The Eurocup and the Copa América continue to feature heavily with the presence of the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentine Lionel Messi, who in the last 15 years have been the most visible and followed footballers of all time in football.
The Portuguese forward, at 39 years old, refuses to stop being a lethal attacker, and still lives for the goal. Meanwhile, Messi (37) has, in part, renounced the rival goal, to dedicate himself to building plays and having them completed by other Argentines on the field, because his football genius continues to mature.
Comparing the two to determine the best of them is almost absurd, since their functions on the field have been different. The European stopped being a winger to become, little by little, a phenomenal centre-forward, and the South American has lived off of creation and passing, as fundamental resources before shooting into the rival goal.
After the 2022 World Cup, few thought that “the bug” and “the flea” would wear the shirts of their national teams again. Time never forgives, but it gave them an extension, in order to give us the best of their football skills today.
Two captains, two different personalities, with different characteristics to understand football, but who retain the hunger to continue shining in the most demanding scenarios. They carry a million-dollar legion of followers and detractors who make them compete in virtual spaces.
Will they make it to the 2026 World Cup? It seems so, although Messi has said that it will depend on how his physique responds. Cristiano Ronaldo opts to remain silent and concentrates on day-to-day life, but his high competitive level will lead him to play in the World Cup. He would be the sixth for both, a record.
Let’s enjoy them these weeks and put comparisons aside. We have been privileged to live in the era that they have raised. Ronaldo made Messi better and he enhanced the Portuguese to infinity. If one of them had not had a brilliant career, the other would no longer be on a soccer field.
