A farewell party for Leo Messi, another ‘ghost’ in Ronaldo’s career

The grandiose ceremony that will be organized for his eternal rival could make Cristiano’s epilogue with Portugal more bitter.

The case has put them face to face once again. Or rather, it has taken them where they have been for almost 20 years: on the same stage, forced once more to be compared. This time it is not titles or trophies at stake, but a farewell.

In the coming days, the party for Messi’s retirement from Argentina is expected, while Portugal has been shaken by the Cristiano Ronaldo case. The rift with coach Jesus, according to the Portuguese media, could be the prelude to an unexpected farewell by CR7 from the national team. In a few days, international football will lose two of the greatest interpreters of the game in history. A coincidence, considering also the age difference, that leads to the inevitable comparison. And as in the rest of their legendary careers, Messi and Ronaldo seem destined to live as antipodes.

After a World Cup as a protagonist, Argentina has called up its captain to give the people the chance to honor him as he deserves. The Portuguese, on the other hand, when he realized he would again stay on the bench, left Portugal, slamming the door.

For the moment, it is hard to imagine a farewell party. Because after the failure at the World Cup and the Nations League matches, CR7 has been criticized. The missed chances, the nervousness and the inevitable physical decline have exposed him in the eyes of the fans and public opinion, which is gradually demanding that he leave. A status that Ronaldo will not take into consideration.

The parabola of Messi and Ronaldo in their national teams is incredible, if we think back to 10 years ago. In 2016 Cristiano was a national hero after the European Championship won against France. Messi, amid criticism and protests over yet another lost final, announced his retirement from the Seleccion.

There is no right or wrong way to say farewell. But there is a way in which you will be remembered. Messi will have his people, his stadium, his party. He will have time to say goodbye and to be greeted. Ronaldo risks putting into history a very different image, that of the champion who does not accept sitting down, even when football asks him to.

Just like the “Messi, Messi” chant that opposing fans do not spare him, the glorious end of his eternal rival risks turning for Ronaldo into another “ghost” of inferiority within a career built on being the best in every respect.