Just hours before Lionel Messi played his last match for Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo posted his latest salvo in a row with Portugal. Ronaldo wants to play on despite the troubles, while Messi bathed in adulation.
Cristiano Ronaldo did not get on the pitch against Norway so lef the Portugal squadImage: Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture alliance
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They are the two players who have defined the last two decades. As football became ever more popular, commercial and dominant in the cultural and sporting landscape, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remained its twin peaks.
Along with that has come endless social media posts, stories and discussions about who is better. Does Messi's World Cup and two Copa America titles with Argentina trump Ronaldo's Euro 2016 win and two Nations League titles? Or does the Portuguese's greater number of goals mean more? How about their club honors?
Lionel Messi has bowed out of international football in a friendly in Buenos Aires. DW looks back at the career of the Barcelona and Argentina legend.
Image: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP
Debut with Barcelona
Having started playing football in his native Argentina, Lionel Messi joined Barcelona's youth academy in 2001 at the age of 13. It wasn't long before he was promoted to the first team, making his La Liga debut in October 2004 at the age of 17. The following May he scored his first goal. His first title also came in his debut season, as Barcelona won La Liga in 2004-05.
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Youthful promise
Messi made waves that summer as Argentina won the U20 World Cup in the Netherlands. The then-18-year-old Messi dominated the tournament, winning both the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament and the Golden Boot as top goal scorer (6 goals). It wouldn't be long before he would start to make headlines as a member of Argentina's senior team.
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World Cup debut in Germany
Indeed, just weeks after the U20 World Cup, Messi made his debut with Argentina in a friendly against Croatia at the age of 18. He was part of the Argentina squad that traveled to Germany for the 2006 World Cup. He came off the bench in Argentina's 6-0 trouncing of Serbia and Montenegro and his goal in the 88th minute made him the youngest player to score for Argentina at a World Cup.
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European Footballer of the Year
In 2009, Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d'Or as European Footballer of the Year, a year after his great rival at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, won his first. The two superstars would dominate the trophy for years to come. Messi would win a total of eight, his last coming in 2023. Ronaldo won "just" five, his last coming in 2017.
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Classico rivalry
Lionel Messi (right) and Cristiano Ronaldo (left) were the dominant players of the first two decades of the Millennium, often facing each other in La Liga's Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Fans and experts alike still debate which of the two was the better overall player. What they can agree on is that both were among the greatest of all time.
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A fourth Champions League title
Truly in his prime at 27, Messi helped Barcelona win the Champions League in 2014-15. Although he was kept off the scoresheet in the final against Juventus in Berlin, Messi was stlll effective. This was his fourth and final Champions League title, although he would go on to lead Barcelona to three more La Liga championships. Off the pitch though, things didn't always go that smoothly...
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Tax evasion conviction
In 2016, Lionel Messi and his late father, Jorge Messi, were convicted in a Spanish court of tax evasion, but avoided prison because their sentences were for less than two years. Jorge Messi played a key role in his son's career, serving as Lionel's agent and managing his business affairs. It was also Jorge who traveled with his son to Spain for his trial with Barcelona's academy in 2001.
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A first title with Argentina
While Messi dominated the 2005 U20 World Cup and won Olympic gold with Argentina in 2008, he was long frustrated by a lack of success with the senior men's team. His first senior title with Argentina only came in 2021, when "la Albiceleste" won the Copa America. Messi shared the honors as top goal scorer with current Bayern Munich man Luis Diaz of Colombia and was named player of the tournament.
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World Cup glory
The Copa America was but a warmup for Messi and Argentina, who went one better by winning the 2022 World Cup, beating France in a penalty shootout in the final. Messi scored twice, including once from the spot as the two teams finished extra time drawn at 3-3. Messi converted his attempt as Argentina beat France 4-2 in the penalty shootout. Messi was named best player of the tournament.
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Two Ligue 1 titles with PSG
In August 2021, the almost unthinkable happened: Despite Messi's offer to sign a contract for half his salary, Barcelona released him, citing financial constraints. Two days after announcing at a tearful press conference that he was leaving Barcelona, Messi, now 34, signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain. He won two Ligue 1 titles in the French capital before moving on again.
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Big in America
In July 2023 MLS club Inter Miami announced arguably the biggest signing in league history, with Lionel Messi agreeing to a contract through the end of 2025. He was named the MLS' Most Valuable Player in 2024 and 2025 and won the Golden Boot in 2025 with 29 goals in just 28 games. He also led Inter to the 2025 MLS Cup, their first league championship. He extended his contract to the end of 2028.
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Jorge's death and thoughts of retirement
Off the pitch, Lionel Messi was hit hard by the news of the death of his father Jorge on August 8, 2026." Messi returned to his hometown of Rosario, Argentina for Jorge's funeral and in the days that followed he spoke openly about not wanting to play football much longer. "I just played football, and now I have serious doubts about continuing to do so for much longer," he wrote on social media.
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Farewell from the international stage
On August 31, 2026, Lionel Messi used his Instagram account to announce that he was retiring from international football. "It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deeply — but I understand that the time has come,” he wrote. Messi played 208 games and scored 126 goals for Argentina. He will continue to play club football for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer.
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One last match for Argentina
On October 6, 2026, Lionel Messi played his final match in an Argentina jersey, a 3-0 victory over Benin in a friendly played in Buenos Aires. Messi was in on all three goals, scoring from the penalty spot in the 70th minute and assisting on the two others. Prior to the match, a giant replica of an Argentina shirt bearing Messi's number 10 was unfurled on the pitch to honor the superstar.
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On Tuesday, Messi scored a 126th goal in his 208th game for Argentina. Shortly before he did, Ronaldo posted a 2,000-word statement in which he stopped short of quitting the national team but said there was an "absolute breakdown of trust" between him and the coach.
'There will be time' for Ronaldo's Portugal farewell
Ronaldo's comments refer to Portugal's recent match against Norway in which he said he was initially to be rested before being asked to warm up as a substitute without ever being brought on. The striker, 41, walked away from the team's camp for the remainder of the international break, but said the story is not over.
"I can promise all my fans, and naturally especially all Portuguese people, that we will have one or more farewell matches. There will be time for that," said Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
"Despite the absolute breach of trust in the coach's word, as anyone who witnessed these conversations can attest, I should not have done it," Ronaldo said. "The responsibility is entirely mine. I apologize to the Portuguese people once again, but the breaking of one's word has, for me, a defining impact.
Ronaldo and Messi were, arguably, at their peaks when playing for Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in the mid 2010sImage: Manu Fernandez/AP Photo/picture alliance
"I felt that, from that point on, my staying would only harm the group, and I did what I have always said I would do if I didn't feel useful: I picked up my bags and left," he continued before suggesting he accepted there may be a need for the coach or federation to punish him.
Messi: Argentina exit 'deeply painful'
It was a long way from the emotional scenes in Rosario, Argentina. Instead of anger and recrimination, the overriding emotions there were gratitude, nostalgia and sadness.
"Not coming anymore is going to be deeply painful. I swear I'd like to play for the rest of my life, because playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you," Messi, who now plays his club football for Inter Miami in the US, told the 80,000 fans who had packed in to see him score a penalty in a 3-0 win over Benin.
For some, the contrasting evenings offered a neat synopsis of the pair. Ronaldo, less naturally gifted than his counterpart, has made the most of his talents with a singular focus which many believe often makes him prioritize himself over the team. He has had similar fallouts with managers and head coaches before, including Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and Portugal's 2022 World Cup coach, Fernando Santos.
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Ronaldo has 100 goals in his sights
Ronaldo's much-discussed aim to reach 1,000 career goals is held up by some as further evidence of where his motivations lie.
"You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies, and I want to reach that number (1,000 goals) that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries," he said last December. He is currently on 979.
For others, that is simply what is required to be the best. While Messi's quiet character and general refusal to play out his life in public suggest a more humble character focused on helping the team, his genius has undoubtedly changed the teams around him. In the 2026 World Cup, he barely broke into a run but still led an otherwise fairly limited Argentina to the final with eight goals.
There will be no more Messi goals for Argentina and, despite his promises, no absolute assurances that the world will see Ronaldo in a Portugal shirt again. For now, both will head back to their club sides to play out their twilight years away from the intensity of Europe's top leagues. But wherever they go from here, the spotlight will keep following.
