Cristiano Ronaldo - Lionel Messi, two legends for a twilight in 2026

Inseparable, until the very end. Between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, it's as if the silhouette of one never goes completely without the shadow of the other. Direct adversaries in a hegemonic struggle for whoever obtains the most Golden Balls, rivals in La Liga when "CR7" wore the colors of Real Madrid against Barça de "la Pulga", then both left for more "exotic" destinations in 2023...

Here they are now almost jointly hanging up the jersey of their selection. Messi announced it on August 31, before celebrating it during a final match with Argentina on October 6. Ronaldo will have waited almost a month to the day, this Thursday, November 5 to in turn say “Adeus” to the Seleçao.

Their twenty years representing their country may not have been the culmination of their rivalry, one of the greatest in football history. The two players have only faced each other twice, during two anecdotal friendly meetings (2-1 for Argentina in 2011, 1-0 for Portugal in 2014). But they symbolized the quest for glory and greatness of the two attackers, absolute superstars of their selection, sometimes to the firmament, sometimes to the point of disgust.

The fall was harder for Ronaldo

In this little game, their end of international adventure says a lot about the journey of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentinian had the right to a jubilee as his last selection, a formality against Benin a pretext to celebrate the idol of an entire people. A king in front of his court. For the Portuguese, it was a completely different story. That of an end to the relationship between passion and tension for Ronaldo and the Portuguese selection.

Like Messi, he was the standard bearer for many years, the attraction that weighed on all opposing teams, the one through whom the game passed, or at least its finish. But due to a slow physical decline and even more involvement and attitude, "CR7" was debunked from its pedestal in Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo the icon was entitled to his share of frequent criticism by the local media for his individual performances and his inability to influence the game. Above all, the Seleçao steeped in talent never seemed to give its full measure, entangled in the management of a leader (and his ego) who had become too cumbersome given his performance.

Annoyed at not having come on during a Nations League match against Denmark, he ended up slamming the door of his selection, earning him a very meager punishment. Cristiano Ronaldo was even among the “pre-selected” players for the next Lusitanian gathering. But he ultimately himself avoided what could have amounted to a great reconciliation or a huge headache. With their star striker, Portugal hoped to rise to the top of world football, having reached the Euro final in 2004 only a few months after Ronaldo's debut. His track record is not exactly at the expected heights.

Messi crowned, Ronaldo challenged

A European champion title in 2016 certainly, but whose hero was named Eder, the only scorer against France in the final, and not "CR7", who was injured at the start of the match. Two Nations Leagues in 2019 and 2025. But no better than a semi-final in the World Cup 20 years ago now, in a competition that Cristiano Ronaldo marked more by his longevity (the only player to score in six editions) than by his talent (11 goals in 27 matches, ten fewer than Lionel Messi).

In a nation with a much more extensive record before his first steps, Lionel Messi has won everything: two Copa America (2021, 2024) that Argentina has been waiting for since 1993, and the 2022 World Cup, in addition to two finals in 2014 and 2026. In the United States last summer, Lionel Messi did not manage to complete his work with a new trophy for the Albiceleste. But he will at least have been able to take care of his outing on the field, when Cristiano Ronaldo had to resort to an open letter.