FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[Patrol69]

But I still think both teams should accept these two players are old and they need to think about the other and younger players.

Players like these are not very common for you to have them, you can get players like these that are extraordinary once in 20 decades that is why it is so difficult for the teams of these players to leat them go or retire them. Their are good players in Portugal and Argentina team but can't be compared like these legends.  Despite they are of age they still make football interesting to fans. If we are been honest the talented players that we have can't be compared to the standard of these legends. Messi and and Ronaldo have created good memories in football that can't be forgotten.

I agree with you. Ronaldo and Messi are two football icons who will never be replaced. There are no other players even close to their level in their prime. It is difficult to let them go in the national team because they have an extraordinary influence on the team. I remember the moment when Ronaldo encouraged his teammates in the 2016 Euro final even though at that time France was very favored compared to Portugal. Messi also had a big influence on Argentina's overall game at the 2022 world cup in Qatar. So I think it's difficult to keep them from being called up unless they decide to retire.

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the most iconic stars in the world of football today. To some people, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are a name of passion. I know about Messi before I know about Argentina. If Messi was not an Argentinian footballer, maybe Argentina would not be known. Football has made Argentina known to the world and all Argentines know Messi. In the last World Cup, Messi fulfilled their 30-year regret and after 30 long years, Leo Messi managed to win the World Cup trophy, which was the first World Cup for Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo has contributed a lot for his country alone but he has not won any major titles so I hope that the star will win the World Cup trophy next season.

This is quite common, people know Messi before Argentina, Messi spent his entire career in Europe, he started playing at Barcelona together with Ronaldinho Gaúcho. If I'm not mistaken, it was Ronaldinho Gaucho himself who provided the pass for Messi's first goal in Barcelona's first team.

If I say right now that Messi is the most popular star in football and he is the best footballer, I don't think there will be a mistake. Cristiano Ronaldo was asked who is the best between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to which Cristiano Ronaldo replied of course Lionel Messi is better than me. Messi is definitely one of the best footballers in the world and all the legendary stars including Maradona and Pele will definitely have Lionel Messi next to their names.  Lionel Messi had numerous achievements at the club level only his international achievements which he achieved in the last few years now Lionel Messi has nothing more to achieve. There is no doubt that Messi is the best player in Europe and Messi is one of the best players in the entire football world.

[1714649574]

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[1714649574]

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[LUCKMCFLY]

I could see the struggling in Portugal in the last world cup, they didn't really perform well despite they have good players in the team. I feel these players does not have good connections with the coach , the team needs a coach that can carry the players along and bond very well with them. Portugal is a team that always makes world cup and other competitions very interesting because of their good performance which makes them to always be one of the leading teams. Just hope Portugal gets better like the way they used to be to make the next World Cup competition to be interesting.

What I think about this is that in Portugal there are players like Bruno and Cancelo who do not accept the leadership of a legend like CR7, they want to lead, and the truth is they don't have it because their football history is not as good or outstanding as that of CR7, So these types of "piques" are what lead a team on the wrong path, this is not good or healthy for any team, therefore the coach here has to put those who really do it well, Bruno is good, but if there is another player better than him, he must accept that he can be replaced, in this case things can happen like this, except that the focus of the mute is on CR7, because he is the one who receives the most news, I think the last World Cup They did nothing because of the coach by not including CR7, this World Cup I don't think they will make the same mistake.

All eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo at the Qatar World Cup, as if he was competing instead of Portugal, but it is natural that he gets a lot of attention, because he is one of the best players in the world and maybe many people think it is the last World Cup that will be held. played by Ronaldo.
In fact, Bruno's problems with Ronaldo were discovered not only in Portugal, but when Ronaldo was part of Manchester United, they were said to have had a bad relationship. However, Bruno himself denied what was rumored, but we also don't know whether this problem really happened or not and maybe they don't want the public to know.
In my opinion, Ronaldo's leadership in Portugal is still needed, because until now I have not seen any figure who can replace Ronaldo's role in providing motivation to his colleagues. I don't know whether they will be fine after Ronaldo leaves or not, but I hope they can be better even without Ronaldo.

What happens is just the following, both Bruno and Cancelo and a few more are players who are good, but they have not made history with Portugal, if you look at them they are X players, you cannot compare them with CR7 because they have no great individual achievements , nothing Neither Bruno nor Cancelo have had the same career as him, Bruno does not know what it is to win in football, not even a UCL, and Cancelo even less so, in the teams they are in they have to shine, CR7 in which he is shines whether for better or worse, then this type of thing when one of them speaks badly of CR7 earns hatred almost worldwide, so if Bruno admits that if he has had problems with CR7 then he is going to do it. He still earns the world hatred, for me it is as I have said, a player especially like Cancelo who came out washing his hands like Pilato, and this can be corroborated, you just have to ask Figo, Deco, Mou himself the opinion he has about those players .

[Leviathan.007]

I disagree, most of the world cup winners all had star players so far in the world. Lets take a look at the world cup winners all together, Argentina, who had Messi and France who had Mbappe and Germany who had Klose and so forth and so forth.

You could argue that all these players had star teammates along with them, so you could say that team matters, but you can't tell me that a team could win without a star player, every single team that won world cup had at least one star player, maybe more. This is why I believe that you are going to need star players. Sure Messi had Di maria, or others had other help, but there was always a star player anytime any team won. It is more possible to have teams filled with star players.

I noted something here. You have mentioned the names of Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi in this post. But you never mentioned the name of Cristiano Ronaldo. He is perhaps more skilled when compared to the other two. But unfortunately, his team (Portugal) could not perform well in major FIFA tournaments. For that matter, Mbappé the world cup for France in 2018 but failed in 2022. But at least he was in the team that entered the finals in 2022.

If you want to compare these two players you should see the performance of Ronaldo in his good days, not today when he is older.
Ronaldo was performing well even in Portugal but even his good performance in his golden days was not enough for Portugal to achieve anything in the past World Cup while Mbappe helped his team a lot in the Qatar World Cup and he could take his team to the final match against Argentina which can show the better performance of Messi and Mbappe in their national teams than Ronaldo.
I think Portugal. had to start thinking about the younger player even years ago before Ronaldo got older than this.

[Rampagoe004]

If you want to compare these two players you should see the performance of Ronaldo in his good days, not today when he is older.
Ronaldo was performing well even in Portugal but even his good performance in his golden days was not enough for Portugal to achieve anything in the past World Cup while Mbappe helped his team a lot in the Qatar World Cup and he could take his team to the final match against Argentina which can show the better performance of Messi and Mbappe in their national teams than Ronaldo.
I think Portugal. had to start thinking about the younger player even years ago before Ronaldo got older than this.

Sorry but I think Mbappe and Messi can perform optimally in the world cup because they have teammates with great quality and are able to play collectively as a team. Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France and broke several records because of the support of other French players. Players like Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Mbappe, Pogba, Kante and Griezman make France a very great team with many superstars. They had Kante as the best defensive midfielder at that time and Pogba as the maestro in the middle of the field. They also have Mbappe with his extraordinary speed and finishing.

I don't need to talk about Argentina in the 2022 world cup because they also have an extraordinary squad although not as great as France in 2018.

This is different from Ronaldo. Even though Portugal is one of the strong teams in the world cup, they have players of average quality. Ronaldo also helped Portugal a lot but it was very difficult to carry the whole team alone.

[Frankolala]

If you want to compare these two players you should see the performance of Ronaldo in his good days, not today when he is older.
Ronaldo was performing well even in Portugal but even his good performance in his golden days was not enough for Portugal to achieve anything in the past World Cup while Mbappe helped his team a lot in the Qatar World Cup and he could take his team to the final match against Argentina which can show the better performance of Messi and Mbappe in their national teams than Ronaldo.
I think Portugal. had to start thinking about the younger player even years ago before Ronaldo got older than this.

Sorry but I think Mbappe and Messi can perform optimally in the world cup because they have teammates with great quality and are able to play collectively as a team. Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France and broke several records because of the support of other French players. Players like Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Mbappe, Pogba, Kante and Griezman make France a very great team with many superstars. They had Kante as the best defensive midfielder at that time and Pogba as the maestro in the middle of the field. They also have Mbappe with his extraordinary speed and finishing.

I don't need to talk about Argentina in the 2022 world cup because they also have an extraordinary squad although not as great as France in 2018.

This is different from Ronaldo. Even though Portugal is one of the strong teams in the world cup, they have players of average quality. Ronaldo also helped Portugal a lot but it was very difficult to carry the whole team alone.

A tree cannot make a forest, because there is no way Ronaldo can be everywhere at the same time. Portugal is a team with average players that are not that experienced compare to France players, that are big names and in most of the strr9leavjes in the world.

Ronaldo at his old age is still scoring hat trick, this alone will make you know that he needs good players around him for him to be able to play his role perfectly.

[Oneandpure]

Sorry but I think Mbappe and Messi can perform optimally in the world cup because they have teammates with great quality and are able to play collectively as a team. Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France and broke several records because of the support of other French players. Players like Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Mbappe, Pogba, Kante and Griezman make France a very great team with many superstars. They had Kante as the best defensive midfielder at that time and Pogba as the maestro in the middle of the field. They also have Mbappe with his extraordinary speed and finishing.

I don't need to talk about Argentina in the 2022 world cup because they also have an extraordinary squad although not as great as France in 2018.

This is different from Ronaldo. Even though Portugal is one of the strong teams in the world cup, they have players of average quality. Ronaldo also helped Portugal a lot but it was very difficult to carry the whole team alone.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have won World Cup with their national teams had good performance in last several edition, Lionel Messi success get his first World Cup trophy last edition and other side Mbappe make France national team back to back lead to final although got loss after beating by Argentina.
Difference achieving of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, failed lead until semifinal and less potential for Portugal get world cup trophy for next edition time currently Ronaldo have over age and most youth talented players get less minutes playing. Cristiano Ronaldo in last several world cup edition seems working alone because difference of qualities between France or Argentina has solid composition.

[Zlantann]

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have won World Cup with their national teams had good performance in last several edition, Lionel Messi success get his first World Cup trophy last edition and other side Mbappe make France national team back to back lead to final although got loss after beating by Argentina.
Difference achieving of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, failed lead until semifinal and less potential for Portugal get world cup trophy for next edition time currently Ronaldo have over age and most youth talented players get less minutes playing. Cristiano Ronaldo in last several world cup edition seems working alone because difference in qualities between France and Argentina has a solid composition.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be very active in the field of play in the next World Cup because of age. Secondly, both of them are not playing in the best league in the world. So we shouldn't expect much from them.

Ronaldo's case is even more complicated because his iconic jersey number was given to Braga star Bruma in their friendly match against Sweden in the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques. This might be an indication that the Al-Nassr superstar might not have an automatic shirt in the World Cup. Messi's shirt in the national team is secured because coach Lionel Sebastián Scaloni has assured him that he is always welcome in the national team. In the case of Klyrian Mbappé, he is at the peak of his career and is a key player on the French national team. So he will surely lead France to the next World Cup.

[temple]

Sorry but I think Mbappe and Messi can perform optimally in the world cup because they have teammates with great quality and are able to play collectively as a team. Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France and broke several records because of the support of other French players. Players like Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Mbappe, Pogba, Kante and Griezman make France a very great team with many superstars. They had Kante as the best defensive midfielder at that time and Pogba as the maestro in the middle of the field. They also have Mbappe with his extraordinary speed and finishing.

I don't need to talk about Argentina in the 2022 world cup because they also have an extraordinary squad although not as great as France in 2018.

This is different from Ronaldo. Even though Portugal is one of the strong teams in the world cup, they have players of average quality. Ronaldo also helped Portugal a lot but it was very difficult to carry the whole team alone.

I think on an individual level France had the better team at the 2022 Qatar World Cup in the final against Argnetina, but the team didn't work as well as the Argentina team did. Of course it was a penalty shootout and you might say by then it is a 50:50 game, but Argentina worked harder for their success throughout the whole game. I thought that France would be dominating the game and create more chances and have more ball possession, but it was quite the opposite. Argrentina had double the number of shots and shots on target and they had more ball possession than this incredibly strong French team.

I still think that France probably has the best team, at least in nuances. But this doesn't mean they are the guaranteed winners of any international tournament.

[Rampagoe004]

Ronaldo's case is even more complicated because his iconic jersey number was given to Braga star Bruma in their friendly match against Sweden in the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques. This might be an indication that the Al-Nassr superstar might not have an automatic shirt in the World Cup. Messi's shirt in the national team is secured because coach Lionel Sebastián Scaloni has assured him that he is always welcome in the national team. In the case of Klyrian Mbappé, he is at the peak of his career and is a key player on the French national team. So he will surely lead France to the next World Cup.

I read some articles and I saw that Bruma only wore no 7 in the match against Sweden and that was because Ronaldo didn't play. However, it was stated there that Bruma only wore number 7 in that match and would return to wearing number 17 for other matches. No. 7 for Portugal is the same as no. 10 for Argentina. It is a sacred number that can only be given to the best of the best players. I am sure that Messi and Ronaldo will play in the 2026 World Cup and they will still wear number 10 and number 7. I even think it is possible that if both of them retire, these numbers will be given specifically by them to young players who they consider worthy of wearing these numbers.

[mv1986]

Ronaldo's case is even more complicated because his iconic jersey number was given to Braga star Bruma in their friendly match against Sweden in the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques. This might be an indication that the Al-Nassr superstar might not have an automatic shirt in the World Cup. Messi's shirt in the national team is secured because coach Lionel Sebastián Scaloni has assured him that he is always welcome in the national team. In the case of Klyrian Mbappé, he is at the peak of his career and is a key player on the French national team. So he will surely lead France to the next World Cup.

I read some articles and I saw that Bruma only wore no 7 in the match against Sweden and that was because Ronaldo didn't play. However, it was stated there that Bruma only wore number 7 in that match and would return to wearing number 17 for other matches. No. 7 for Portugal is the same as no. 10 for Argentina. It is a sacred number that can only be given to the best of the best players. I am sure that Messi and Ronaldo will play in the 2026 World Cup and they will still wear number 10 and number 7. I even think it is possible that if both of them retire, these numbers will be given specifically by them to young players who they consider worthy of wearing these numbers.

Bruma is not the big deal here, the big deal is whether Brazil will deliver now or no as it still look so easy that they should win, but nobody really knows at this point whether they are going to win! I think they will qualify, but could they mess this up. It would be insanely unique!

[Patrol69]

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have won World Cup with their national teams had good performance in last several edition, Lionel Messi success get his first World Cup trophy last edition and other side Mbappe make France national team back to back lead to final although got loss after beating by Argentina.
Difference achieving of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, failed lead until semifinal and less potential for Portugal get world cup trophy for next edition time currently Ronaldo have over age and most youth talented players get less minutes playing. Cristiano Ronaldo in last several world cup edition seems working alone because difference in qualities between France and Argentina has a solid composition.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be very active in the field of play in the next World Cup because of age. Secondly, both of them are not playing in the best league in the world. So we shouldn't expect much from them.

In the case of Lionel Messi, the matter is different because he last won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, in which case he will definitely want to make the last World Cup tournament of his life like this. He may want to dwell on the fact that he won the last World Cup but if he plays in the 2026 World Cup and if he does not win the trophy in the 2026 World Cup, the fans will not be able to say that Messi has won the last World Cup of his career. Maybe Lionel Messi will decide to retire before the start of the 2026 World Cup but Ronaldo is different. Ronaldo has tried a lot but he hasn't been able to gift the team the World Cup so far so it won't be surprising if he plays the 2026 World Cup. Considering his age, Ronaldo will definitely perform well if he plays in the World Cup at 26.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Ronaldo's case is even more complicated because his iconic jersey number was given to Braga star Bruma in their friendly match against Sweden in the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques. This might be an indication that the Al-Nassr superstar might not have an automatic shirt in the World Cup. Messi's shirt in the national team is secured because coach Lionel Sebastián Scaloni has assured him that he is always welcome in the national team. In the case of Klyrian Mbappé, he is at the peak of his career and is a key player on the French national team. So he will surely lead France to the next World Cup.

I read some articles and I saw that Bruma only wore no 7 in the match against Sweden and that was because Ronaldo didn't play. However, it was stated there that Bruma only wore number 7 in that match and would return to wearing number 17 for other matches. No. 7 for Portugal is the same as no. 10 for Argentina. It is a sacred number that can only be given to the best of the best players. I am sure that Messi and Ronaldo will play in the 2026 World Cup and they will still wear number 10 and number 7. I even think it is possible that if both of them retire, these numbers will be given specifically by them to young players who they consider worthy of wearing these numbers.

Bruma is not the big deal here, the big deal is whether Brazil will deliver now or no as it still look so easy that they should win, but nobody really knows at this point whether they are going to win! I think they will qualify, but could they mess this up. It would be insanely unique!

Well, we have to take things into consideration as they are, I know that Brazil has had many problems as a team, so far they have done a bad job in the qualifiers for the next World Cup, in fact they have drawn and lost with teams that should not have done so, but Of course this has happened due to lack of a coach, and that must be corrected as quickly as possible, because we have already started the playoffs, they are also coming to the Copa América. I think that will be the best event for the coaches to show themselves to others. and it is where the greats will be measured , for me Argentina will always be one of the best in the world, but because Messi is there, without Messi the team does not fit well, that is what it seems to me, now Brazil has many stars and that It is a point in its Favor.

[swogerino]

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have won World Cup with their national teams had good performance in last several edition, Lionel Messi success get his first World Cup trophy last edition and other side Mbappe make France national team back to back lead to final although got loss after beating by Argentina.
Difference achieving of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, failed lead until semifinal and less potential for Portugal get world cup trophy for next edition time currently Ronaldo have over age and most youth talented players get less minutes playing. Cristiano Ronaldo in last several world cup edition seems working alone because difference in qualities between France and Argentina has a solid composition.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be very active in the field of play in the next World Cup because of age. Secondly, both of them are not playing in the best league in the world. So we shouldn't expect much from them.

In the case of Lionel Messi, the matter is different because he last won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, in which case he will definitely want to make the last World Cup tournament of his life like this. He may want to dwell on the fact that he won the last World Cup but if he plays in the 2026 World Cup and if he does not win the trophy in the 2026 World Cup, the fans will not be able to say that Messi has won the last World Cup of his career. Maybe Lionel Messi will decide to retire before the start of the 2026 World Cup but Ronaldo is different. Ronaldo has tried a lot but he hasn't been able to gift the team the World Cup so far so it won't be surprising if he plays the 2026 World Cup. Considering his age, Ronaldo will definitely perform well if he plays in the World Cup at 26.

For Ronaldo I also think he will be participating as he seem very fit still for his age while he is still playing at a very high level no matter that he plays in a league of the not best quality like the Saudi League.I think we can better judge a player like Ronaldo by his performance in the Euro 2024 which will be held in less than 2 months.If he performs really well then I doubt another 2 years will see him deteriorate that much as to not be playing in the FIFA 2026.For Messi though I see no real reason while he should quit and not participate in the World Cup,he is still playing at high levels in MLS in US and if he is playing with Inter Miami up to that time then most surely he will be participating to play in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

[Docnaster]

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have won World Cup with their national teams had good performance in last several edition, Lionel Messi success get his first World Cup trophy last edition and other side Mbappe make France national team back to back lead to final although got loss after beating by Argentina.
Difference achieving of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, failed lead until semifinal and less potential for Portugal get world cup trophy for next edition time currently Ronaldo have over age and most youth talented players get less minutes playing. Cristiano Ronaldo in last several world cup edition seems working alone because difference in qualities between France and Argentina has a solid composition.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be very active in the field of play in the next World Cup because of age. Secondly, both of them are not playing in the best league in the world. So we shouldn't expect much from them.

In the case of Lionel Messi, the matter is different because he last won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, in which case he will definitely want to make the last World Cup tournament of his life like this. He may want to dwell on the fact that he won the last World Cup but if he plays in the 2026 World Cup and if he does not win the trophy in the 2026 World Cup, the fans will not be able to say that Messi has won the last World Cup of his career. Maybe Lionel Messi will decide to retire before the start of the 2026 World Cup but Ronaldo is different. Ronaldo has tried a lot but he hasn't been able to gift the team the World Cup so far so it won't be surprising if he plays the 2026 World Cup. Considering his age, Ronaldo will definitely perform well if he plays in the World Cup at 26.

For Ronaldo I also think he will be participating as he seem very fit still for his age while he is still playing at a very high level no matter that he plays in a league of the not best quality like the Saudi League.I think we can better judge a player like Ronaldo by his performance in the Euro 2024 which will be held in less than 2 months.If he performs really well then I doubt another 2 years will see him deteriorate that much as to not be playing in the FIFA 2026.For Messi though I see no real reason while he should quit and not participate in the World Cup,he is still playing at high levels in MLS in US and if he is playing with Inter Miami up to that time then most surely he will be participating to play in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

I read a documentary yesterday in which it was reported that Cristiano Ronaldo will be retiring from football when he clocks 40 years but doubted if it was a true statement from the Portuguese superstar because if it happens to truly come from him, then he'll not be participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo is currently 39 years of age and will be 40 in February 2025 so should be truly decide to end football when he's 40, then he will be hanging his boots in 2025 summer.
Lionel Messi won the FIFA World Cup when he wasn't in his prime again and I think Cristiano Ronaldo can still achieve that feat considering his current fitness level and form so I expect him to feature in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Unless the Portuguese superstar sustains a long term injury before the next edition of the World Cup, he'll be fit enough to participate

[mv1986]

~

Well, we have to take things into consideration as they are, I know that Brazil has had many problems as a team, so far they have done a bad job in the qualifiers for the next World Cup, in fact they have drawn and lost with teams that should not have done so, but Of course this has happened due to lack of a coach, and that must be corrected as quickly as possible, because we have already started the playoffs, they are also coming to the Copa América. I think that will be the best event for the coaches to show themselves to others. and it is where the greats will be measured , for me Argentina will always be one of the best in the world, but because Messi is there, without Messi the team does not fit well, that is what it seems to me, now Brazil has many stars and that It is a point in its Favor.

It's tough for Brazil, but I think for any country and team to have a superstar like Messi and then when they quit playing, everyone understands that it probably can only get worse. What's the chance that another Messi is in the making and is able to perfectly substitute him. We as the fans also will miss him. Even now at his age he still has this insane quality to create surprise moments for him team. Passes that nobody would expect or shots that hardly anyone else could do the same way.

Brazil is in trouble. They have had a lot of close games, but still. It shouldn't be the case and usually I think a team with so many top players should be able to get along even without a great coach against underdogs, but I agree with you that they lack leadership both on and off the field.

[Leviathan.007]

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have won World Cup with their national teams had good performance in last several edition, Lionel Messi success get his first World Cup trophy last edition and other side Mbappe make France national team back to back lead to final although got loss after beating by Argentina.
Difference achieving of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, failed lead until semifinal and less potential for Portugal get world cup trophy for next edition time currently Ronaldo have over age and most youth talented players get less minutes playing. Cristiano Ronaldo in last several world cup edition seems working alone because difference in qualities between France and Argentina has a solid composition.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be very active in the field of play in the next World Cup because of age. Secondly, both of them are not playing in the best league in the world. So we shouldn't expect much from them.

Ronaldo's case is even more complicated because his iconic jersey number was given to Braga star Bruma in their friendly match against Sweden in the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques. This might be an indication that the Al-Nassr superstar might not have an automatic shirt in the World Cup. Messi's shirt in the national team is secured because coach Lionel Sebastián Scaloni has assured him that he is always welcome in the national team. In the case of Klyrian Mbappé, he is at the peak of his career and is a key player on the French national team. So he will surely lead France to the next World Cup.

But I guess we can see both players playing in the 2026 World Cup since both of these two superstar players are still playing for this team and their national teams as a first squad which means their teams still respect both players and they still think these two players are unreplaceable and they can't find young players to fill the place of these two players, otherwise Argentina could try playing some games without Messi and they could use younger players.
But regardless of whether they play in this tournament or not, I don't think if we can ever expect to see perfect performances from these players as we saw from them before because will be even older in 2026.

[Weawant]

If you want to compare these two players you should see the performance of Ronaldo in his good days, not today when he is older.
Ronaldo was performing well even in Portugal but even his good performance in his golden days was not enough for Portugal to achieve anything in the past World Cup while Mbappe helped his team a lot in the Qatar World Cup and he could take his team to the final match against Argentina which can show the better performance of Messi and Mbappe in their national teams than Ronaldo.
I think Portugal. had to start thinking about the younger player even years ago before Ronaldo got older than this.

There can never be an equal or level grounds for the comparison of these two players because they have both at some point in time achieve one thing that they other hasn't and it still doesn't mean that both players are not good enough, they have both done so well in their various erra and even now when they are almost in their retiring days they aren't doing any worse either so i don't usually see it fair enough making comparison amongst both players.

Ronald's performance in his national team isn't that bad the way you are making it seem because i think you are not considering the fact that as at the time Ronaldo was playing for.rhe national team of which the world cup was the most immediate last experiences, he happened to be the biggest names they had and he had so much pressure on him and he alone cannot do that which the whole team would have been able to do at once or achieve in the world cup and national football isn't such that allows you go pick players randomly regardless of their nationality to make a better team.

For France and Argentina they both had other good players away from Messi and mbappe which were Also part of the success story even in club side you can testify to the fact that if the team isn't solid enough with good players to assist the key star player their performance will be bad aswell just like mbappe have to struggle PSG but then it's not same with others in their current team so the team dept and strength is Also an influencing factor.

[uneng]

But I guess we can see both players playing in the 2026 World Cup since both of these two superstar players are still playing for this team and their national teams as a first squad which means their teams still respect both players and they still think these two players are unreplaceable and they can't find young players to fill the place of these two players, otherwise Argentina could try playing some games without Messi and they could use younger players.
But regardless of whether they play in this tournament or not, I don't think if we can ever expect to see perfect performances from these players as we saw from them before because will be even older in 2026.

I suppose these key players are going to be used strategically by their national teams in important moments of the matches they are going to play. Due to advanced age, they are likely to lose stamina faster than their teamates, so they aren't going to last in field for 45 minutes or a whole 90 minutes match. The era of Ronaldo and Messi is ending. Now the soccer industry will need new stars to replace them and take the next generation to next level.

What we see right now is a moment of reconfiguration, where national teams are going to be revaluated in new tiers. Before, we were used to consider Brazil, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Argentina and France as the titans of World Cups: the most feared teams to be faced and the favorite ones to become winners.

Now it's different. We don't know who are the favorites anymore. There are lots of expectations and predictions regards one or another team, but the truth is that it can be the exactly opposite once the games begin.

[Forsyth Jones]

It's tough for Brazil, but I think for any country and team to have a superstar like Messi and then when they quit playing, everyone understands that it probably can only get worse. What's the chance that another Messi is in the making and is able to perfectly substitute him. We as the fans also will miss him. Even now at his age he still has this insane quality to create surprise moments for him team. Passes that nobody would expect or shots that hardly anyone else could do the same way.

Brazil is in trouble. They have had a lot of close games, but still. It shouldn't be the case and usually I think a team with so many top players should be able to get along even without a great coach against underdogs, but I agree with you that they lack leadership both on and off the field.

A player like Messi is about to be born, Messi is a genius, 16 years at his peak and with each passing year he only gets better, the same goes for CR7. But Messi is a genius. I've never seen someone like him dribble and sprint.

In my opinion, the only player who had the potential to surpass Messi is the Ronaldo Phenomenon R9, if it weren't for his knee injuries and his excess weight acquired in his career and if he had the same commitment to training as Messi and CR7, Ronaldo would have been better than Messi. Ronaldo was great with his explosions in his counterattacks.

Ronaldo and Zidane are comparable, the best players I've ever seen play, then we have Ronaldinho with his magic that made it seem like football on the field turned into football on the court, he has dribbling skills that no player can copy Ronaldinho.

[criptoevangelista]

It's tough for Brazil, but I think for any country and team to have a superstar like Messi and then when they quit playing, everyone understands that it probably can only get worse. What's the chance that another Messi is in the making and is able to perfectly substitute him. We as the fans also will miss him. Even now at his age he still has this insane quality to create surprise moments for him team. Passes that nobody would expect or shots that hardly anyone else could do the same way.

Brazil is in trouble. They have had a lot of close games, but still. It shouldn't be the case and usually I think a team with so many top players should be able to get along even without a great coach against underdogs, but I agree with you that they lack leadership both on and off the field.

A player like Messi is about to be born, Messi is a genius, 16 years at his peak and with each passing year he only gets better, the same goes for CR7. But Messi is a genius. I've never seen someone like him dribble and sprint.

In my opinion, the only player who had the potential to surpass Messi is the Ronaldo Phenomenon R9, if it weren't for his knee injuries and his excess weight acquired in his career and if he had the same commitment to training as Messi and CR7, Ronaldo would have been better than Messi. Ronaldo was great with his explosions in his counterattacks.

Ronaldo and Zidane are comparable, the best players I've ever seen play, then we have Ronaldinho with his magic that made it seem like football on the field turned into football on the court, he has dribbling skills that no player can copy Ronaldinho.

Yesterday I was watching an interview with Ronaldo R9 and he was trying to understand why he got injured so much in his career... He speculates that it was the way of training that was done in the 90s... He did the same training as Cafu and Roberto Carlos, long run training etc.... He blamed this methodology as the culprit for his injuries in his career.... Nowadays training is totally aimed at the player's physical style, totally different from what it was in the past