They may play two completely different sports across the Atlantic but Stephen Curry sees a lot of similarities between himself and Lionel Messi.

Basketball star Steph Curry and football king Lionel Messi are two of the leading faces of their respective fields – with their individual skillets a cut above the rest.

And speaking about Messi, Curry feels their mindsets and talents are akin to each other.

Stephen Curry (left) has compared himself to Lionel Messi in terms of their mindset and talent

‘I think it’s the creative genius to what he does and a flair, but also there is a fundamental aspect to the flair,’ the Golden State Warriors point guard said ahead of Sunday’s match against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

‘The work that he puts in, I’m assuming, based on the talent that he has, and combining that with the talent that he has and how that kind of shows when he’s out there on the pitch.

‘So I think there’s a lot of comparison, really, around the creativity and the innovation that we bring to our respective sports and trying to, I guess, impact – I would say influence the next generation to try to push themselves as well.’

Curry will be trying to continue to inspire the next generation when the defending NBA champions take on Western Conference rivals San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

Curry will be hoping to showcase his skills once again on Thursday against San Antonio Spurs

NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K18’ on BT Sport – a live NBA game every Sunday in primetime. This week on 11th March the Minnesota Timberwolves will host the Golden State Warriors on BT Sport 3 at 7:30pm.