Messi and Ronaldo have been the two most dominant players to grace the football world simultaneously.
Most times we compare great players who were generations apart, but in this case, we have two of the best players the world has ever seen and they played in the same league for some years.
The clashes between Messi and Ronaldo will be replayed and talked about for years to come, they were blockbusters, true superstars that stood at the top of football, literally.
If Ronaldo did not outscore Messi nobody would do it and the desire to be the best fueled both of them to fulfill their potential.
In a world where Ronaldo doesn’t exist, I don’t think Messi pushes himself this hard. It is well documented that Messi is incredibly gifted naturally and doesn’t kill himself in training, he can be a coach’s worst nightmare because he most likely won’t run 10 laps around the field when others are instructed to.
It has been noted that Ronaldo is the first to turn up for training and the last to leave, he even continued this ritual when he was in his prime, and even when he made his shocking move to Juventus many of the players were surprised with how much he pushed himself in training even though he accomplished everything you could dream about.
Now with Ronaldo nearing 38, he has accomplished everything he objectively can. The world holds these athletes to insane standards.
Instead of us celebrating every match he plays, you look on social media and it’s just criticism from fans, pundits, and ex players alike.
Ronaldo hoped to write a fairytale with Portugal, unfortunately, things did not go according to plan as tensions arose in the Portuguese camp and he was benched for two consecutive games.
Goncalo Ramos scored a hat trick and everyone said Portugal was being held back by Ronaldo, look at Manchester United it is the same thing.
In the next match, Goncalo failed to show up and all of a sudden the narrative becomes Ronaldo let Portugal down.
Portugal exited the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup after a 1-0 defeat to Morroco, Ronaldo left in tears. He wanted to play his last World Cup after giving his all for over 15 years to football, but he didn’t even get to start the 2 most important matches of his career.
The coach of Portugal Fernando Santos made it clear he had no regrets about not starting Ronaldo in both games, I was stunned, Argentina would never do this to Messi, the players would revolt.
Ronaldo never retired because of heartbreak or distanced himself from the National team, he spoke of it fondly, always proud to represent his homeland.
Messi, on the other hand, was having the tournament of his life, Argentina have an embarrassment of riches they can afford to leave out a sniper like Mauro Icardi and still be overstocked.
The Argentines have utilized Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez to great effect and still have dynamos like Paulo Dybala on the bench.
Messi has been instrumental in the Argentine’s quest for the World cup. The argentine has dazzled in Qatar scoring 5 goals in 6 appearances and also influencing the play heavily.
He has received the spotlight and allowed talented members of the squad like Alexis Mac Allister to shine. He was extremely potent in their semi final clash against Croatia, belting his penalty into the roof of the net and taking pressure off the team with his dribbling and movement.
Now he finds himself on the verge of the ultimate achievement, the finals of the world cup looms as he now seeks to add another tale to his already voluminous book.
There have been people vocal about their opinion that if Argentina wins this World Cup the debate about who the “Goat” is.
There is one thing that is set in stone though, Ronaldo will retire as the biggest exploit football ever made. He Is currently the most popular athlete in all sports by a wide margin and definitely the most profitable financially.
Ronaldo’s goal record is now at 819 goals following his most recent strike against Ghana at the World Cup. This goal made him the only player to score at five separate World Cups. He is the biggest player football will produce for the foreseeable future.
He currently is the player that has scored the most goals in the history of football, let that sink in.
Messi is one of the most talented footballers to ever grace a football pitch, the world cup is won yet, but if he wins it, only time will tell and it’s only after a decade we can look at the entire scope of things and analyze who had a bigger impact on football.
Regardless of World cup glory or not Lionel Messi will remain a great who will often be imitated and will remain on the lips of the footballing world for decades to come, the same can be said for Ronaldo.
