da betsul： The Portuguese didn't feature in GOAL50 for the first time ever – so is the 38-year-old finished at the very highest level?
da fezbet： Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi – Luis Figo once said it was like being asked to choose between truffles and caviar. As far as the former Portugal captain was concerned, it was really just a question of taste.
Does one prefer the perfect physical specimen that is Ronaldo, a relentless goalscoring machine that looks as if he were constructed in a lab and yet is, in fact, a living, breathing testament to the merits of human endeavour?
Or Messi, a sprite-like figure blessed with a heavenly talent that enables him to not only play the beautiful game but control it, meaning every single time he sets foot onto the pitch, seemingly impossible feats become not just possible – but probable?
It's a debate that has divided many football fans for nearly two decades. But is the end of an era approaching? Has Ronaldo's time at the top finally drawing to a close?
Getty ImagesRonaldo's fall from grace
On Tuesday, Messi was announced as the winner of the 2023 GOAL50 vote. It was a record-extending seventh success for the Argentine – and it came as no surprise given his heroic and historic exploits at last season's World Cup in Qatar.
What was shocking, though, was the fact that Ronaldo wasn't even in the running. After finishing 11th last year, the five-time winner didn't even make the longlist in 2023, hammering home just how far his stock has fallen over the past 12 months.
So, is Ronaldo done? Will we never again see him challenging for the game's major trophies and most prestigious prizes? Or could 2024 bear witness to a sensational Ronaldo revival?
AdvertisementGettyFrom bulletproof to broken
What's clear is that Ronaldo's 2022-23 campaign was as terrible as Messi's was triumphant, a PR disaster that left his reputation in ruins.
After tarnishing his legacy at Manchester by forcing his way out of Old Trafford in the most undignified of circumstances (an interview with Piers Morgan), the forward was intent on silencing his critics at the World Cup.
Just before Portugal's opening game, he said that while his haters had their rifles in hand and were lining up to take shots at him, he felt "bulletproof". But he looked broken by the end of calamitous campaign in which he was dropped in favour of Goncalo Ramos after one painfully ineffective display after another.
After the Seleccao's shock last-16 loss to Morocco, Ronaldo didn't even stop to acknowledge his nation's fans. He instead headed straight down the tunnel, visibly distraught at the realisation that his likely final World Cup appearance had ended in ignominy.
Al-NassrShunned by Europe's elite
Ronaldo's dreadful displays and touchline tantrums in Qatar did absolutely nothing to boost his hopes of securing a move to one of Europe's elite clubs.
It didn't help that his working relationship with Jorge Mendes was in tatters by that stage, with the Morgan debacle having proven the final straw for the super-agent, who reportedly labelled the terribly ill-advised interview "a huge f*ck-up". The tension between the two had already been rising because of Mendes' – arguably understandable – inability to secure Ronaldo the move he wanted to a top team during the summer of 2022.
Exorbitant wage demands were obviously a major deterrent. Most European sides felt the events of the previous six months had proven that Ronaldo was now more trouble than he was worth.
In the end, he was forced to leave Europe and take the colossal amount of cash on offer to become the new face of the Saudi Pro League.
(C)Getty ImagesSaudi Arabia feels 'The Ronaldo Effect'
It's easy to understand why Saudi Arabia was willing to invest so much money in Ronaldo. The Portuguese's powers may be weakening on the field but the CR7 brand is as strong as ever.
The remarkable benefits of 'The Ronaldo Effect' have been there for all to see over the past year, with his move to the Middle East inspiring several other high-profile players to follow suit. As Neymar recently said, "Cristiano Ronaldo started all this."
Of course, Ronaldo remains obsessed with winning titles and, given that's long been his barometer of success, his first six months in Saudi Arabia cannot be classed as anything but a failure from a sporting perspective.
Remember, Al-Nassr were top of the SPL table when he joined in January; they ended up finishing second to Al-Ittihad. Another runners-up finish might also be the best they can hope for this season, too, with Al-Hilal currently running away with the league.