Welcome to the fractured world of football. This is a world where disagreement means division, a world where no middle ground exists between reverence and desecration. The nuance is long dumped in favour of binary thinking. This is football disguised as ideology, where you're either with us or them. One such ideological conundrum that the game throws are whether winning the World Cup is an absolute requirement for great players to enter the pantheons of legend, whose inhabitants currently include the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona.
The question is now more relevant than ever, as two players who have captivated the world with their mesmerising skills for over a decade have now entered the twilight of their respective careers, and the upcoming World Cup in Qatar is going to be their last realistic attempt at claiming the most prized possession in the world of football. Yes, we are talking about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Admittedly, reading out these two names separated by 'and' feels a bit disorientating. It is supposed to be Messi vs Ronaldo, as it has been for a better part of the 21st century.
But for all the antagonism they share - in their aesthetics, appearances, and style of play - one common feature that binds their careers is the lack of a World Cup trophy.
This is going to be their fifth World Cup appearance, and though it can be argued that they have passed their absurd peak, the fact that the tournament still revolves around them to some extent remains irrefutable. It also tells even a team sport like football is not immune to the individual conception of talents.
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