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A strange paradox that unites two football legends
The 2026 World Cup has ended, and fans have started preparing for the new season, in which clubs will compete for group titles, and fans of two legends, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, will compete for individual numbers.
Start and end of the World Cup
Messi and Ronaldo participated in the 2026 World Cup amid expectations that this World Cup will be the last in the career of the two stars.
However, the careers of the two legends diverged greatly in this World Cup as one of them bowed out early and the other fought till the end.
Ronaldo was the bye, particularly from the quarter-finals, the second round of the knockout stage, after the clean-scoring defeat against Spain.
The Portuguese star was not at his best in the tournament as he scored just two goals in the win over Uzbekistan and failed to find the back of the net against DRC, Colombia and Spain.
On the contrary, Messi was the hero who took Argentina to the final match of the World Cup, before losing to Spain also with a clean sheet in extra time.
Individually, the Argentinian star has been very strong with 8 goals and 4 assists to become the second top scorer in the last as well as World Cup history behind French star Kylian Mbappe.
Between discipline and failure… Messi is back and Ronaldo is absent
Messi, who finished his World Cup journey just 10 days ago, specifically on July 19, today, Wednesday, returned to training at Inter Miami.
While Inter Miami Club’s official page posted a picture of the Argentine star returning to training, Ronaldo posted a picture enjoying his summer vacation at the beach.
Although Ronaldo ended his World Cup journey on July 6, 13 days before Messi and more than 3 weeks earlier, he has not yet joined the Al-Nasri camp.
Some may think that the reason for this is that Messi is characterized by dedication and discipline, while Ronaldo suffers from lethargy, but this is not true.
Why did Messi come back so quickly?
Messi was forced to make a quick return to Inter Miami in light of the resumption of the American League competition shortly after the 2026 World Cup.
Inter Miami had to play two matches without the Argentine star, first beating Chicago 3-2 last Thursday, before beating Montreal last Sunday with a clean sheet.
Messi will return to prepare to face Columbus early next Sunday, then St. Louis in the League Cup early next Thursday, and the games will continue until the end of the American League season next December.
Indeed, Messi wanted to take part in the All-Star Game today, Wednesday, before he was ruled out with compatriot Rodrigo De Paul as they reached the World Cup final with Argentina.
Why does Ronaldo miss Al-Nasr?
Al-Nasr, on the other hand, will not play any official matches for more than two weeks, particularly when they face Al-Fateh next August 15 in the team’s opening match in the Saudi Roshan League.
Ronaldo was not the only one absent from Al-Nasri’s camp as he was accompanied by compatriot Joao Felix and Senegal’s Sadio Mane, whose country had a World Cup exit in the round of 32, as well as Abdul-Ilah Al-Omar despite Saudi Arabia’s group exit.
According to Saudi press reports, Australian Ange Postecoglou, the new coach of Al-Nasr team, decided to give those players extra rest after the World Cup to avoid stress before the start of the new season.
Reports indicated that the Australian coach regularly communicated with the players and asked them to undergo physical tests and measurements, follow a specific moderate-effort program and provide him with the results daily to ensure their fitness.
The quartet are expected to join the Al-Nasr club camp in the next few hours to prepare for the start of the new season, in which the team will look to retain the Roshen League title and win the AFC Elite Champions League for the first time.
