Factor #1: Inability to mesh with an average team
Lionel Messi
The 2014 World Cup was the closest that Messi got to the prestigious World Cup trophy but he was unable to outclass the Germans. 2018 World Cup was another shot at glory but this time Messi couldn’t even take Argentina past the knockout stages.
This is not the Messi that we see at Barcelona who seems to be untouchable mainly because he is joined by the elite company of Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic etc.
On the other hand, Argentina does not provide the same service that Messi requires to score goals at a staggering rate and this is a clear sign of the football superstar’s inability to play and lead an average team.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Marcelo & Ronaldo. An irrefutable love story at Real Madrid. However, at Portugal this is not the case, as not even one player has had a good chemistry with Ronaldo.
The Portuguese star burned his fuel in the group stages as he single-handedly took Portugal into the knock out rounds. In the KO rounds Ronaldo needed a partner, an assist , a magical header but he didn’t get any of it as the football great was ousted of the World Cup.
Ronaldo always had the ability to turn the odds in his favor whenever he wanted to but like Messi his greatness was also limited to team members who were not good enough to assist him in his World Cup journey.
Surprising Fact!
It is quite peculiar that these two football greats have never scored in a World Cup knockout game and France and Uruguay made sure that they keep this record intact.
FIFA World Cup 2018 Knock-out games – Ronaldo Vs Messi
- Ronaldo: 6 games – 25 shots – 0 goals
- Messi: 8 games – 23 shots – 0 goals
For Overall World Cup statistics move to the next page!
