End of Messi-Ronaldo Duel!

Photo: Collected-

End of Messi-Ronaldo Duel!

Ripon Kumer Sarker-

We will miss their duel. The last two decades were the most exciting era in the history of football. Never, has there been a duel like Messi versus Ronaldo. Pele (d. 29th December 2022) was a king in his generation alone. Maradona (d. 25th November 2020) alone cheered up the whole world in his time. But from 2004 to 2022, we have seen two brightest football superstars at the same time. They competed and fought against each other.

European Leagues are the most popular in the world of football. Football fans enjoyed their best during the time of Messi in Barcelona and Ronaldo in Real Madrid. People used to stay awake even at late night to watch their respective matches. It was the same intense rivalry as Argentina-Brazil or Barcelona-Real Madrid.

The inception of social media made a huge impact in making the duel more exciting. Ronaldo fans used to share Ronaldo’s records as well as statistics and Messi fans with Messi’s. In terms of goals or turning moments of the match, they showed their talent and skill every time. Sometimes Messi won, sometimes Ronaldo.

From 2008 to 2019 Ballon d’Or (award for the best footballer in the world) was shared by these two incredible athletes with one holding the award and another one securing the second position. Such consistent performance of two players for more than a decade was never seen before.

Millions of fans loved football only for these two greats. They played for different clubs but the statistics they were creating made them automatically the great rivals. Sometimes they were seen together at the Ballon d’Or ceremony but they were not much in talk. Journalists and millions of fans were curious about their thoughts on each other. When asked about Messi, Ronaldo said, “We have shared the stage for 15 years. I don’t know if that’s happened before, the same two guys on the same stage all the time. We had that battle in Spain, I pushed him and he pushed me as well. So, it’s good to be a part of the history of football. Of course, we have a good relationship, we haven’t had dinner together yet, but I hope in the future”. 

When asked about Ronaldo, Messi said, “It was nice playing against Cristiano even if it was difficult. He is a predatory striker; he loves to score. When Cristiano was in Madrid, games against them were always special. It was a duel that will last forever, especially at those two clubs (Barca and Madrid) we were at. I think the fans also enjoyed it, be they Barca or Madrid supporters, even those who like football”.

Once in an interview with Radio 94.7 Club Octubre, Messi said, “There are so many good players now. Neymar, Mbappe, Suarez, Eden Hazard”. When asked why not Ronaldo, he said, “I did not include Ronaldo, because I consider him to be on the same level as me”. 

Though Ronaldo is not retiring, the League he is going to play (every second Ronaldo will earn 6.34 US Dollars from the Saudi club Al-Nassr) is not even close to the European League standard. Maybe he will score a lot of goals, but the Saudi League will be considered easy compared to the European League hence the record for the duel will be ended.

We are at the dusk of enjoying what we had for so many years. At the very last stage of their careers, one (Messi) was crowned with the greatest gift (FIFA World Cup) and another had to leave a big club like Manchester United to join a less-known club in Saudi Arabia.

People will never forget the rivalry between the two. Football would not be so exciting if that rivalry was not there. All the people and supporters will miss the great duel. Football itself will lose its beauty when the two brightest stars in history retire.