Messi’s graceful Argentina exit contrasts with Ronaldo’s Portugal struggle

The differing ways Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have approached the final stage of their international careers have become increasingly clear after Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench for Portugal’s entire match against Norway before leaving the squad amid tension with manager Jorge Jesus.

Messi, by contrast, chose to bring his Argentina career to an end on his own terms. He said the decision was painful, but that the time had come to give younger players their opportunity.

Messi’s influence beyond the number 10 shirt

Messi became far more than Argentina’s number 10 and captain. Over the years, he developed into part of the national team’s identity, earning a status that did not require him to constantly remind team-mates of his importance or compete for attention.

When Messi is involved in a heavy challenge, his team-mates go to him. When a dispute breaks out on the pitch, the group gathers around its captain. They do so not because he demands it, but because they regard him as one of them rather than a player above them.

Messi has also rarely appeared to play solely for the story to be about him. When he creates a goal, he allows others to share the spotlight. After achieving everything possible with Argentina, including the World Cup and Copa America, he did not treat the national team as personal property that had to continue indefinitely.

After more than two decades with Argentina, he recognised that leadership also involves knowing when to step aside. Even though the team would have continued to want him, Messi chose to close the door while his final image with the country remained linked to a decision he had made himself.

Ronaldo facing a changing role

Ronaldo’s career has followed a different pattern. He has built one of football’s greatest individual careers, driven by an intense competitiveness and a constant desire to remain at the centre of the action.

One example came during the 2022 World Cup match against Uruguay. Bruno Fernandes delivered a cross that became a goal, and Ronaldo celebrated as if he had scored after believing he had touched the ball with his head. The goal was initially awarded to him, before ball technology confirmed that Fernandes was the scorer.

The incident was minor, but it reflected a wider contrast. Messi has not needed every significant moment to carry his name, whereas Ronaldo has spent much of his career pursuing goals, records and statistics. That mentality helped create his greatness, but it can become more difficult to manage as a career enters its final phase.

A player accustomed to leading the line may find it harder to accept rotation, a place on the bench or another team-mate taking the moment he once owned. Ronaldo still wants to continue, and has every right to believe he can contribute. The difficulty comes if that desire makes it harder to accept a changed role.

Portugal are no longer obliged to select him for every match, and Jorge Jesus has confirmed that his technical decisions will not be influenced by a player’s name or status. Being left out is not, in itself, an insult. The painful truth is that even an icon of Ronaldo’s stature must face the reality that time changes responsibilities.

Messi made the team greater than himself. Ronaldo often sought to place himself at its centre. Now Portugal must continue whether he is on the pitch or not, while Messi’s departure came while Argentina still wanted him. The difference is not necessarily about who was the better player, but about how each chose to confront the approaching end.