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Lionel Messi watched, hands on hips, the pain engraved on a youthful face filled with boundless joy, now obscured by a brown beard and hardened by the expectations of his nation unsatisfied.
Four hours later and 950 km miles), Cristiano Ronaldo's eyes were angry as he screamed in protest just before the final whistle, arguing again with a referee. The tirade gave Ronaldo a second yellow card that would have suspended him for the next match. No worries, the World Cup in Portugal ended in defeat.
Saturday will probably mark the end of an era for the World Cup, a decade when most of the hype and pre-tournament debates focused on the world's best players, rivals from the Spanish league who split equally the last 10 FIFA Players of the year. Once again, the two men failed to replicate the success of their club for their country.
Messi is 31 years old and Ronaldo 33, of old phenomena that will not reach Qatar 2022 or will retain their exceptional talent if they manage to hold on.
For both superstars, a World Cup title remained an unreachable star. Saturday, they were both surpassed 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 at the 2014 World Cup, and the Copa Americas of 2007, '15 and '16, last when Messi failed on his penalty kick during a shootout. He faced massive criticism at home and retired from the national team only to be attracted to this World Cup cycle.
Ronaldo lost a World Cup semifinal in 2006 but never passed 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 to Uruguay 2-1 in Sochi
Brazilian Pele and Argentine Diego Maradona became national treasures at them, 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
Messi aged one year at a contract scribbled on a briefcase in 2000. He was 17 when he was made his debut in 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 setting and unparalleled acceleration, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger likened Messi's moves to a video game creation, proclaiming that he was the only one in the world. he was "like a PlayStation".
once unfathomable: 383 goals in 418 league games, 100 in 125 Champions 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 at 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 far behind
They were the yin and yang of soccer, 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 grew up 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 from distant continents, the kingship of the Internet where satellites broadcast their matches twice a week in homes, bars and laptops in ways that Pele, Maradona and his predecessors could not consider.
But now their time at the summit has come an end. 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.
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