The Super Bowl is the exciting finale of the NFL season – think of it like the Champions League final or World Cup final only bigger, with more commercials and… Usher.
Much like the Premier League, the 2024 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers at the $2bn ‘Death Star’ is littered with superstar names and talent.
If this is your first year tuning into the big game then the majority of players might be unfamiliar.
Luckily, we’ve put together some of their ‘soccer’ equivalents for a bit more context ahead of Sunday’s showpiece event.
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs quarterback) – Kevin De Bruyne
Think of Mahomes’ right arm like KDB’s right foot.
They are the heartbeat, the orchestrators of their teams, capable of putting the ball on a sixpence from virtually anywhere on the field.
Mahomes and De Bruyne are generational talents with the ability to impact games by their mere presence.
They aren’t the most vocal leaders but their actions speak volumes and when all is said and done they’ll be considered GOATs of their respective sports.
Christian McCaffrey (49ers running back) – Mohamed Salah
Inevitable.
They are difference makers blessed with the X-factor and instantly elevate any team they’re on.
CMC and Liverpool star Salah are elite offensive juggernauts who are largely unstoppable when in full flow.
Both players have their imprint all over their teams’ offence and almost everything good that happens runs through them.
They also continue to put up mind-blowing numbers season after season after season.
Andy Reid (Chiefs head coach) – Jurgen Klopp
While ‘Big Red’ may not have the same extroverted, charismatic nature as his German counterpart, he is undoubtedly a coach players can get behind.
Like Klopp, Reid is respected and loved in equal measure, and his players will run through a brick wall for him if that’s what it takes.
They are instrumental leaders, natural born winners, as well as master strategists and expert tacticians.
However, like Klopp, this could well be Reid’s swansong if some reports are to be believed.
Brock Purdy (49ers quarterback) – Harry Kane
Kane and Purdy had an equally unconventional rise to the summit of their sports.
The Bayern Munich striker was doubted early on in his career and bounced around the football pyramid before eventually making his mark with Tottenham, England and then breaking records in Germany.
Purdy has had his own doubters and was selected dead last in the 2022 NFL Draft – earning him the nickname ‘Mr. Irrelevant’.
But he’s proved the naysayers wrong and shown that he belongs with the elite – and now he’s one game away from NFL immortality and lifting the Lombardi Trophy.
Likewise, Kane could finally win the first piece of silverware in his career with either a Bundesliga title, Champions League trophy or both.
Travis Kelce (Chiefs tight end) – Jack Grealish
The good-looking charismatic poster boy of their teams who often make headlines for their activities off the field as well as their brilliance on it.
Kelce and Grealish are the reformed party animals who love to hop on the mic at championship parades and say things most wouldn’t dare to.
Kelce famously yelled, ‘You gotta fight for your right to party!’ at the Chiefs Super Bowl LVII parade and has been known to quote Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson during iconic post-game speeches.
Likewise, Grealish was the centre of Manchester City’s treble winning parade, wearing a high-vis jacket, chugging beer and needing a wheelchair en route to the airport.
A Kelce-Grealish night out would be the stuff of legend.
Nick Bosa (49ers defensive end) – Virgil van Dijk
The Van Dijk of the 49ers defensive line, 6ft 4ins Bosa is quite the specimen.
He started as a ballerina and trained with an Olympic weightlifter but has the intelligence to match.
Bosa combines his elite physical attributes with phenomenal intelligence and unrivalled technique to make him a defensive rock.
The Niners and Liverpool stalwarts are a menace in one-to-one duels and strike fear in the hearts of opponents’ offensive players.
Rashee Rice (Chiefs wide receiver) – Kobbie Mainoo
A season or two ago few people would have heard of Rice.
The budding wide receiver was selected in the second round of last year’s NFL Draft and has gone on to become one of the Chiefs’ most reliable and consistent pass catchers.
The Chiefs rookie receiver has emerged as a star in his debut campaign and has forced his way into Andy Reid’s starting unit.
Similarly, Man United starboy Mainoo has broken out this season and become a virtual undroppable in Erik ten Hag‘s team.
He’s also outplaying many of the more senior members of the squad and has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, just like Rice.
George Kittle (49ers tight end) – Erling Haaland
Kittle and Haaland share one very obviously similarity: gorgeous hair.
The San Fran tight end has luscious long locks eerily similar to those of Haaland’s, whose flowing blonde hair is the envy of many.
They are both relative giants and would have made convincing vikings in a previous life.
Chris Jones (Chiefs defensive tackle) – Thiago Silva
The linchpin of the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive line, Jones is a player who has perfected the art of defending.
Like the Chelsea man, he has been around the block during his career and won at the highest possible level with two Super Bowl titles already on his resume.
Jones and Thiago Silva are natural born leaders integral to their defence and command respect from rival players and fans alike.
Deebo Samuel (49ers wide receiver) – Bukayo Saka
Samuel and Saka are both wide players with lightening quick footwork, agility and motor skills to manoeuvre past opponents with consummate ease.
Their acceleration is deadly but their awareness makes them elite.
They are capable of surveying the pitch and making split-second decisions to exploit a weakness in the opposition defence.
Their stockiness and underrated strength for their size also make them a formidable match-up for any full-back/cornerback.
