⚽ FIFA World Cup 2030: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay ⚽

[sergiorus]

A player's career is not very long. As he ages, he has to make way for new players.

Actually a player's career has never been as longeve as it is now.

Hazard, Bale and Aguero would like to have a word with you here

We achieved a *chosen* longevity - i.e. players *can* play longer if they want to, the technology allows it.

The thing is, the most still won't push it as hard once they made enough money and the training has gotten a bit harder for them. After all, they have families and want to spend time with them.

Cases like Giggs or Ronaldo will stay big outliers, imho.

Ok, let's analyze the three names you mentioned:

• Hazard has never been serious professional player. Between drinking and eating he never lived an athlete life. The frequent injuries were a consequence of this lifestyle and his lack of form.
• Bale got sick of football after all the problems he had at Real Madrid, he clearly said he rather playing golf than staying in Madrid. And that's what he did.
• Aguero had to retire due to a serious heart condition, so he was simply "unlucky".

Any other player you'd like to mention? 

And your point is.....?

My point was that even if the technology allows footballers to play longer it doesn't mean they will WANT to.

Especially after they made enough money and have kids to raise.

[Ale88]

A player's career is not very long. As he ages, he has to make way for new players.

Actually a player's career has never been as longeve as it is now.

Hazard, Bale and Aguero would like to have a word with you here

We achieved a *chosen* longevity - i.e. players *can* play longer if they want to, the technology allows it.

The thing is, the most still won't push it as hard once they made enough money and the training has gotten a bit harder for them. After all, they have families and want to spend time with them.

Cases like Giggs or Ronaldo will stay big outliers, imho.

Ok, let's analyze the three names you mentioned:

• Hazard has never been serious professional player. Between drinking and eating he never lived an athlete life. The frequent injuries were a consequence of this lifestyle and his lack of form.
• Bale got sick of football after all the problems he had at Real Madrid, he clearly said he rather playing golf than staying in Madrid. And that's what he did.
• Aguero had to retire due to a serious heart condition, so he was simply "unlucky".

Any other player you'd like to mention? 

And your point is.....?

My point was that even if the technology allows footballers to play longer it doesn't mean they will WANT to.

Especially after they made enough money and have kids to raise.

Do I really have to explain my point? Ok, I'll do it again in the easiest way:
- A user says a player's career is not very long
- I reply stating that actually, right now, players' careers are longer than ever
- You come into the conversation mentioning 3 players who chose to retire relative early in an attempt to debunk what I just said
- I explain you how you cherry-picked 3 specific cases
- Now you try to defend your position saying that players can choose to retire early. No shit, Sherlock.

Now I guess I have to explain that those are personal choices. 20 years ago a 34-35 years old player was basically forced to retire because the physical decay was extremely noticeable. Now it's a choice, and this is a totally different thing.

[puloweh555]

Most Messi fans think that the entire Argentina team depends entirely on Messi. But it is difficult to convince them that if Messi is important, Argentina is not completely dependent on him. Perhaps Argentina won the match without Messi in the Copa America match. The contribution of the rest of the players apart from Messi cannot be denied. In particular, Enzo Fernandez's performance and Martinez's goalkeeping were the best. The main thing is that the success of the 2022 World Cup would not have been possible without the mental strength of the entire team.

That’s what most of the Messi fans don’t understand they think that without Messi Argentina performances would not go going well, and one thing they need to know about football is that because one player has been more popular not mean that his absent will prevent the others players from getting the chance of success. All the Messi fans suppose knows that all players in field are in help of each others, that’s why we can see that everyone of them have their own position that they play.

What needs to be known is that before Messi, Argentina had already been a country that was often considered in many competitions, and they always produced great players, which can be seen from the past until now. Indeed, with Messi, Argentina performance and mentality improved, but it would be unreasonable to say that without Messi, Argentina would become a small team they forget that Argentina was already great before Messi. So I’m sure Argentina will still be strong in the next World Cup even without Messi, especially since there are now many young players with good potential for the Argentine squad in the upcoming World Cup.

I actually think that Portugal without Ronaldo would experience a decline. Portugal before Ronaldo had never won a major trophy, but after having Ronaldo they were able to win the Euro trophy. What I mean is Ronaldo has made Portugal a team that must be watched out for every match. This is different from Argentina before Messi Argentina had even won the World Cup, meaning they already had a history. So losing a star player is something Argentina is already used to.

[Just Say]

The team relies a lot on their captain because they know that if the ball goes through his feet something incredible can always happen, like a through pass that no one had imagined or a shot on goal that only he would have thought he could do, or like an play of those that we have become accustomed to seeing over the years.

Most Messi fans think that the entire Argentina team depends entirely on Messi. But it is difficult to convince them that if Messi is important, Argentina is not completely dependent on him. Perhaps Argentina won the match without Messi in the Copa America match. The contribution of the rest of the players apart from Messi cannot be denied. In particular, Enzo Fernandez's performance and Martinez's goalkeeping were the best. The main thing is that the success of the 2022 World Cup would not have been possible without the mental strength of the entire team.

Argentina will perform well even without Messi, but we feel that other players might not easily replicate the way he used to dominate opponents, given his proficiency in scoring goals, executing precise attacks, and delivering crosses. However while Messi is crucial for Argentina but it is also conceivable that the team is not entirely dependent on him; there are young talents such as Nico Paz, Julián Álvarez, and Martínez who are capable of delivering outstanding performances even in his absence.

At this moment it is correct that the success achieved at the 2022 World Cup would not have been possible without the collective mental strength of the entire squad. I observed that in that tournament, Enzo Fernández won the Best Young Player award and Emiliano Martínez received the Best Goalkeeper award; both players secured these honors primarily due to their impeccable performances during that World Cup.

[GbitG]

What needs to be known is that before Messi, Argentina had already been a country that was often considered in many competitions, and they always produced great players, which can be seen from the past until now. Indeed, with Messi, Argentina performance and mentality improved, but it would be unreasonable to say that without Messi, Argentina would become a small team they forget that Argentina was already great before Messi. So I’m sure Argentina will still be strong in the next World Cup even without Messi, especially since there are now many young players with good potential for the Argentine squad in the upcoming World Cup.

I actually think that Portugal without Ronaldo would experience a decline. Portugal before Ronaldo had never won a major trophy, but after having Ronaldo they were able to win the Euro trophy. What I mean is Ronaldo has made Portugal a team that must be watched out for every match. This is different from Argentina before Messi Argentina had even won the World Cup, meaning they already had a history. So losing a star player is something Argentina is already used to.

Huh that's bit tricky......!!! 

Without Ronaldo Portugal would experience decline despite without Messi Argentina will get more strength...... . I don't know what literally you want to say us...... 

Does this mean that right now Cristiano Ronaldo has much more influence than Messi..... 

Be honest from they past two World Cup who who's influence more on his team. Tell me how many goals their team scored without their presence. Like I am trying to figure out that without then how good is their team. Without Ronaldo Portugal has good goal stats despite without Messi Argentina has nothing like in 2026 Messi was the only players with holding the stats of most goal and assist and even having more chances creating ratios than entire team.Thus far in 2022 World Cup Messi was also on the top of every single stats....

Even Messi is 39 years old like in this age mostly players just lost his quality but Messi impact is still there. Honestly his absence will make things more worse despite Portugal already have good run without Ronaldo impact. 2026 World Cup is the evidence like Portugal scored 8 goal in which Ronaldo have only 3. Despite Argentina have 19 goals and in which Messi spotted 8 goals with 4 assist.

So now tell me who have better contribution..... 

[SPIDERMAN008]

Huh that's bit tricky......!!! 

Without Ronaldo Portugal would experience decline despite without Messi Argentina will get more strength...... . I don't know what literally you want to say us...... 

Does this mean that right now Cristiano Ronaldo has much more influence than Messi..... 

Be honest from they past two World Cup who who's influence more on his team. Tell me how many goals their team scored without their presence. Like I am trying to figure out that without then how good is their team. Without Ronaldo Portugal has good goal stats despite without Messi Argentina has nothing like in 2026 Messi was the only players with holding the stats of most goal and assist and even having more chances creating ratios than entire team.Thus far in 2022 World Cup Messi was also on the top of every single stats....

Even Messi is 39 years old like in this age mostly players just lost his quality but Messi impact is still there. Honestly his absence will make things more worse despite Portugal already have good run without Ronaldo impact. 2026 World Cup is the evidence like Portugal scored 8 goal in which Ronaldo have only 3. Despite Argentina have 19 goals and in which Messi spotted 8 goals with 4 assist.

So now tell me who have better contribution..... 

Messi is far ahead of Ronaldo and his contribution to the Argentina team is a lot . Portugal team without Ronaldo and Argentina team without Messi are almost the same strong. But when it comes to Messi, we see goal scoring, assists, dribbling in Argentina team and we see many strong teams losing to Argentina. Argentina also became world champion, Messi got the chance to play in World Cup final 3 times.

But I don't really see any contribution from Ronaldo, where he scored a goal with his own effort, made an assist which was incredible and that made another player score a goal and Portugal won. Portugal has some players that are good enough, but they still don't have the qualifications to be World Cup champion. And Argentina only advances on Messi's contribution alone.

[sergiorus]

A player's career is not very long. As he ages, he has to make way for new players.

Actually a player's career has never been as longeve as it is now.

Hazard, Bale and Aguero would like to have a word with you here

We achieved a *chosen* longevity - i.e. players *can* play longer if they want to, the technology allows it.

The thing is, the most still won't push it as hard once they made enough money and the training has gotten a bit harder for them. After all, they have families and want to spend time with them.

Cases like Giggs or Ronaldo will stay big outliers, imho.

Ok, let's analyze the three names you mentioned:

• Hazard has never been serious professional player. Between drinking and eating he never lived an athlete life. The frequent injuries were a consequence of this lifestyle and his lack of form.
• Bale got sick of football after all the problems he had at Real Madrid, he clearly said he rather playing golf than staying in Madrid. And that's what he did.
• Aguero had to retire due to a serious heart condition, so he was simply "unlucky".

Any other player you'd like to mention?  

And your point is.....?

My point was that even if the technology allows footballers to play longer it doesn't mean they will WANT to.

Especially after they made enough money and have kids to raise.

Do I really have to explain my point? Ok, I'll do it again in the easiest way:
- A user says a player's career is not very long
- I reply stating that actually, right now, players' careers are longer than ever
- You come into the conversation mentioning 3 players who chose to retire relative early in an attempt to debunk what I just said
- I explain you how you cherry-picked 3 specific cases
- Now you try to defend your position saying that players can choose to retire early. No shit, Sherlock.

Now I guess I have to explain that those are personal choices. 20 years ago a 34-35 years old player was basically forced to retire because the physical decay was extremely noticeable. Now it's a choice, and this is a totally different thing.

So let's say your workday ends at 5 o'clock and you're not allowed to stay in the office past that. Now, suddenly, the company's policy has changed and you are allowed to stay in the office later. Well, most of the employees would still keep leaving the office at 5 o'clock.

My 3 cases weren't cherrypicked. They are among the greatest players of their generation. Each could theoretically be called the 3rd greatest in the last 10-15 years after Messi and Ronaldo.

So what's the point of the *potential* longevity when such legends still don't make a use out of it? Football is an industry of abundance, elite players have enough money for their kids to never work in their lives by the age of 25 or 27. Why would they push it further when it is not necessary?

So far what I see is that elite players still either retire by the age of 34-35 or leave European football for some Asian or American league with slower pace but the same (or higher) salaries, and for a European football fan it's basically the same as retiring.

[Rhow]

I actually think that Portugal without Ronaldo would experience a decline. Portugal before Ronaldo had never won a major trophy, but after having Ronaldo they were able to win the Euro trophy. What I mean is Ronaldo has made Portugal a team that must be watched out for every match. This is different from Argentina before Messi Argentina had even won the World Cup, meaning they already had a history. So losing a star player is something Argentina is already used to.

Cristiano Ronaldo has changed the history of Portugal. Even after Cristiano Ronaldo came, Portugal has become much more confident in international football. The number of fans of this Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo in the world is also very large. But I think a good quality player increases the quality of the team, he alone does not make the whole team. So I will not exclude other Portuguese players from this list.

Similarly, Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, where Messi made an extraordinary contribution by scoring 7 goals and 3 assists. At the same time, that success was possible due to the contributions of other players.

[Ale88]

A player's career is not very long. As he ages, he has to make way for new players.

Actually a player's career has never been as longeve as it is now.

Hazard, Bale and Aguero would like to have a word with you here

We achieved a *chosen* longevity - i.e. players *can* play longer if they want to, the technology allows it.

The thing is, the most still won't push it as hard once they made enough money and the training has gotten a bit harder for them. After all, they have families and want to spend time with them.

Cases like Giggs or Ronaldo will stay big outliers, imho.

Ok, let's analyze the three names you mentioned:

• Hazard has never been serious professional player. Between drinking and eating he never lived an athlete life. The frequent injuries were a consequence of this lifestyle and his lack of form.
• Bale got sick of football after all the problems he had at Real Madrid, he clearly said he rather playing golf than staying in Madrid. And that's what he did.
• Aguero had to retire due to a serious heart condition, so he was simply "unlucky".

Any other player you'd like to mention?  

And your point is.....?

My point was that even if the technology allows footballers to play longer it doesn't mean they will WANT to.

Especially after they made enough money and have kids to raise.

Do I really have to explain my point? Ok, I'll do it again in the easiest way:
- A user says a player's career is not very long
- I reply stating that actually, right now, players' careers are longer than ever
- You come into the conversation mentioning 3 players who chose to retire relative early in an attempt to debunk what I just said
- I explain you how you cherry-picked 3 specific cases
- Now you try to defend your position saying that players can choose to retire early. No shit, Sherlock.

Now I guess I have to explain that those are personal choices. 20 years ago a 34-35 years old player was basically forced to retire because the physical decay was extremely noticeable. Now it's a choice, and this is a totally different thing.

So let's say your workday ends at 5 o'clock and you're not allowed to stay in the office past that. Now, suddenly, the company's policy has changed and you are allowed to stay in the office later. Well, most of the employees would still keep leaving the office at 5 o'clock.

Yes, and that is called "having a choice". I never said every single player has to keep playing like Ronaldo or Pepe chose to do but, if they want, they can. Do you see the difference?

My 3 cases weren't cherrypicked. They are among the greatest players of their generation. Each could theoretically be called the 3rd greatest in the last 10-15 years after Messi and Ronaldo.

I don't think I ever criticized their abilities on the football pitch, I explained why, each one of them, retired early for different reasons. And it was always their choice. Aguero had to retire yes or yes, he had no choice; Hazard wasn't performing anymore; the only one that could have kept playing still nowadays would have been Bale because physically he was incredible. Even better than Ronaldo in my opinion. But he got tired of football, it's a pity.

So what's the point of the *potential* longevity when such legends still don't make a use out of it? Football is an industry of abundance, elite players have enough money for their kids to never work in their lives by the age of 25 or 27. Why would they push it further when it is not necessary?

Do I really have to explain it again? Did you see where this discussion began?

[HustleZ]

What needs to be known is that before Messi, Argentina had already been a country that was often considered in many competitions, and they always produced great players, which can be seen from the past until now. Indeed, with Messi, Argentina performance and mentality improved, but it would be unreasonable to say that without Messi, Argentina would become a small team they forget that Argentina was already great before Messi. So I’m sure Argentina will still be strong in the next World Cup even without Messi, especially since there are now many young players with good potential for the Argentine squad in the upcoming World Cup.

I actually think that Portugal without Ronaldo would experience a decline. Portugal before Ronaldo had never won a major trophy, but after having Ronaldo they were able to win the Euro trophy. What I mean is Ronaldo has made Portugal a team that must be watched out for every match. This is different from Argentina before Messi Argentina had even won the World Cup, meaning they already had a history. So losing a star player is something Argentina is already used to.

You’re partially correct, ronaldo has played his part in the rise of portugal team but keep in mind that portugal didn’t play farmers in their international team during ronaldo era and they had very decent players, but getting on the topic about ronaldo, so as i was saying he played a part in Portugal’s rise but without him they wouldn’t start declining.

Right now if you watch the matches ronaldo himself is the reason the team is held back, so consider what potential the team would have without ronaldo. As for messi then messi is the one that is taking the whole team on his own as we saw in the world cup, so messi retiring would have more effect than ronaldo leaving the team. Neither of the teams will stop playing football but rather they will gradually find the replacements

[Just Say]

I actually think that Portugal without Ronaldo would experience a decline. Portugal before Ronaldo had never won a major trophy, but after having Ronaldo they were able to win the Euro trophy. What I mean is Ronaldo has made Portugal a team that must be watched out for every match. This is different from Argentina before Messi Argentina had even won the World Cup, meaning they already had a history. So losing a star player is something Argentina is already used to.

Cristiano Ronaldo has changed the history of Portugal. Even after Cristiano Ronaldo came, Portugal has become much more confident in international football. The number of fans of this Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo in the world is also very large. But I think a good quality player increases the quality of the team, he alone does not make the whole team. So I will not exclude other Portuguese players from this list.

Similarly, Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, where Messi made an extraordinary contribution by scoring 7 goals and 3 assists. At the same time, that success was possible due to the contributions of other players.

Definitely this player has changed the history of Portugal, but you notice that he is the highest goal scorer of Portugal as this player has scored 146 goals for Portugal. In fact, he may not have won a World Cup trophy like Messi, but we all see he is very close to touching the milestone of one thousand goals, having scored 979 goals.

It is true in 2022 Argentina won the World Cup, even though in that tournament Messi scored seven goals and had three assists, he also received the Golden Ball award in that tournament. Furthermore, in the 2026 World Cup, this player scored eight goals and provided four assists, so it is clear that he was able to perform excellently in this World Cup.

[danadc]

It's more difficult for those who come from outside simply because the football that counts is European football, and many kids, even those with many qualities, have a much more difficult life to be able to approach this world because obviously they are less followed championships and the chances of getting noticed are decidedly lower.

You said it, that's a lack of opportunities. Things shouldn't work this way, but they do. Children in Europe are luckier because they live in the mecca of football than a child born in Africa, South America, or one of those places where they don't have the chance to meet specialists who can invest in them. Those who do succeed do so because they have a lot of support from influential people in football.

Things are like this all over the world. The lack of opportunities for talented people means most end up doing something they never wanted to be. They can't fulfill their dreams but have to adapt to wherever they are.

[sergiorus]

Do I really have to explain it again? Did you see where this discussion began?

I'm sorry if it looked like an attempt to enter or hijack an argument. It was probably more of a personal emotional response, than an attempt to disprove your point.

I also should've mentioned Neymar who left European football at the age of 31. Had he retired instead, I wouldn't have noticed the difference.

So it appears almost all the players I liked either retired very early, or moved to earn money in low tier leagues (which to me is basically the same).

It's my personal sadness, the modern "football longevity" brought me little joy so far.

Please don't take it defensively.

[Ojima-ojo]

It's more difficult for those who come from outside simply because the football that counts is European football, and many kids, even those with many qualities, have a much more difficult life to be able to approach this world because obviously they are less followed championships and the chances of getting noticed are decidedly lower.

You said it, that's a lack of opportunities. Things shouldn't work this way, but they do. Children in Europe are luckier because they live in the mecca of football than a child born in Africa, South America, or one of those places where they don't have the chance to meet specialists who can invest in them. Those who do succeed do so because they have a lot of support from influential people in football.

Things are like this all over the world. The lack of opportunities for talented people means most end up doing something they never wanted to be. They can't fulfill their dreams but have to adapt to wherever they are.

Life is all about privilege, opportunity and destiny, so for us we have seen alot of kids who are doing greatly well in international football and are originating from any where in the world, I understand the opportunity that are bound in Europe, but then we can't say that same opportunities are not available to other kids in other part of the world like Africa that you mentioned, and for this reason, I don't agree with the assumptions that kids have better opportunities based on their locations, but opportunities are gotten based on how prepared the individual is and positioned to attrack such an opportunity.

[Daniel91]

I actually think that Portugal without Ronaldo would experience a decline. Portugal before Ronaldo had never won a major trophy, but after having Ronaldo they were able to win the Euro trophy. What I mean is Ronaldo has made Portugal a team that must be watched out for every match. This is different from Argentina before Messi Argentina had even won the World Cup, meaning they already had a history. So losing a star player is something Argentina is already used to.

Cristiano Ronaldo has changed the history of Portugal. Even after Cristiano Ronaldo came, Portugal has become much more confident in international football. The number of fans of this Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo in the world is also very large. But I think a good quality player increases the quality of the team, he alone does not make the whole team. So I will not exclude other Portuguese players from this list.

Similarly, Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, where Messi made an extraordinary contribution by scoring 7 goals and 3 assists. At the same time, that success was possible due to the contributions of other players.

Okay, it's true that Ronaldo has become a global football star, but I'm not sure that it has helped the Portuguese national team much.
In this Ronaldo era, Portugal has only managed to win 1 "real trophy", the 2016 European Championship, and 2 times won a really irrelevant competition, the UEFA Nations League.
Portugal, with Ronaldo, has never managed to become world champion and has never even come close, the closest they have come was in the 2006 World Cup when they were fourth.
On the other hand, Messi has achieved much greater success with Argentina, being world champion in 2022, playing in the final 2 more times, in 2014 and 2026, and they have also won the Copa América 2 times.
My personal feeling, after watching Portugal in the last 2 World Cups, is that they might have achieved more success without Ronaldo, who is no longer as fast, explosive and effective a striker as he was when he was a younger player.
In any case, Portugal will certainly not be among the favorites to win the title at the next World Cup in 2030, nor will Argentina without Messi.

[Zlantann]

Okay, it's true that Ronaldo has become a global football star, but I'm not sure that it has helped the Portuguese national team much.
In this Ronaldo era, Portugal has only managed to win 1 "real trophy", the 2016 European Championship, and 2 times won a really irrelevant competition, the UEFA Nations League.
Portugal, with Ronaldo, has never managed to become world champion and has never even come close, the closest they have come was in the 2006 World Cup when they were fourth.
On the other hand, Messi has achieved much greater success with Argentina, being world champion in 2022, playing in the final 2 more times, in 2014 and 2026, and they have also won the Copa América 2 times.
My personal feeling, after watching Portugal in the last 2 World Cups, is that they might have achieved more success without Ronaldo, who is no longer as fast, explosive and effective a striker as he was when he was a younger player.
In any case, Portugal will certainly not be among the favorites to win the title at the next World Cup in 2030, nor will Argentina without Messi.

Why are you underrating Ronaldo's contribution to the national team? He helped Portugal win their only Euro Cup. You even called UEFA Nations League, yet many top teams have never won it. I would have to agree that Ronaldo's impact on the team has reduced drastically. Nevetherless you love or respect for Messi shouldn't make you undervalue the contributions of the Portuguese player. His speed and strength might have reduced, but his experience and influence are undeniable.

[Webutxo]

Cristiano Ronaldo has changed the history of Portugal. Even after Cristiano Ronaldo came, Portugal has become much more confident in international football. The number of fans of this Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo in the world is also very large. But I think a good quality player increases the quality of the team, he alone does not make the whole team. So I will not exclude other Portuguese players from this list.

Similarly, Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, where Messi made an extraordinary contribution by scoring 7 goals and 3 assists. At the same time, that success was possible due to the contributions of other players.

The way you guys worship Ronaldo and made him the successor of Portugal is funny. I don't have a problem when a team is build around a player but such player need to know when to make the team distribution very neutral. Argentina did it, everything they do is built around Messi in the sense that they allow most players do defense and Messi do the attack with other forward attackers depend on which formation they play and when Messi don't play, the team still do their best.

However, let it be Ronaldo that is in that situation, the fans becomes toxic, they disrespect people, no doubt Ronaldo has done alot for Portugal but please, let not make it looks like he is the only person that did it. Without all of the players around him, he wouldn't have been able to have those his achievements. I remembered how people were even crying in the world cup that they don't give him assist, Lmao I was laughing to some of the comments.

[Rhow]

Cristiano Ronaldo has changed the history of Portugal. Even after Cristiano Ronaldo came, Portugal has become much more confident in international football. The number of fans of this Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo in the world is also very large. But I think a good quality player increases the quality of the team, he alone does not make the whole team. So I will not exclude other Portuguese players from this list.

Similarly, Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, where Messi made an extraordinary contribution by scoring 7 goals and 3 assists. At the same time, that success was possible due to the contributions of other players.

The way you guys worship Ronaldo and made him the successor of Portugal is funny. I don't have a problem when a team is build around a player but such player need to know when to make the team distribution very neutral. Argentina did it, everything they do is built around Messi in the sense that they allow most players do defense and Messi do the attack with other forward attackers depend on which formation they play and when Messi don't play, the team still do their best.

However, let it be Ronaldo that is in that situation, the fans becomes toxic, they disrespect people, no doubt Ronaldo has done alot for Portugal but please, let not make it looks like he is the only person that did it. Without all of the players around him, he wouldn't have been able to have those his achievements. I remembered how people were even crying in the world cup that they don't give him assist, Lmao I was laughing to some of the comments.

I never say that Ronaldo alone did everything for Portugal. I always say that Ronaldo or Messi are very important for their own team, but they would not have achieved success without the contribution of other players. I am never used to giving exaggerated fame or worship to any player.

Anyway, you probably want me not to make a name for Ronaldo. But recently I read a news where the names of the 50 best players of all time in the World Cup have been revealed, and Ronaldo is also on the list. So why shouldn't I praise Ronaldo?

Although I don't know how true the news is, and I couldn't find the source of that news after searching on Google. If someone finds the link to this news, I can add it here.

[Ale88]

Do I really have to explain it again? Did you see where this discussion began?

I'm sorry if it looked like an attempt to enter or hijack an argument. It was probably more of a personal emotional response, than an attempt to disprove your point.

I also should've mentioned Neymar who left European football at the age of 31. Had he retired instead, I wouldn't have noticed the difference.

So it appears almost all the players I liked either retired very early, or moved to earn money in low tier leagues (which to me is basically the same).

It's my personal sadness, the modern "football longevity" brought me little joy so far.

Please don't take it defensively.

I'll try to explain it once again: some players at a certain point don't care anymore and they choose to retire early, or simply they become less and less professional and nobody wants them anymore. Look at Ronaldinho for example, a player I absolutely loved since he played for PSG: when he was 25 years old he was the best player in the world; three years later, at 28, Barcelona got rid of him and he moved to a mediocre AC Milan. He moved back to Brazil at 31 years old. Why did this happen? Because he didn't care anymore about football, he wanted to have more freedom and more fun. So it was his choice. Nothing wrong with that.

Then we have players who are truly professional and now, thanks to:

• Better injury prevention
• Sports science
• Advanced recovery
• Nutrition programs
• GPS tracking
• Training-load management
• Physiotherapy
• Individual conditioning

So they are able to extend their career way above the average length, just think about: Ronaldo, Messi, Lewandowski, Pepe, Ramos, Modric, Neuer, Dzeko, Muslera, Di Maria, Mueller, Milner, Suarez, Otamendi, just to name the most famous ones the came up to mind.

[Sobz]

Okay, it's true that Ronaldo has become a global football star, but I'm not sure that it has helped the Portuguese national team much.
In this Ronaldo era, Portugal has only managed to win 1 "real trophy", the 2016 European Championship, and 2 times won a really irrelevant competition, the UEFA Nations League.
Portugal, with Ronaldo, has never managed to become world champion and has never even come close, the closest they have come was in the 2006 World Cup when they were fourth.
On the other hand, Messi has achieved much greater success with Argentina, being world champion in 2022, playing in the final 2 more times, in 2014 and 2026, and they have also won the Copa América 2 times.
My personal feeling, after watching Portugal in the last 2 World Cups, is that they might have achieved more success without Ronaldo, who is no longer as fast, explosive and effective a striker as he was when he was a younger player.
In any case, Portugal will certainly not be among the favorites to win the title at the next World Cup in 2030, nor will Argentina without Messi.

Why are you underrating Ronaldo's contribution to the national team? He helped Portugal win their only Euro Cup. You even called UEFA Nations League, yet many top teams have never won it. I would have to agree that Ronaldo's impact on the team has reduced drastically. Nevetherless you love or respect for Messi shouldn't make you undervalue the contributions of the Portuguese player. His speed and strength might have reduced, but his experience and influence are undeniable.

Many people are so quick to forget Ronaldo in his prime how he made good impact in his national team, in his club. People only rate him with his present state of performance. If we say Ronaldo never made any impact in Portugal then what are we going to say him being the player with the highest goal. And what are going to say about his winning mentality in the team. Jis passion was the kind that affected other teammates.  Achievement is not about the numbers of trophies thst has been won but the positive impact and which Ronaldo have in the team and we need to appreciate it.