We are only 73 days away from the start of the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup and the soccer fan base knows that this edition of the most desired trophy in the world will be a special one. 

Everything seems to indicate that Qatar 2022 will be the last chance for us to witness Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on identical playing fields competing for the World Cup trophy.

During club performance, the two current astros of the sport seem to be different from their usual selves. Messi’s passes have lost their surgical feel, while Ronaldo’s speed has dramatically decreased, relegating him to a bench spot on a Manchester team missing Champions League action. Yes, certainly the time is near where we will no longer see these two at the World Cup, since it is only a matter of time for a generational transformation. 

After more than 12 years of seeing two of the greatest professional soccer players compete in successive World Cups, we might no longer see them. The two launched their World Cup careers in 2006, representing Argentina and Portugal, respectively. 

Messi rose onto the 2006 World Cup as a kid, competed as a mature teenager when Argentina lost 4-0 against Germany in 2010 and entered as a more experienced player in the 2014 final. Messi’s run brought him as close as possible to the longed trophy, yet fell short in lifting it in front of his people. In 2018, he failed again when Argentina was eliminated by France 4-3 in the Kazan Arena of Russia.

Ronaldo shares a similar story, debuting in 2006 at age 21 under legendary Portuguese head coach Luis Feliple Scholari. Ronaldo shared the field with none other than famed Luis Figo, whom Ronaldo would later surpass in the Portuguese National Team Top Goal Scorer list by 77 goals. In 2010, Ronaldo made it to the Round of 16 only to lose against Spain by a narrow 1-0 scoreline. He later was unable to advance his team past the group stages of Brazil 2014, as Portugal lost 4-0 against Germany, drew 2-2 against the US Men’s National team and beat Ghana 2-1. He then led Portugal to their first ever Euro Championship victory in 2016, only to fall short of the 2018 Russia World Cup due to a 2-1 loss against Uruguay in the Round of 16. 

Today, you have young stars like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé who have started to shine with their very own light, but have not reached the level of Messi and Ronaldo. The largest sports competition in the world will not be the same without these stars amid this end of an era.  

Messi and Ronaldo will enter Qatar with great expectations of what may be their last time wearing their national team’s jersey. We would all like to see the final between these two legends in an equally legendary match between Portugal and Argentina. However, if they were to meet, it would likely be in a knockout clash before the final. We can still dream of an amazing end to a career and a sport where these two face each other in the final at the Lusail Stadium. 

Generations have continuously seen the end of soccer eras. Our grandparents saw Pelé and Maradona, our parents witnessed Ronaldo Nazário and Hugo Sánchez. Now, we are forced to say goodbye to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which will soon leave behind a series of emotions, memories and nostalgia for “goal” chants, all of which will never be replaced. 

New history books will be written about the future of soccer, but it will be hard to match a player who was born with talent, like Messi, and one who worked his skill non-stop with ample dedication to reach the top, like Ronaldo. 

All we can say for now is, “best of luck in Qatar,” and hope that their kids reach a similar skill level for us to continue seeing the names “Messi” and “Ronaldo” on the World Cup almanacs. 

José Romo-González is a junior writing about the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup. His column “Next Stop: Qatar” runs every other Friday.  

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