Even though they knew this day would come, fans were still shocked when they did not find the names of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the list of 30 candidates for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. After all, 15 wonderful years have passed like that.

Messi & Ronaldo: Two great men have stopped

In fact, if you want, the number can be even longer. This is the first time since 2003 that neither Ronaldo nor Messi are in the race for the best player in the world . But let’s count from 2008, the time when Ronaldo officially raised himself to the level of a noble individual title, but did not know that it created motivation for his great rival in life.

If in a world without Messi, Ronaldo would be the greatest in history. But it is also possible that because of Messi, Ronaldo became the second greatest. Messi started after CR7 but was the one who reached the finish line faster with a total of 8 glorious times, while the Portuguese superstar “only” had 5.

The duo’s dominance has been shaken since both left Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. This is especially true for Ronaldo, who has never returned to the top after leaving the Royal Madrid team.

Messi was also left out of the squad for 2022, but returned strongly to inspire Argentina to World Cup glory later that year and win an eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023.

This is a great achievement, but the more you look at it, the more it looks like a flashback, not just of Messi but of the entire Ronaldo-Messi era. The youth of millions of football fans began in 2008 and ended in 2023.

These pictures are now priceless memories.

The mindset of both of them when reaching this stage of their career has also consumed a lot of ink in the press. While Ronaldo has always denied his age, always affirming that he will never give up, Messi is more calm, accepting everything that comes and goes.

Both of their personalities are still the same as when they first started, creating a nostalgic feeling. Each has their own style, lacking a little bit will not create the most attractive rivalry of all time.

You can like one, admire the other, because you always see in Ronaldo or Messi a small piece of your life. The two of them compete with absolute respect for each other, because seeing each other as the biggest rival is also a great form of gratitude.

No one can resist time, the cruelty is evident in every laborious step of one person playing in Saudi Arabia, and the other in the US. They have played to an age that is “rare” in football, and just like that is the happiness of everyone.

Perhaps the greatest glory is the one that lasts until the end: The recognition of the audience. No more golden ball in hand or laurel wreath on head, but it doesn’t matter when the whole body is shining with glory. Thank you, thank you very much Ronaldo and Messi, for going through 15 brilliant years of life together!