The 2026 FIFA World Cup feels like The Last Dance in more ways than one.
Across the competitive field there are greats of the game likely taking the pitch with their respective countries for the final time on the biggest international stage. None bigger than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Two icons that defined a generation of football etch their name into history each time they lace up their boots. Messi, fitness permitting, looks to lift the World Cup trophy for a second time after cementing
himself as the greatest of all time in 2022. For Ronaldo, it’s likely his final chance to do so. Even if he pours water on the idea of needing the trophy in his cabinet.
Their Clasico battles were must-see football, but is one final matchup at their respective ages the biggest clash the World Cup could offer? Or is the young prince looking to take on the king for the first time the bigger box office attraction?
Lamine Yamal’s rise to superstardom is well documented. The main man for Barcelona and Spain will look to capture his first World Cup this summer off the back of lifting the UEFA Euros trophy in 2024. Given the accomplishment and Argentina’s Copa America triumph in 2024, the two countries were set to face off in Finalissima this year.
Rising tensions in the Middle East and subsequent venue and scheduling conflicts saw the game called off with UEFA calling it a “great disappointment.”
Now, with all three players competing in the tournament the question begs: Is Messi vs. Yamal for the first time or Messi vs. Ronaldo for perhaps the final time the bigger dream match?
“Well, we missed our Finalissima a couple of months ago so I think we deserve the king against the prince. The best player in history for me against one who could take his throne in the future. I wouldn’t know who I want to win if we get to a final with Argentina and Spain,” former Barcelona midfielder and TUDN broadcaster Marc Crosas said to SB Nation in May.
It’s hard to argue against seeing something for the first time compared to a re-run, even though that’s grossly underselling Messi vs. Ronaldo. Many fans would want to see the two icons of their generation face off one final time, but the excitement around seeing, as Crosas described, “the king against the prince,” for the first time is enticing.
The storylines write themselves one way or another if we’re treated to either match, but things still need to play out. The World Cup always provides shocking moments, Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina in 2022 a recent example. Getting either would be a gift for football fans around the world, no matter the stage of the tournament. The only true shame would be getting neither or having a player miss out through injury.
Is Messi vs. Ronaldo one final time, or Messi vs. Yamal for the first time more exciting for you?
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