Impossible to believe but the GOATs of all sports live in Florida

Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest of all time (GOAT) in the sport of soccer, plays for the Argentine national World Cup team. He’s also played in Spain (Barcelona) and France (Paris) before moving to South Florida to play for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami FC.

Messi has led his Argentinian team to the second round of the World Cup, with a match against Cape Verde on July 3, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Owning a number of properties in South Florida, Messi, who just turned 39 on June 24, joins a long list of sports GOATS who live, or lived, in the state of Florida.

The list is impressive and includes legends from soccer, basketball, football, hockey, tennis, golf, auto racing and even surfing.

Here are the GOATS who live, or once lived, in Florida:

Lionel Messi: The GOAT of soccer

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest soccer player of all time.

Yes, there are those who say Brazil’s Pelé, others say Messi’s fellow Argentinian Maradona, but the diminutive Messi has racked up amazing individual honors, such as winning the Ballon d’Or award, given to the best player, eight times and FIFA’s world’s best player award eight times.

He plays for Argentina’s national team, for which he’s the most decorated player in history, having won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 along with 12 Big Five league titles, four UEFA Champions Leagues, and two Copa Américas.

He now plays for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF soccer team. Before that, he played for Barcelona, Spain and Paris Saint-Germain.

After he signed with Miami, he bought a $10.75 million waterfront home in the exclusive community of Bay Colony in Fort Lauderdale in September 2023. The house has 10,490 square feet, eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms and is on about a half-acre lot. Bay Colony, a gated community in east Fort Lauderdale, is about 5 miles from DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, where Inter Miami CF played up to 2025. They now play in a new stadium near Miami International Airport.

Messi, who turned 39 in on June 24, has 507 million Instagram followers and a net worth of about a billion dollars.

When Messi was first signed by Inter Miami in 2023, The Palm Beach Post reported that the soccer star was shopping for real estate in southern Palm Beach County, hoping to give his family a home outside the extreme celebrity fanfare of Miami.

Representatives for the Argentine soccer phenom contacted Boca Raton-based luxury real estate agent Senada Adzem asking for suggestions on properties in Boca Raton or western Delray Beach. Adzem told The Post she offered several on-market and off-market properties in gated communities with security.

“My understanding is that he’s seriously now considering Palm Beach County because of the fact that he can get more privacy, more land, and security is very important,” said Adzem, who is executive director of luxury sales at Douglas Elliman, told The Post at the time. “He is one of the most famous people, if not the most famous person, in the world, and I think it’s just a little quieter here.”

Messi also reportedly owns residences in several high-profile South Florida towers, including the Porsche Design Tower, Regalia Building, and Trump Royale in Sunny Isles Beach.

Messi and his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, have three young sons born between 2012 and 2018.

Christian Pulisic: GOAT of American soccer

Christian Pulisic, the on-field leader of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, owns a waterfront home in Jupiter.

The GOAT of American soccer is arguable; some say Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey but Pulisic is up there.

Pulisic, who was 27 years old as of June 28, 2026, plays for Serie A club AC Milan and is captain of the United States national team. In 2019, he agreed to a $73 million contract to play for the Chelsea Football Club from Borussia Dortmund of Germany. At the time, the deal made him the most expensive America soccer player of all time, according to the Wall Street Journal.

His skilled footwork while playing in England earned him the nickname “Captain America.”

As for his home in Jupiter, The Palm Beach Post reported that a limited liability corporation bought the four-bedroom home in the 19000 block of Wilkinson Leas Road in Jupiter. Purchased for $1.8 million in early 2020, the home is inside a gated community on the north fork of the Loxahatchee River. It includes a boat dock, pool and putting green, which is featured in at least one video on Pulisic’s Instagram account.

When it was announced in June that the 2026 World Cup would be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Pulisic said he was looking forward to seeing matches in Miami because his family had moved to the area.  

The home was previously purchased in May 2012 for $1.06 million. National real estate firm Redfin now estimates its value at $3.3 million. 

Pulisic is a native of Hershey, Pennsylvania and a soccer prodigy who went to play for Dortmund’s youth team when he was just 16.

Michael Jordan: The GOAT of basketball

Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest of all time in basketball.

The legendary No. 23 for the Chicago Bulls won six titles with coach Phil Jackson, and he took home Finals MVP honors all six times. Jordan helped the team win four NBA titles in six years, scoring a career-high 69 points in the Bulls’ 117-113 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1993.

Jordan also is an Olympic gold medalist. He, Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) and Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers) earned the nickname the Dream Team in 1992.

Jordan announced his retirement from basketball on Oct. 6, 1993, shortly after his father died. But his retirement was short-lived. He stunned the sports world when he shifted from basketball to baseball. The legend played minor league ball with the Chicago White Sox organization from 1994-95. He had been retired for 18 months before returning to the NBA with a message: “I’m back.”

Over the course of his career, Jordan was named to 14 All-Star teams. After three seasons away, he played with the Washington Wizards, who he had an ownership stake in, for two seasons from 2001-02.Like many other GOATs on this list, Jordan became a pop culture icon. He appeared on Wheaties cereal boxes, changed the game in athletic footwear with his Air Jordans, and starred in a movie (remember the original “Space Jam” in 1996 with Bill Murray and Bugs Bunny?).

Jordan starred in the docuseries “The Last Dance,” which chronicled Jordan and the Bulls during the 1997-98 championship season.

Jordan, 61, lives in South Florida, co-owns 1000 North restaurant in Jupiter and married his wife, model Yvette Prieto, here in 2013. He plans on opening another restaurant in Sarasota.

A limited liability company controlled by Jordan paid a recorded $16.5 million for a home in Jupiter’s exclusive Bear’s Club community in 2024, not far from the sprawling 3-acre estate he built a decade ago.

The 9,100-square-foot home has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a four-car garage, pool and guest house.

Tom Brady: The GOAT of football

In 23 seasons, Tom Brady won seven Super Bowls, six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady is largely considered the greatest quarterback, and possibly the greatest football player, of all time.

Along with his seven Super Bowl rings, he has the most touchdown passes and wins in the regular season and playoffs.

Though he called New England home for almost two decades, Brady and his then-wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, moved their family to Florida in 2020.

In December 2020, Brady and Bundchen bought a home in South Florida near Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. It’s a $17 million house on Indian Creek Island, a private island in Miami that’s also known as “Billionaire Bunker.” Indian Creek Island is a 300-acre island in Biscayne Bay with about 30 homes and an ultra-exclusive country club and golf course. Recently, Bloomberg UK reported that Brady is considering selling the Indian Creek Island mansion.

Brady retired on Feb. 1, 2022, but then “unretired” about six weeks later to play one more season with Tampa Bay. Months later, he and his wife divorced, after 16 years together. Brady finally retired on Feb. 1, 2023.

Bundchen and Brady share two children, Benjamin and Vivian. Brady also has a son, Jack, with his ex, actress Bridget Moynahan.

Robert Kraft, Wellington Mara and the Rooneys: GOATs of NFL coaches

Robert Kraft, a businessman and owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots and Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, is worth $11.8 billion, according to Forbes, and is a part-time Palm Beach resident. His Patriots won six Super Bowls (tied for the most all time) and appeared in nine.

Wellington Mara, co-owner of the NFL’s New York Giants, was a part-time Palm Beach resident before his death in 2005 at 89. His father, Tim, founded the Giants in 1925. His Giants won two Super Bowls and four NFL championships (awarded to the best NFL team before the Super Bowl started in 1967).

The Rooney family has owned the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers since the franchise was founded and the family has lived in various parts of Palm Beach County for many years. The Steelers have won six Super Bowls (tied for the most in NFL history), and appeared in eight. Art Rooney Sr. bought the franchise rights in 1933 and, after his death in 1988, ownership passed to his five sons, with Dan Rooney taking over as team president and the primary operating owner. The family owned the Palm Beach Kennel Club and owned a chain of Rooney‑themed sports restaurants in West Palm Beach, Jupiter and at Palm Beach International Airport. Patrick Rooney Jr. served in the Florida House of Representatives.

Tiger Woods: The co-GOAT of golf

Tiger Woods has won five green jackets, spanning from his 1997 Masters win to his surprise victory at Augusta in 2019. Considered one of the greatest golfers of all time, he is tied for first in PGA Tour wins and has won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus, who has 18.

Woods’ ties to Florida are strong. He lived in Orlando before moving to South Florida, where he lives in an oceanfront mansion on Jupiter Island (complete with a golf course in the backyard). He owns a restaurant at Harbourside Place in Jupiter (Woods Jupiter) and is co-owner of PopStroke (a family-friendly upscale putting and dining attraction with a miniature golf course designed by the sports phenom). PopStroke has locations in West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Port St. Lucie, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tampa and Orlando.

Woods also is a co-founder of the high-tech TGL golf league with fellow pro golfer Rory McIlroy, another South Florida resident. Teams play a combination of live and computer-driven golf at the newly built SoFi Center on the Palm Beach Gardens campus of Palm Beach State College.

Jack Nicklaus: The co-GOAT of golf

Jack Nicklaus also is considered by many the greatest golfer of all time.

He has won 120 professional events, 73 on the PGA Tour, including a record 18 majors. An interesting fact is that he was runner-up in another 19 majors, which means a shot made here or there and his record for majors would be virtually unbeatable forever.

Nicklaus, a Hall of Famer, has golfed with four presidents — Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump.

He’s lived in the same home in North Palm Beach for over 50 years. He and his wife Barbara moved to Palm Beach County in 1966.

Serena Williams: The GOAT of women’s tennis

Serena Williams is unarguably the greatest women’s tennis player of all time.

A force on the tennis court since she went pro at the age of 14, she has won 73 singles titles and 23 Grand Slam singles titles and was once ranked No. 1 in the world for an amazing 319 weeks. She holds the record for most singles tennis matches won at the U.S. Open with 108.

She retired from tennis in 2022 but returned to play in 2026.

Williams has lived in a few homes in Palm Beach County, including in a house she shared with her sister Venus, a tennis phenom in her own right.

Like many GOATs on this list, Williams has crossed over from the sports world into business and pop culture fandom. Appearing on many magazine covers throughout her career — fashion, sports and news magazines — the fashion icon launched a women’s tennis clothing brand and a “be unapologetically you” jewelry line.

Serena’s homes included a two-story, five-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Palm Beach Gardens in Palm Beach County that she bought for $2.5 million in 2016. The home, on 1.25 acres, built in 2014, also had a pool and spa.

The home she and her sister jointly owned was a $2 million home on Grand Key Terrace in the BallenIsles community in Palm Beach Gardens, which has three golf courses and a tennis facility ranked first by the U.S. Tennis Association.

Serena Williams also owned a home in The Bears Club in Jupiter.

Worthy others: Steffi Graf, Chris Evert

Steffi Graf, one of the greatest women’s tennis players in history, has had a second home in Boca Raton for years. She ended her 17-year career in 1999 having won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, 107 tournaments and spent 377 weeks at No. 1 in the world.

Chris Evert has lived in Boca for years. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships during her career and now runs the Evert Tennis Academy with her brother John at Mission Bay west of Boca. She was briefly married to another Palm Beach County sports star, golfer Greg Norman.

Hank Aaron: The GOAT of baseball

The best baseball player of all time is subjective but there’s no doubt “Hammerin'” Hank would be in the discussion.

Playing 23 seasons in the big leagues, 21 of those for the Braves, he broke Babe Ruth’s homerun record and retired as the greatest home run hitter in baseball history with 755. He played in 25 all-star games and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, 1982, with 97.8 percent of the vote.

An iconic athlete and trailblazer, Aaron owned a home in West Palm Beach since 1963 when the Braves moved their spring training headquarters to the area. He died in 2021 at 86.

Worthy mention: Pete Rose

Pete Rose was Major League Baseball’s all-time hit king, known for his gritty hustle, winning attitude, but also his gambling transgressions that ultimately kept him out of the Hall of Fame. He died at his home in Las Vegas on Monday at age 83.

Rose, his then-wife Carol and their son Tyler moved west of Boca Raton in early 1991 after Rose served a five-month sentence at the federal Correctional Institution Camp in Marion, Illinois, for failing to report income on his tax returns.

Rose owned Pete Rose’s Ballpark Cafe, with locations in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach.

Rose did a syndicated two-hour radio program “Talk Sports with Pete Rose” in the Boca restaurant.

Wayne Gretzky: The GOAT of hockey

Known as The Great One, Wayne Gretzky is the GOAT of professional hockey.

Gretzky, who played 20 seasons in the NHL, with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer (894 goals), assist leader (1,963) and points leader (2,857).

Gretzky held 61 NHL records when he retired in 1999. Throughout his career, he played in 18 All-Star games and won four Stanley Cups. He later received the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat he accomplished four times.

Gretzky and his wife, Janet, live in Jupiter in Palm Beach County. Their daughter, Paulina, and her husband, golfer Dustin Johnson, also live in Jupiter.

Gretzky’s wife is former actress Janet Jones, who appeared in a number of TV shows and movies including Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach.

Worth mention: Bobby Orr

The Hockey Hall of Famer and former Boston Bruin and Chicago Blackhawk was a longtime resident of Jupiter. He didn’t have longevity in the sport like others and, as a defensemen, he didn’t wrack up the big numbers. But the famous No. 4 redefined the defensive position.

Kelly Slater: The GOAT of surfing

Just six days before his 50th birthday in February 2022, Kelly Slater was hoisted through a sea of euphoric spectators, celebrating with a bottle of Champagne in one hand and tears of joy. It was just one snapshot of Slater’s electrifying week of surfing in epic conditions on the World’s Most Famous Wave, Hawaii’s Banzai Pipeline, where the legend from Cocoa Beach amended his encyclopedia of records with his eighth Pipe Masters victory and his 56th career title, his first since 2016 in Tahiti.

Slater, widely regarded as the greatest of all time in surfing, was crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times.

Thirty years ago, Slater won his first Pipe Masters to become the youngest world champion at age 20.

His long list of accomplishments includes a wave pool (Surf Ranch in California); a reality TV series (“The Ultimate Surfer”); a sustainable clothing line (OuterKnown); and personal crusades to save whales and protect reefs and beaches. “Baywatch” fans may remember him from the David Hasselhoff show, in which he played a lifeguard.

Slater has statues in his hometown of Cocoa Beach and in front of Ron Jon Surf Shop.

Muhammad Ali: The GOAT of boxing

Born Cassius Clay Jr. before changing his name to Muhammad Ali, the pro boxer nicknamed “The Greatest” is aptly considered the greatest. Ali’s ranked as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

He’s credited with putting boxing on the map.

Though he was born in Louisville and spent time in Chicago, he trained mainly in Miami Beach (at the famous 5th Street Gym), four of his first five fights were in Miami, he lived in Allapattah, a neighborhood mostly located in Miami, and won his first big fight in Miami.

Clay, at 22 years old, upset heavyweight champion Sonny Liston in Miami Beach In 1963, becoming the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion.

His final record was 56 wins and 5 losses with 37 knockouts.

The boxing legend died in 2016 at age 74.

Mike Tyson: Another GOAT of boxing

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” He was the youngest man to ever win a heavyweight title (at 20) and the first undisputed heavyweight champion in an era where there were three different boxing organizations.

He retired in 2005, but fought exhibition matches, most recently against YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul. The November fight was a Netflix sensation that attracted more than 108 million viewers and earned Tyson about $20 million despite losing in an eight-round unanimous decision.

Tyson, 58, bought a $13 million home in the Delray Beach area of Palm Beach County in 2025. The sprawling residence is on a 2.7-acre lot with a lake.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.: The GOAT of racing

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. was the greatest of all time in racing.

Known as “The Intimidator,” “The Man in Black” and “Old Ironhead,” the racing legend had 75 career wins, won three Cup Series races at Daytona and 10 at Talladega. His crowning achievement, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, was winning the checkers at the 1998 Daytona 500.

Earnhardt, father of NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr., raced from 1975 until his death in 2001, when he was killed in the final lap of the Daytona 500. During his career, he won seven NASCAR championships.

Like No. 23 for Michael Jordan or No. 12 for Tom Brady, No. 3 was made famous by Earnhardt Sr. On Feb. 14, 2021, fans in the stands held up three fingers during a lap three tribute honoring the GOAT during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, where he was killed in a fatal car crash.

Hulk Hogan: The GOAT of wrestling

Hear us out.

In the ’80s, professional wrestling became uber popular in large part due to Hulk Hogan. He was the face of the WWE, appearing in movies like “Rocky II” and “Saturday Night Live.” The wrestler-slash-entertainer made yellow and red his trademark colors in the ring, save his brief all-black look when he became a wrestling villain. His devoted followers were nicknamed “Hulkamaniacs.”

Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, lived in Clearwater before his death in 2025 at 71.

Beside living in Clearwater, he had many other ties to Florida. As Bollea, he once managed the Anchor Club in Cocoa Beach.

Hogan tried to incorporate theme park-style pizzazz into Hogan’s Beach Shops, which sell wrestling memorabilia and beach accessories at locations in Orlando and Clearwater Beach.

The Hogan family, including Hulk’s daughter Brooke and son Nick, starred in the VH1 series “Hogan Knows Best” from 2005 to 2007.

Contributing: Kimberly Miller, James Coleman and Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post; Zach Dean and Ken Willis, Daytona Beach News-Journal; Charles Runnells, The News-Press; Hillard Grossman; FLORIDA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Impossible to believe but the GOATs of all sports live in Florida

Reporting by John Bisognano, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

By John Bisognano, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network