Norristown’s Cavan Sullivan Scores Mentorship With Soccer Legend Lionel Messi
At only 15 years old, Philadelphia Union soccer star Cavan Sullivan is one of 10 rising stars in soccer selected by soccer legend Lionel Messi to participate in the Adidas “Messi +10” campaign. This project spotlights the efforts of young soccer talents navigating the realities of professional soccer with Messi serving as a mentor to help them succeed.
In a promotional video shot for the campaign, Sullivan is shown walking through Subaru Park, describing his experience meeting Messi after a Union match against Inter Miami in 2024.
Lionel Messi and Cavan Sullivan Video
“Meeting him was crazy to me. Because it’s like, ‘Hey, I just met him,’ and now a month later, it’s like, ‘Would you like to be a part of the Messi +10 collab?’ And it’s like, yeah, obviously,” he describes in the video.
MontCo Today reported that soccer is a huge part of Cavan’s family background. His grandfather Larry is a legend in the sport, and his older brother, Quinn, also competes for the Union.
In three years, Sullivan is set to be a part of Manchester City’s renowned English team through a prearranged deal. Beyond this experience, Sullivan is also setting his sights on a much loftier goal: making the U.S. squad for the 2026 World Cup.
“Every time I get the ball, I mean, I want to have an impact on the game,” Sullivan stated. “I want to be the difference maker and the playmaker … decision-making becomes a big part of your playing style.”
“I think that today the most important thing for a player is to understand the game more than individual characteristics,” Messi said in a segment within the video. “I think that you can be very good, very good if you have a lot of skills, but if you don’t understand the game, it’s much more difficult.”