Swan song at World Cup

Two soccer legends, the only six-time World Cuppers, are hanging up their cleats from the quadrennial event after exiting this year’s 48-nation edition without a championship. They’re leaving in tears, unable to restrain their emotions in the din of defeat. Nothing to be ashamed of. Their legacy will remain etched in the history of the beautiful game. Argentina’s Lionel Messi, 39, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, will forever be revered as among the greatest footballers ever.

It’s coincidental that this year’s champion Spain gave both Argentina and Portugal the boot, so to speak. In the Round of 16, Spain took out Portugal, 1-0 and left Ronaldo with three goals in four matches. In six World Cups, Ronaldo saw action in 27 matches, logging 2,150 minutes and collecting 11 goals and two assists. Portugal’s best finish with Ronaldo was fourth place in 2006 in Germany.

Messi is in the record books with the most World Cup matches (34) and most minutes (3,054). He led Argentina to three finals, bagging the 2022 crown in a penalty shootout over France, 4-2 after the match concluded, 3-3, following extra time. Messi was awarded the Golden Ball in 2014 and 2022. This year, he took the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second best player. The Golden Ball went to Spain’s Rodri or Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante.

If Messi and Ronaldo decide to play a seventh World Cup, they’ll head an elite group of 40-and-over veterans defying Father Time. The oldest World Cupper is Egyptian keeper Essam El-Hadary who was 45 at the 2018 edition in Russia. Colombian keeper Faryd Mondragon was 43 in 2014 and Cameroon striker Roger Milla, 42 in 1994.

Messi, who at 5-7 is an inch shorter than Pele and two inches taller than Diego Maradona, fell a win short of ending his World Cup career on a high note. His goal was to crown Argentina the first back-to-back champion since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. In the final, Messi was a marked man. Football enthusiast Robert Genato said, “Messi had to drop so deep to get the ball that he was basically playing as a third midfielder, not a forward…Spain’s structure forced him into harmless zones.”

With Messi under control, Spain dictated the flow of the game, using quick passes to keep Argentina on the backfoot. Spain dominated 68 percent of possessions and had 803 passes to Argentina’s 445. Believe it or not, Argentina finished without a single shot on target compared to 11 for La Roja. It was like Argentina played not to lose instead of to win, perhaps hoping to extend Spain to a penalty shootout like it did in the 2022 final. Spain was brilliant throughout the tournament, conceding only one goal to Belgium while scoring 14. Former Philippine national player Pepito Genato noted: “Spain were very patient. precise, prepared and dominant. They never rushed. It was like they were telling themselves it was just a matter of time since they controlled the pace and checked Messi. Spain’s defense was airtight. A great game to see Spain’s mastery over powerhouse Argentina.” FIFA Council member and AFC Finance Committee chairman Mariano (Nonong) Araneta, who witnessed Spain’s 1-0 win in New Jersey, summed it up: “Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente studied Argentina’s offense well and didn’t allow Messi to do what he did in previous games. Spain’s defense was the best in the tournament. With one player sent off, maybe Argentina’s strategy was to force a penalty shootout. In the end, everyone thought Spain deserved to win. Viva España.”