When Ronaldo officially usurped rival Messi

Barnaby Read 09:39 15/07/2016
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  • Ronaldo usurped Messi this summer

    Their careers have run in parallel for a decade and this summer both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had the opportunity to lead their respective countries to continental glory.

    Both ended up competing in finals that were destined to determine their legacy, having long been criticised for not delivering international glory with the hopes of Argentina and Portugal placed firmly at their feet.

    But where one succeeded the other failed in dramatic fashion. Messi couldn’t quite deliver, his missed penalty for Argentina contributing to a defeat to Chile for a second Copa America final in succession.

    The Barcelona star quickly announced his retirement from international football in the aftermath, a decision that reflected the frustrations of one of the two most talented players of their generation.

    The other, Ronaldo, looked to be suffering the same fate when he was taken off in tears at the Stade de France just 20 minutes into the Euro 2016 final. But an hour later, he was hoisting the European Championship trophy aloft and leading his country in joyous celebration.

    For both it was a stark contrast in a summer that has seen their roles reversed and public perception of the pair shifted.

    Messi has for so long been held up as football’s star man both as a person and a player, Ronaldo lambasted for his arrogance and perceived prima donna persona.

    But as Messi threw proverbial toys out of the pram and walked away from international football, the tectonic plates began shifting.

    A month later he was slapped with a huge fine for tax fraud and handed a 21-month jail term alongside his father.

    Suddenly, the cleanest cut footballer on the planet is looking a whole lot dirtier.

    He has protested his innocence throughout that case and will surely also return to the blue and white colours of his country before long, but there is no doubt that his image has suffered as a result of his summer.

    Cutting a reserved, private figure seemingly content to spend his time with his childhood sweetheart and two children, Messi is the antithesis to Ronaldo in terms of public persona.

    Ronaldo has long drawn ire from fans for his apparent selfishness, litany of supermodel girlfriends and technical failings in comparisons to the more humble Messi. But a large amount of that is borne out of jealousy among fans and an innate dislike for such characters among the working class culture still engrained in the sport.

    But from this year’s warm months, Ronaldo has emerged in far better shape. Initially, the expectation looked to be proving too much for the Real Madrid man to handle as both he and Portugal struggled in their group at Euro 2016 but his immense performance against Hungary changed all that.

    He scored two goals to haul his side into the latter stages before going on to help them progress again, playing a starring role to take Portugal beyond club team-mate Gareth Bale’s Wales and into the final against hosts France.

    A definitive performance in the final was stripped of him in cruel circumstances but his place front and centre of Portugal’s celebrations was fitting and something no-one could deny him.

    🔝

    A photo posted by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on

    For a man whose character has been a constant source of derision throughout his career – think diving at United, screaming at team-mates at Real and taking off his shirt at every opportunity – the night in Paris could prove a seminal moment.

    The landscape has shifted and Ronaldo finally has the edge in football’s most polarising debate. Both players’ legacies are assured, that is not in question, but in terms of pure adoration Ronaldo may well now have the edge.

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