Messi's Vision Differs from Cristiano Ronaldo's

While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi haven't officially retired from their respective national teams, Portugal and Argentina, this year's World Cup was widely seen as their final dance. With the tournament concluded, it's timely to look ahead at the future of both squads without these legends who have inspired global football for the past two decades.

With eight goals and four assists in the tournament, Messi proved that, even at 39, he remains one of the world's best, arguably the most influential player of the championship. His body may not react as it once did, but the connection between his mind and his left foot remains supernatural, a genius that is both individualistic and collective. Everyone knows the ball is coming to him, yet he still finds space to receive it, even when opponents set up intricate traps to contain him. If he's one-on-one, he unbalances the defense; if he draws two or more defenders, he releases a free teammate. It's that simple, yet so distinctive.

However, Messi's performance at the 2026 World Cup, when compared to the output of players like Lautaro Martínez, Julián Alvarez, Nico González, Thiago Almada, or Giuliano Simeone, suggests that Argentina's reliance on him might have been even greater than in 2022. And the issue isn't just in attack: aside from Valentín Barco and Nico Paz, who saw limited playing time at the World Cup, the Albiceleste have little new blood to revitalize the squad.

For Portugal, who will sooner or later have to move forward without Cristiano Ronaldo, that transition appears more promising. The World Cup squad included seven players under 25: Tomás Araújo, Gonçalo Inácio, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Francisco Conceição, and Gonçalo Ramos, who celebrated his 25th birthday during the tournament. Argentina, by contrast, had only three: Valentín Barco, Nico Paz, and Giuliano Simeone.

Portugal doesn't need moral victories—nor the argument that they were eliminated by the world champions, or that they created the most danger against the Spanish—but they can certainly cling to positive signs for the future.

The legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo (and Lionel Messi) is immensely significant, even financially, but their final dance didn't take all the performers with them.