup Finals. It has taken a number of close calls and Messi theatrics in order for Argentina to advance this deep. By contrast, Spain has dominated en route to their World Cup Final appearance, allowing just one goal in the process.
Altidore believes that if Messi can pull off this feat, there is no more debate as to who the greatest of all time in the soccer world is — it’ll be the 39-year-old Argentinean great.
“If Messi wins another World Cup, it’s quite frankly — Maradona only won one World Cup — so he’ll eclipse Maradona and have a second World Cup. I think he’ll be the the greatest player I think ever,” said Altidore in a one-on-one interview with Heavy Sports. “There will be no more debate, if there is any debate. I think it takes it all out. Two World Cups where you led your country as captain. That says everything, right?”
Jozy Altidore Gives Take on Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo Debate
Diego Maradona — who is regarded as one of the greatest soccer players ever and is also from Argentina — won the 1986 World Cup as the team captain. If Messi were to win this year, it would be his second as team captain.
A big debate that has taken place over the past two decades is who is the better player between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? Messi has appeared to distance himself in those debates due to his World Cup performances over the past two tournaments. The 41-year-old Ronaldo made his last World Cup appearance recently, with Portugal eliminated in the Round of 16. In a record six World Cup appearances, Ronaldo never won it and posted 11 goals in 27 appearances.
By comparison, Messi has the second-most goals in World Cup history — he’s been going back and forth with France’s Kylian Mbappe, who had two goals in their loss to England in the Bronze medal game — and has won the Golden Ball award twice for most goals in the World Cup tournament.
“Well, it’s tough because you can’t change your players, right? You kind of have what you have, and obviously Messi’s not doing it alone,” said Altidore. “He has a fantastic team, so there is an element of that. But just to win two World Cups as captain, and then to be the top scorer in one of them and Golden Ball, it says a lot that this player is irreplaceable and indispensable.”
Jozy Altidore Teaming With Panini America for 2026 World Cup Sticker Collection Release
Leading into the 2026 World Cup Final, Altidore is teaming up with Panini America for the release of their 2026 World Cup sticker collection. The sticker album features 48 teams and 980 players and it’s the largest Panini has released. The album and the stickers are available in retail stores such as Walmart, Target and Walgreens.
Altidore met with fans at the Panini Prizm Lounge in New York City leading into the World Cup Final, which will take place at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey.
“This tradition’s been going on for 60 years,” said Altidore. “It’s the largest ever, over 980 stickers, and I know fans have so much passion for this album, so it’s great to see the excitement and basically all over the world and how it’s coming to a crescendo here in a way.”
Although Altidore is not a big trading card or collectibles guy, he always enjoyed signing cards for fans as a player.
“It was amazing, even now, when I see people come up to me to sign a card, they send me pictures of a card, they open a pack and receive me, it’s crazy to think about,” said Altidore. “It’s surreal. I still sometimes don’t believe it that I’m a player that has these kinds of things. It’s what you dream about, it’s just surreal. It’s constantly surreal, to be honest.”
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