First of all, football is more influential than basketball. Doesn't mean Messi is more influential than Jordan. This concept does not exist. If you are a person who doesn't care about football and basketball, or only cares about football, ask the basketball superstar you know, and you must know Jordan, Chicago Bulls, No.23.
Similarly, for a person who only cares about basketball but not football, the answer is colorful. Many people's answer is Messi, but it could also be Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo or Diego Maradona. The answer is varied, and this is influence. When a person is called a representative of a project, the so-called audience level of this project is not worth mentioning.
This means that Jordan can represent basketball, at least the NBA. There is no doubt that he is the first person in NBA history, and Messi is just one of the many stars in football. I admit that Messi is excellent, so excellent that if he can almost be called the king of football, he can't be called the first person in football history, or even the first person in Argentine football history. Even the most successful Barcelona club may be controversial.
On the other hand, Jordan's influence is very great, besides his achievements, there is also his greatest contribution to basketball. At the peak of Jordan, the NBA officially promoted the most important stage in the world. Jordan made countless people fall in love with basketball and made basketball, which originally belonged to Americans, more extensive. In this respect, Jordan's influence is also greater than Messi's.
Jordan was selected as one of the top ten cultural idols in the 20th century by Time magazine, and among those 10 people, Jordan was the only athlete, and Jordan was also selected as one of the 50 foreigners who influenced China. Jordan was elected as the most popular athlete in North America for 13 years in a row, which shows Jordan's influence.
Let's give a simple example. When Jordan retired for the first time, he made a movie "Dunk in the Air", which was popular all over the world. Not only that, the related derivatives generated more than $2 billion, which is enough to show Jordan's influence. Basketball shoes named after Jordan are also the favorite of many young people, so this influence is regardless of national boundaries.
But this does not mean that Messi has no influence. Messi, as one of the most influential football stars in recent years, the other is Cristiano Ronaldo, and his influence in the world is also very great. However, football is a team sport, relying more on the collective and rarely embodying individual heroism. Therefore, in terms of influence, Messi's influence is far less than that of his predecessor, diego maradona.
So generally speaking, football is more influential than basketball, but Jordan is definitely more influential than Messi.