C.Ronaldo and Messi: Burning brightly, accumulating for the final sublimation

(Dan Tri) - At the age of 40 and 38, C. Ronaldo and Messi still created miracles in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. It was as if they wanted to save all the best for the last World Cup of their careers.

C.Ronaldo and Messi: Who is the GOAT? The never-ending war

GOAT (Greatest of All Time) is the term the media uses to describe the race between superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Over the past two decades, the football world has been "crazy" many times to come up with the most accurate answer.

Before the 2018 World Cup, Paper magazine published a picture of Messi holding a goat in his arms (Goat in English means goat) implying that the Argentine superstar was the most deserving person to be honored as GOAT. However, the picture later faced fierce opposition from C. Ronaldo's fans.

The confrontation between C.Ronaldo and Messi has no end (Photo: Getty).

After Messi won the 2022 World Cup and won 8 Golden Balls in his career (C.Ronaldo only has 5 Golden Balls), many people believe that the question "Who is the GOAT?" has been answered. However, The Athletic newspaper argues that C.Ronaldo is the greatest player because of his unprecedented influence in history.

CR7 became the first player to have 1 billion followers on social media and at the same time the richest football player ever. Of course, the “fans’ trophy” is a priceless title.

However, C. Ronaldo has never accepted to surrender to fate. At the age of 40, he still makes everyone remember him when he shines to help the Portuguese team win the UEFA Nations League 2025. And when superstar number 7 has not retired, it means he still has a chance to win the World Cup.

And so, fans are drawn into a new vortex in the race between C. Ronaldo and Messi. Even though they have reached a rare age, the two top football superstars in the world still know how to face each other in an endless duel.

Messi shined with a double against Venezuela (Photo: Getty).

In the history of football, there has never been a confrontation between two superstars that lasted for more than 20 years like that of C. Ronaldo and Messi. Even at each point in time, people "savoured" their own interesting things. That was the enthusiasm and passion of eighteen and twenty year old boys. Those were the days of fierce competition when they were at the top of the world (when they wore the shirts of Barcelona and Real Madrid). And the quiet but fierce competition when both of them stepped on the other side of their career slope.

Everyone understands that both C. Ronaldo and Messi are trying to "burn all their remaining strength" to aim for the final peak tournament in their careers, which is the 2026 World Cup.

Recently, Messi caused a stir when he admitted that he was not sure about participating in the 2026 World Cup. However, it seems that this move was to help this player avoid public opinion. Because El Pulga's legs do not want to stop. At the age of 38, for the first time, Messi won the World Cup Top Scorer award in South America, something that even at the peak of his career, this striker could not do.

Messi played his last official home game in Buenos Aires, shining brightly with a double as Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0. The No. 10 superstar understood the pressure of time. Before the match, he burst into tears during the warm-up because he knew he would no longer have the chance to fight in the arms of home fans.

It is an image that evokes many things. It seems that everything is being compressed in Messi's heart, waiting to explode in the final moments of the tournament in the US, Mexico, Canada. It is like the final gratitude and farewell that Messi is preparing for the Tango fans.

C.Ronaldo became the greatest goalscorer in World Cup qualifiers (Photo: AFP).

Not long after Messi exploded in Buenos Aires, C. Ronaldo also “tore the sky” in Yerevan (Armenia) when he scored twice to help Portugal defeat host Armenia 5-0 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. After that, he continued to score to help the Iberian team defeat Hungary.

Those goals helped CR7 surpass Messi to become the player with the most goals in history in the World Cup qualifiers with 39 goals, equal to Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala). Everyone knows that CR7 will soon monopolize this record.

Messi calls, C. Ronaldo immediately answers. Fans have become too familiar with this refrain over the past 20 years. Unlike Messi who wants to avoid pressure, C. Ronaldo wants to face everything at the age of 40.

Recently, when asked about the possibility of facing Messi for the last time at the 2026 World Cup, C. Ronaldo boldly declared: “I don’t know. Time will come again. But I never say never. I love Messi very much. We have been rivals for so many years. The first time we met, Messi couldn’t even speak English at the Golden Ball award ceremony, and I even played the role of interpreter.”

The reactions of Messi and C. Ronaldo in recent times partly depict their personalities. One is gentle but intense and the other is loud and extremely excited. Importantly, they both conquer everything with their talent, perseverance and desire. And just like that, we have been drawn into the rivalry of two superstars until the end of their youth.

What if C.Ronaldo wins the 2026 World Cup?

That is of course the most perfect scenario for the end of this duel. At the 2022 World Cup, after a decade of tears, Messi finally conquered the hearts of all Argentine fans with the prestigious championship, to stand side by side with Diego Maradona in the legendary temple.

For most of Messi's career, success with the national team has eluded him. However, in just two years, 2021 and 2022, El Pulga brought home two prestigious Copa America and World Cup titles for Argentine fans. At that time, Messi was 35 years old.

C.Ronaldo has everything, except the World Cup championship like Messi (Photo: Getty).

C. Ronaldo also reached the end of his career and only lacked one title, the World Cup. If in the Euro tournament, CR7 became the greatest scorer with 14 goals, then in the World Cup arena, superstar number 7 seems to have no luck.

After 22 matches in the World Cup, C. Ronaldo has only scored 8 goals, far behind the leader Miroslav Klose (16 goals). Notably, all 8 goals of CR7 in this tournament took place in the group stage. Perhaps, the "silence" in the knockout round is one of the reasons why C. Ronaldo has not been able to help Portugal win the World Cup.

However, all of C. Ronaldo's best qualities are being put into his last appearance at the World Cup. Remember, after winning the UEFA Nations League, superstar number 7 once declared: "If I break my leg for the Portuguese team, I will accept it." In that statement, people can see how great CR7's desire is.

Now, when individual titles are gradually becoming "redundant", C.Ronaldo's only desire is to win the World Cup to end his perfect career.

However, on that path, Messi also did everything to defend Argentina's World Cup championship...

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/cronaldo-va-messi-bung-chay-ruc-ro-don-nen-cho-lan-thang-hoa-cuoi-cung-20250913021632965.htm