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Legacy standards differ for Messi, Ronaldo over international success
As anybody who’s ever said anything in public about Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo will know, there is an apparently vast section of the football-watching world that sees everything through the prism of their rivalry.
It’s a strange mentality that creates a polarity where none needs to exist, and insists on dividing supporters and even journalists into two camps: pro-Messi and pro-Ronaldo. It’s as though the notion that somebody might think both of them are pretty good–while regarding the Ballon d’Or, the symbol of their eternal struggle, as a meaningless, perhaps even corrosive, gewgaw–is so outlandish as to be impossible.
But what is intriguing is that there’s an argument that is regularly heard about Messi that is never used about Ronaldo, which is that he’s never won an international tournament. Messi, having enjoyed an extraordinarily successful club career, is expected to do what Diego Maradona did and lead Argentina to a major trophy, yet a similar demand is never made of Ronaldo.
Perhaps the issue is simply that Portugal has never won a major tournament and so the expectation isn’t there. Ronaldo is already deemed to have surpassed Eusebio as the greatest Portuguese player of all time (although the case perhaps isn’t as clear-cut as some would make it). His battle is simply with Messi, whereas Messi’s is with Ronaldo and Maradona.
Or perhaps it’s that Ronaldistas have had to accept that trophies aren’t the mark of the man: after all, to do so would be to acknowledge that Messi has won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues to their man’s three Premier league titles, one La Liga title and three Champions Leagues.
And in that, at least, they’re right. Greatness is not something that can be simply mapped out with medals. Messi has played in a World Cup final and three Copa America finals and lost them all, two of them on penalties.
Argentina's Copa final failure pushes Messi toward international retirement
If Gonzalo Higuain were a better finisher under pressure, he might have won three of them. Realistically, winning or not winning those games should matter little to his legend. In fact, in some ways to return from international retirement to end Argentina’s long trophy drought at the World Cup final in Moscow would be even better for his narrative than a couple of straightforward Copa America successes.
Of course it would burnish Ronaldo’s legend were Portugal to beat France in the final of the Euro 2016–all the more so were he to have a decisive impact on the game.
“France is a bit more the favorites than us, but I think Portugal will win,” Ronaldo said. "It would mean a lot. It's something I've always dreamed of, to win with the national team. I have won everything at club level and the individual level, this would be a great achievement to win something for the Portuguese team. I believe that this is possible, as do my colleagues and the whole country also believes. We must have positive thinking, because I believe that on Sunday will be the first time that Portugal will win a major trophy."
GALLERY: Rare photos of Cristiano Ronaldo
Rare Photos of Cristiano Ronaldo
1987
A 23-month old Cristiano Ronaldo smiles for the camera.
2001
Cristiano Ronaldo practices with Portugal U17.
2002
Cristiano Ronaldo lies injured while playing for Sporting Lisbon before his transfer to the English Premiership team Manchester United.
2003
Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United teammates Diego Forlan and Ruud van Nistelrooy pose with Casey Ogden during the players' annual visit to children's hospitals in Manchester.
2005
Cristiano Ronaldo was the center of attention during an appearance on Herman SIC
2006
Cristiano Ronaldo attends Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics tour at the Manchester Evening News Arena.
2007
After giving Christmas gifts to a group of underprivileged children, Cristiano Ronaldo takes time to sign autographs.
2007
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu attend the debut of the New Seven Wonders of the World at Luz stadium in Lisbon.
2008
Cristiano Ronaldo and Adrian Grenier strike a pose during a party in Hollywood.
2008
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't let an injury get in the way of his beach time during a visit to Malibu.
2008
Cristiano Ronaldo with his Barclays Player of the Year, Golden Boot and 30 League Goals awards at Carrington Training Ground in Manchester, England.
2008
Cristiano Ronaldo autographs a team jersey for a Saudi man after arriving at King Khaled airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2008
Cristiano Ronaldo kisses his "Golden Shoe 2008" award, presented to Europe's best goal scorer.
2008
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portuguese national teammate Aziza Makukula pose in a cockpit on their way to Zurich.
2009
WWE star Rey Mysterio with Cristiano Ronaldo as they visit Valdebebas in Madrid.
2010
Cristiano Ronaldo with Russell Crowe during the actor's visit to Madrid.
2009
Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani celebrate in the dressing room after the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford in Manchester.
2010
Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul Gonzalez pose with Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open tennis tournament.
2010
Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Da Silvano Restaurant in New York City after having lunch.
2011
Cristiano Ronaldo and girlfriend, model Irina Shayk, watch Rafael Nadal serve during a tennis match on day nine of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.
2011
Cristiano Ronaldo participates in a kart race with his Real Madrid teammates at Carlos Sainz Center in Madrid.
2011
Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina Shayk attend the Marie Claire Prix de la Mode gala at the French Ambassador's Residence in Madrid.
2012
Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina Shayk attend the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament at La Caja Magica.
2012 Cristiano Ronaldo and Queen Sofia of Spain
Queen Sofia of Spain presents Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo with the Ibero-American Community Trophy during the National Sports Awards ceremony at El Pardo Palace in Madrid.
2013
Cristiano Ronaldo leans in to kiss Irina Shayk as they attend the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament at La Caja Magica.
2013
Cristiano Ronaldo and former player David Beckham pose after a training session at UCLA Campus in Los Angeles.
2013
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo kicks around a baseball as Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig looks on prior to the Dodgers game against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
2013
Cristiano Ronaldo launches his CR7 underwear line in Madrid.
2013
Cristiano Ronaldo attends the unveiling of his wax figure at the Museo de Cera (Wax Museum) in Madrid.
2014
FIFA Ballon d'Or nominee Cristiano Ronaldo, his son Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., and Irina Shayk arrive at the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2013 at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland. Ronaldo won the award as FIFA top player over Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.
2015
FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo signals during the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2014 at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland.
2016
Cristiano Ronaldo sprays his fragance 'Cristiano Ronaldo Legacy' at World Duty Free store at Barajas airport in Madrid.
But the truth is that he doesn’t need to win. His reputation is secure. Portugal is a country of 10.5 million people, which is not enough for it to be consistently excellent. Necessarily there are peaks and troughs. It has reached, in total, seven major tournament semifinals–Ronaldo has played in four of them. Whatever his complaints about the level of his teammates, whatever the concerns about his individualism, the fact is that he has elevated squads that have been over the past decade quite ordinary to a consistently high level.
When Portugal lost the Euro 2004 final on home soil to Greece, Ronaldo wept and vowed he would win a trophy for his nation. Twelve years on, he could similarly deny a host in its own stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo has his chance at Euro redemption, 12 years later
And after years of carrying his nation’s hopes almost single-handedly, Portugal could win without Ronaldo being the biggest factor. Although he has scored three goals and set up two, he has been a strangely dislocated figure as Fernando Santos has essentially solved Portugal’s two biggest problems–what to do about the lack of a center forward and what to do with Ronaldo–with the same solution.
Using two banks of four, Santos has created a structure that has made Portugal hard to break down–just one goal conceded in 300 knockout minutes–leaving Ronaldo and Nani to create something up front.
"We started in a soft way, results in the early games were not what we wanted,” Ronaldo said, “but on balance the benefit is positive, because to get to a final which takes a lot of merit and we have the players, coaches and the whole structure of the team. We are all to be congratulated."
If Portugal, that one-man team in which the team is the important bit, is to win on Sunday, it almost certainly needs that structure to frustrate France.
The irony is that, as well as giving Portugal its first senior trophy, sublimating Ronaldo to the demands of the team, would provide new impetus to the Messi-baiters among Ronaldo’s fan base.
An accomplished author of multiple books, Jonathan Wilson is one of the world’s preeminent minds on soccer tactics and history.