Timeless legends

Romantic relics never bore you. And you never get tired of seeing them, repeatedly, be it your most favourite film actor or a star athlete. As the dust and sand settles on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, two men who have dominated the giant stage like never before, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have provided several glimpses of their artistry with the foot and the ball.

Football is a simple sport to follow. Unlike modern-day hockey and constant changes in rules and regulations in other sports, the world's most beautiful game remains simple, not complex where you have to keep updating yourself with changing rules. Watching the two magicians in action over the last few weeks, one thing is certain, Messi and Ronaldo have shown they need to be cherished forever.

Football has seen several icons before, from Pele to Maradona and then Zinedine Zidane. This World Cup also saw some superstars weeping, leaving fans aghast, as they were kicked out before the quarter-final stage. Romelu Lukaku's Belgium and Luis Suarez's Uruguay were dumped, like the Budweiser beer cans from the eight iconic venues in Qatar, a country which still believes in being conservative in many ways.

The ban on beer inside the venues to the 'One Love' logo not being allowed to be sported by players did leave many griping. Otherwise, the football on view was gripping, where the two biggest superstars showed what longevity is all about. It is defined not by sheer number of years during which they ruled club football but how they've been part of five World Cup campaigns, each being a delight to watch.

Football loyalties are more revered than political loyalties. In politics, netas can change hues for their own relevance, yet it is the voter who decides when and where to press the button inside the polling booth. This is not to suggest that Messi and Ronaldo need a poll of sorts, as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate keeps surfacing on various social media platforms. These polls have hardly any significance because using Twitter to decide the greatest is incorrect.

'Genius' has various definitions. When you talk in a colloquial sense, even a quick action can evoke a reaction, "Wow, you are a genius!" That is not genius in the real sense, but a massive exaggeration with respect to the person who has come up with a quick answer or solution to a pressing problem. If you could decide, pronto, the GOAT debate in football, then rivalries would hardly exist. Or, if you would dare to produce a "Dream 11" of sorts and put Messi and Ronaldo, both in it, that would be boring.

The beauty about these two icons turned romantic relics is the legacy they will eventually leave behind. Pele showed brilliance for around a decade, wherein he won three World Cups. Diego Maradona won only one World Cup for Argentina but despite his rascal persona, you still loved him. He departed two years ago, but the images and moments he left behind are so rich, you still want to discuss him from football to being funky and from booze to cigars. There was nothing called taboo for Maradona, he loved life and lived life king-size. Sport loves characters, no matter what they do on and off the field.

If history were to judge greatness by mere statistics and goals scored and trophies won, be it the Ballon D'Ór or World Cup, the sample size of icons in football would be so diminished. For a football fan, it is the moments of creativity, goals scored, artistry and being in a team situation which has given them joy and tears.

Back to Messi and Ronaldo, this certainly was/is the final fling at a FIFA World Cup. Age does matter, and four years from now, these two men may be managers or commentators or simply at home, reliving blasts from the past. After all, the fantasy they produced with football was spell-binding. Messi started this World Cup slowly, and then showed he is still relevant. Ronaldo came to Qatar fighting demons, in his own head and heart, tormented by what all he has undergone this year.

From losing his child, Angel, to splitting acrimoniously with Manchester United, he was ravaged, emotionally. To be leading as captain at the World Cup in the league phase and then being made to sit on the bench and not figuring in the starting 11 for the Round of 16 match against Switzerland, Ronaldo was shown that he is dispensable by manager Fernando Santos. Call it luck or call it grabbing the opportunity, with CR7 being benched, his replacement as the Center Forward, 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos scored the first hat-trick of this World Cup. He came off in the 73rd minute to a thunderous applause for his sensational performance that only got louder as the man who replaced him was Ronaldo himself.

All kinds of stories have appeared about Ronaldo after that. Fans were made to believe he is a sulk, did not celebrate with the Portugal team after whacking the Swiss 6-1 and how he was seething with rage and wanted to engage with manager Fernando Santos in a war of words. Worse, unverified reports appeared that Ronaldo walked away from the national team. Can you imagine how fiction impacts a player when he has to read all this. Worse, at a time when the World Cup is on, there is kite flying on Ronaldo signing with a club side in Saudi Arabia!

One thing is sure, Ronaldo knows today that despite being the captain, in a team sport like football, it is the manager who calls the shots. If Santos benched him in the big match against the Swiss, it was because CR7 was not in peak form during this World Cup. He may have looked too dramatic at one moment when he thought he had scored a goal against Uruguay. The laser sensor inside the Adidas ball, throwing images to the control room at 500 images per second, declared Ronaldo had not touched the ball. Ronaldo came in for flak, again.

Did he ever say he is bigger than the game? No. Did Ronaldo ever say he is bigger than Portugal and indispensable? No. It hurts when the manager benches a superstar. After all, the prime concern for the gaffer is not letting a superstar show his wares but to produce results. As fans have seen this time, magician Ronaldo has been pulled up a greater number of times for being off-side in Qatar. These are lessons for Ronaldo, if he needed one, that he is past prime. Passion and hunger may be intact but to say he is Father Time would be uncharitable.

So, whether Ronaldo will ever play for Portugal again or not after this World Cup may be a relevant question. He is certainly not finished as a professional footballer. Even David Beckham, the master of football business, created a brand for himself past prime and played in the United States of America. Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham, better known as Posh Spice, marketed themselves brilliantly and produced goods, off the football field, which still sells. Their perfume is an example, which you can buy in India.

Modern-day sport is about being an active athlete and also having a giant presence even after retirement. Ronaldo and Messi will choose when to retire from national duty, hopefully, as players. However, if football clubs are still interested in them and are willing to spend the mega bucks, none can stop them. Messi has no such contract issues at present but to describe Ronaldo as "unemployed" by the British media is laughable. He dared to speak about the shenanigans at Old Trafford, and Erik ten Hag may have come out with his version as well. If the fans were to choose who is to be heard, Ronaldo will be the first choice.

History judges an athlete in many different ways. As brand ambassadors of the sport, Messi and Ronaldo have always been at their best. Not showing the middle finger or using foul language, but displaying an ice cool temperament and catching the eye

with creativity, feel, flair, feint and forays. For those who

have seen previous generations of football stars, from Diego Maradona to Paul Gazza, and Zinedine Zidane to today's Moroccan goalkeeping hero Yassine Bounou, there are several moments which will make you happy.

The digital age gives you the opportunity to see former champions, current young turks and legends like Leo Messi and CR7 aka Ronaldo. If these two guys do not win the World Cup, do not lampoon them. Their brilliance will be remembered, so what if in one match the Portugal captain was benched. When you talk of gentlemen and people leaving behind rich memories, names of these two icons, Messi and Ronaldo, will be taken in the same breath. You just cannot bury it like the dead ball during penalties shots taken from 11 metres (12 yards)!