Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in 2014 won his fourth Super Bowl, equaling Joe Montana’s total with the 49ers during the dynastic run in the 1980s.

Only three quarterbacks in history have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy four times, putting Brady and Montana in the discussion for greatest signal callers to ever play.

Brady, of course, is a San Mateo native, and returns to the Bay Area to play the 49ers for the first time in his 17-year career Sunday. AFC teams typically play in all NFC stadiums within an eight-year cycle.

But Brady was out for the season with an ACL tear the last time the Patriots traveled to San Francisco in 2008. He bought more tickets for this week’s game for friends and family than any other road game of his career, he said.

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Brady grew up a rabid member of “The Faithful” and was a crying four-year-old in the stands at Candlestick Park during the infamous conference championship game in the 1981 playoffs against the Cowboys.

That game was culminated by Dwight Clark’s game-winning catch — appropriately termed “The Catch” — before San Francisco went on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks later for the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.

It was that game, with Brady in the stands, where Montana laid a foundation for one of the greatest careers in league history.

Thirty-five years later, Brady, who’s appeared in six Super Bowls, finds himself grouped with Montana as the two quarterbacks largely considered the best to ever play.

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Brady was asked about what that meant to him during a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday.

“I don’t ever see myself like him,” Brady said. “He was so spectacular and I think he’s in a league of his own. I’m going to try to keep finding ways to help my team and be the best I can be every week. I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the last few years with my style of play. I love being here, competing and hopefully winning.

“And that’s what Joe did. He was a winner. Every time he took the field, it felt like the 49ers were going to win. I remember rooting for that team when Joe was playing quarterback and you always felt like they were going to win, no matter who they were playing, where they were playing at. Same when Steve (Young) took over. So it was great to be a 49er fan at that time.”