Messi and Ronaldo leave the World Cup without titles

MOSCOW: Lionel Messi stared, his hands on his hips, with the pain of a youthful face filled with boundless joy, now darkened by a brown beard and hardened by the expectations of his unfulfilled nation.

Four hours later and at 950 miles (1,530 kilometers), Cristiano Ronaldo was wide-eyed with anger as he screamed in protest just before the final whistle, arguing again with a arbitrator. The tirade gave Ronaldo a second yellow card that would have suspended him for the next match. No worries, the World Cup of Portugal ended with a defeat.

Saturday will probably mark the end of an era for the World Cup, a decade when much of the hype and pre-tournament has focused on the world's best players, rivals from the Spanish league who shared the last 10 FIFA Player of the Year Award. Once again, the two men failed to replicate the success of their club in their country.

Messi spent his 31st birthday and Ronaldo's 33 years old, old phenomena should not reach Qatar in 2022 or retain their exceptional talent if they manage to hang on.

For both superstars, a World Cup title remained an unreachable star. Saturday, they were both surpbaded by two teammates of Paris Saint-Germain, French Kylian Mbappe and Uruguayan Edinson Cavani. Younger legs have more speed and stamina. More importantly, Cavani and Mbappe had more support and less pressure.

Messi did not win a senior title with his nation, losing the finals of the 2014 World Cup, and the 2007 Copa Americas, 15 and 16, the last one where Messi failed on his penalty kick at the # 39, a shooting. He faced mbadive criticism at home and retired from the national team only to be attracted to this World Cup cycle.

Ronaldo lost a semifinal of the World Cup in 2006 but never pbaded the second round. He helped Portugal at its first European Championship in 2016.

If Argentina and Portugal won on Saturday, the rivals would have clashed for a spot in the semifinals. Instead, they will run to the airport. Argentina lost to France 4-3 in Kazan and Portugal fell to Uruguay 2-1 in Sochi.

Pele from Brazil and Argentine Diego Maradona have become national treasures at home, celebrated for World Cup titles and global superstars. Fans who have never seen them play for their clubs know the achievements of Pele and Maradona every four years at the World Tournament.

Messi and Ronaldo will be remembered for their great success, but not for the triumph of the country.

Barcelona signed 13-year-old Messi on a contract scribbled on a towel in 2000. He was 17 when he made his debut in the first team competition. The titles have accumulated at an unprecedented pace: four in the Champions League, nine in the Liga and six in the Copa del Rey. Adulation to Camp Nou transformed into worship; The media called it "La Pugla" for its small frame and unparalleled acceleration. Arsene Wenger, Arsenal's manager, likened Messi's moves to a video game creation, stating that he was "like a PlayStation."

He scored at an unfathomable pace: 383 goals in 418 league games, 100 in 125 league games and 552 in 637 first team appearances. He was an old one of the most popular clubs in the world, a mark of his own, gaining love in Spain but detaching his compatriots in South America. Too often, his failures in the World Cup have been compared to the success of Maradona.

Ronaldo, too, made his debut at 17, for the Sporting Lisbon. His cross dribble was already famous when Alex Ferguson took him to Manchester United before the 2003-04 season and gave him the No. 7 of the late David Beckham. After six seasons, including three Premier League titles, a Champions League and an FA Cup, he moved to Real Madrid and scored 450 goals in 438 games, winning four titles in the Champions League, and twice the league and the cup. He set a Champions League record with 120 goals, leaving Messi a distant second.

They were the yin and yang of football, Messi played down and distant, Ronaldo flamboyant with a model girlfriend and attractive hairstyles. They are global spokespersons, Ronaldo for Nike, Toyota and many others; Messi for the likes of Adidas and Pepsi.

Ronaldo made a goatee for this World Cup. He said it was because of a bet with his Portuguese team-mate Ricardo Quaresma, but it coincided with the release of a Messi ad with a real goat – as in "Greatest of All" Time. "

They had fun, becoming familiar names on distant continents, kingdoms of the Internet era where satellites broadcast matches twice to homes, bars and laptops so that Pele, Maradona and his predecessors could not contemplate.

But now their time at the summit has ended. Mbappe, just 19, and others in the next generation are ready for the main roles. It is too early to proclaim what will emerge to become the best. As dusk fell late in the Russian summer night, dawn was just ahead.