19 years ago, in 2002, Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl.
At 43, one of the greatest quarterbacks in history will play, Sunday, February 7, his 10th NFL final.
After winning six titles as the New England Patriots, the American football player hopes to glean a new ring awarded to the champions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which he joined last year.
History in the making.
đź“ş: #SBLV 6:30 pm ET Feb.
7 on CBS pic.twitter.com/rqeUOF4np0
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) February 6, 2021
In twenty seasons in the NFL, Tom Brady has become a living legend in his sport.
If he wins a 7th coronation, he could make history and overtake NBA star Michael Jordan, who had won six titles with the Chicago Bulls.
"Michael is one of my idols in sports. I think he's pretty amazing. For me, the most important thing is to be part of a great team. And to have the opportunity to play this game is very important for me. (…) This is why we are here, this is what we play for, and this will make this season a truly magical season for us ", he commented before the encounter.
The career of Tom Brady did not start under the best auspices, however.
A promising sportsman, he was only selected in the sixth round and in 199th position in the 2000 draft by the Patriots.
Substitute during his debut in the American championship, he did not become holder until after the injury of quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
The young player seizes his chance and leads his team to a first coronation in 2002.
. @ TomBrady recalls how his parents helped him through a painful draft day.
Two decades later, they get to witness his 10th Super Bowl.
pic.twitter.com/qqXq2gO3zF
- NFL Films (@NFLFilms) February 3, 2021
Records and victories follow one another.
Tom Brady becomes a winning machine and leads his club to five new coronations (2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, 2019).
Endowed with incredible longevity, the quarterback even theorized his recipe for success in a book titled
"
The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance" ("The TB12 Method: How to Spend Your Life on Top of Your Form ").
A diet without coffee, sugar, white flour and dairy products and based on liters of water.
"When you are an athlete, your body is your working tool. So I learned to invest in my body and in what makes it feel good. Without that, I would have stopped my career ten years ago ", he described.
Trump's ideal son-in-law and friend
Over the years, the player cultivates his image of the ideal son-in-law.
Married for 12 years to the Brazilian top-model Gisele BĂĽndchen with whom he had two children, he made the front pages of magazines and multiplied advertising contracts.
He even appeared in an episode of the cartoons "The Simpsons" or in "The Griffins".
His sympathy was only recently dented with the Deflategate affair, a potential cheat of balls voluntarily deflated by the Patriots to help their star quarterback in the AFC conference final against the Indianapolis Colts in 2015.
Tom Brady and his wife Gisele BĂĽndchen after the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victory on February 3, 2019, in Atlanta.
AFP - Kevin C. Cox
Tom Brady has also been criticized in recent years for his special relationship with Donald Trump, a 20-year-old friend he met on the golf courses.
In 2015, during the Deflategate, the businessman who was not yet president had supported the athlete in a tweet.
“Tom is my friend and a super winner,” he wrote in a message.
But during the last election campaign, the footballer was careful not to call for Trump to vote, even if he did not hide their good understanding.
"We cannot deny it, but politics and friendship are two very different things," he simply explained.
From Patriots to Buccaneers
In March 2020, Tom Brady created an earthquake.
The love affair is over with the Patriots.
He announces his departure from New England and his signing with the Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida.
"I have no resentment. I think the time had come for me to live a new experience, quite simply", he had justified at the time.
The bet is daring.
The Tampa team have not reached the playoffs since 2007. But against all odds, the star silences those who predicted failure. With a master hand, he defeats the odds by allowing the Buccaneers to eliminate Washington , New Orleans and Green Bay to land a Super Bowl ticket.
He will face rising NFL star, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on Sunday.
Last year, the 25-year-old Mahomes led his team to the title and dreams of achieving the double.
🤩 For the first time in history, #SuperBowl will pit two QBs against each other who each won an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP! @PatrickMahomes @ TomBrady # ChiefsKingdom #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/3Aoh8Ok88j
- NFL France (@NFLFrance) February 1, 2021
Not yet retirement time
This intergenerational shock promises a great duel and could last a few more years.
The stainless Brady has indeed announced that he is considering extending his career beyond 45 years as long as his health allows it.
"My involvement must be 100% to continue. But I have been very lucky over the years," he said.
"I think I'll know when it's time to quit," he added.
“I don't know when that moment will come, but I think I will know and understand when it does. I could never do things halfway. When I feel I can no longer commit to it. team when she needs me, it will probably be time to go. "
Sunday at home in Tampa Stadium, he will be the oldest player to play a Super Bowl and he will try to become the second quarterback in history to lead two different franchises to the title, after Peyton Manning champion with Indianapolis (2007 ) then Denver (2016).
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