Before Mason Crosby became one of the best kickers in NFL history, his passion was the other “football” sport.

“My first love is definitely soccer,” the former Green Bay Packers kicker said during an interview at Premier League Fan Fest in Nasville last weekend.

And while Crosby isn’t officially retired from the NFL, soccer is still “something to this day I gravitate to more than anything.”

That was evident during the fan fest.

Crosby, who last played for the Packers in the 2022 season, was all over the big event and rocked a Liverpool Football Club scarf that he received from his brother, who went to a game in England.

“We have a piece of Anfield right here,” Crosby told the large crowd while on set of NBC Sports, referencing the team’s stadium.

Mason Crosby compares Green Bay Packers to Liverpool Football Club

Crosby became a fan of the football club when he was a teenager, he said, after a youth team from the Liverpool area played in the Dallas Cup in Texas. He also sees similarities between the Packers when he played there and Liverpool and credits a lot of that to outgoing manager Jürgen Klopp.

“What he’s done with this club has been exceptional,” Crosby said. “His leadership, the way he develops young players, he’s fearless. He’s not worried about putting young players out on the pitch and making them go out and have success. That’s something special, being in Green Bay for so long, that’s what we did. I relate really heavily to Liverpool in that regard. I feel like it’s kind of felt like the Green Bay Packers of the Premier League.”

Crosby said, throughout his NFL career, he fell back to the skills he learned in soccer.

“I owe a lot of it to that time playing soccer and what it taught me,” Crosby said.

Here’s more about Crosby’s current football status:

Is Mason Crosby retired?

Crosby, who turns 40 in September, hasn’t officially retired. He remains a free agent after last season ended. Could we get more videos of him kicking from boats and high schools this offseason like last year to entice NFL teams?

Mason Crosby’s NFL career

He spent 16 years kicking for the Green Bay Packers (2007-22) and set many franchise records. He tops the organization in points (1,918), field goals (395) and extra points (733).