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IT was the hope of many football fans around the globe that the two greatest footballers of this generation would meet in the World Cup Final, with the result possibly deciding who would go down as the greatest ever player.
Unfortunately for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the only place the two will be meeting in Russia is at the airport to catch their flights home after Argentina lost to France 4-3 in Kazan and Portugal fell to Uruguay 2-1 in Sochi.
Both players are undoubtedly the talismans over their respective teams; but, in this competition above all, where team spirit and ability is more important than any individual brilliance, they could not drag the rest of their mediocre squads all the way to glory.
Whether this is both of their last chances to win the greatest tournament of them all remains to be seen. Messi is 31 now and has quit the Argentina side on numerous occasions already, whilst Ronaldo is 33 and has adapted his game to be a more of a fox-in-the-box striker.
The Spanish league rivals who have evenly split the last 10 FIFA Player of the Year (Ballon d’Or) Awards. Once again, both men have failed to replicate their club success for their countries.
In my opinion, Messi and Ronaldo may not be at the standard that they are now in 2022, but they’ll both still be world class. The way Ronaldo looks after himself, he’ll still be a force at 37 due to his sheer athleticism. And, considering the rest of the current Portugal squad, he’d probably still be the best player.
Messi will be 35 and I think he’d still be able to play a number 10 role at that age. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Messi played in 2026 either. He could still be a squad player at that point and he is absolutely desperate for a World Cup winner’s medal to add to his collection.
Over the next couple of years, I think Barcelona should convert him into the Pirlo role. His passing ability is tremendous so why not take advantage of that gift by letting him pull the strings from further back so he doesn’t have to run as much?
For both superstars, a World Cup title remains an unreachable star. On Saturday, they were both outshined by a pair of Paris Saint-Germain teammates, France’s Kylian Mbappe and Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani. Younger legs have more speed and endurance. Most importantly, Cavani and Mbappe had more support and less pressure.
Messi hasn’t won a senior title with his nation, losing finals at the 2014 World Cup, and the 2007, 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas, the last when Messi failed on his penalty kick during a shootout. He faced massive criticism at home and retired from the national team only to be lured back for this World Cup cycle.
Ronaldo lost a World Cup semi-final in 2006 but never got past the second round again. He did help Portugal to its first European Championship in 2016, though.
Brazil’s Pele and Argentina’s Diego Maradona became national treasures at home, celebrated for World Cup titles and global superstars. Fans who never saw them play for their clubs know of Pele and Maradona’s accomplishments every four years at the global tournament.
Messi and Ronaldo will be remembered for great club success, but not country triumph.
They have entertained, becoming household names in continents far afield, royalty of the internet age when satellites beamed their twice-a-week matches to homes, bars and laptops in ways Pele, Maradona and predecessors couldn’t envisage.
But now their time at the top is coming to an end. France’s Kylian Mbappé, just 19, and others in the next generation are ready for leading roles. It is too soon to proclaim which will emerge to become the best, but as dusk settles, the dawn is soon ahead.
