What could football have been like if, for instance, there was just Lionel Messi or just Cristiano Ronaldo without the countervailing effect of the other? I think about this sometimes, with all the rivalry and the accompanying invectives that one set of fans hurl the way of the other at the slightest provocation.
While it is impossible to know for sure how football would have developed without the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, here are some thoughts about possibilities that you may or may not share.
The competition between them has likely elevated both of their games. Having such a close rival to measure themselves against has pushed them to continuously improve and break records. Without this rivalry, they may not have reached the insane heights they are still maintaining deep into football retirement territory.
Their rivalry has brought a tremendous amount of attention, hype and interest to the sport as a whole. Fans have been captivated watching them try to outdo one another season after season. This has been great for the popularity and marketing of football worldwide. And, not a few verbal and physical fisticuffs every so often.
With no Messi or no Ronaldo forming a combined unrivalled dominance of the sport, the Ballon d'Or voting may have been more wide open and unpredictable. Other great players would have had better chances to win instead of those two splitting the awards between each other over and over again. This has unfortunately left some worthy candidates, Robert Lewandowski as a prime example, out of the loop.
Similarly, the goalscoring records may be more spread out between different players rather than concentrated around Messi and Ronaldo. Their scoring feats have been mindblowing, partly fueled by their competition. In the MLS with Inter Miami and in the SPL with Al Nassr, Messi and Ronaldo are still raking in the numbers to further stretch the goal-scoring gaps as a testament to the sheet longevity of their dominance.
Furthermore, the old and renowned El Clásico matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid escalated in intensity and drama over the years due to the Messi vs Ronaldo subplot. Their head-to-head battles became iconic moments in Spanish top flight football history. Fans flocked to the stadiums to witness these games first-hand and across the world, screens were kept tuned to whichever channels or websites broadcasted or streamed these football battles. It was always one of the most watched sports events for those years.
What is obvious from these thoughts is that the sport may have been more balanced, attention could have been more spread out and awards could have been more unpredictable without a definitive "best player" debate between the two superstars for so long.
Still, their duopoly of greatness has been an amazing story and we have been privileged to be living witnesses to the reality of such an epic epic.
