The old guard takes its bow
Cristiano Ronaldo exited in the Round of 16 and Lionel Messi in the Final — two decades of dominance quietly, finally, drawing to a close.
For twenty years, one of two names bent every big night around itself. This was the World Cup where both, at last, stepped toward the exit — one early, one at the very end.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, bowed out in the Round of 16, his Portugal beaten 1-0 by eventual champions Spain on a late Mikel Merino goal. He left having scored three times to become the first player to score at six different World Cups — a record that may never be touched — and confirmed this was his last, even as he left the door ajar on his international future.
Lionel Messi went the distance. He dragged Argentina to a third final of his career — his two late assists in the 2-1 semifinal comeback over England were vintage — before Spain’s wall and extra time denied him the perfect ending. He finished as the tournament’s second-top scorer and, characteristically, refused to close any doors.
They leave the stage as they held it: at opposite ends of the same argument. Behind them, an 18-year-old lifted the trophy. The game, as it always does, moves on.