Messi and Ronaldo are like Curry and Durant.

In a highly anticipated match, Portugal was held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ronaldo started and played the full game, with 3 shots, 0 on target, 25 touches, and 0 successful dribbles, showing poor form.

A netizen commented:"The twilight of the gods—only Ronaldo took it literally!"

Often, happiness is just a feeling, and it’s all about comparison and contrast.

Messi scored a hat-trick, Kane bagged a brace...

It’s like seeing the neighbor’s kid get into a top university while your own child fails the exam—the disappointment feels even more intense.

Before Portugal’s match started, I discussed with a friend whether Ronaldo would be on the bench.

But then I thought, if Martinez dared to bench him, the star might just pack his bags and go home.

The logic is simple: Messi just shocked the world, and the stubborn Ronaldo couldn’t have been unaffected emotionally.

And the result... Under such pressure, he didn’t play well.

It would be unfair to blame Ronaldo entirely for this upset.

Let me just say this: Despite Spain and Portugal’s possession-based style appearing dominant on the surface, modern football (and basketball alike) struggles without transitions and changes in rhythm.

To win in football, you don’t necessarily need high possession—counterattacks from a 5-4-1 formation can be just as effective.

I won’t delve into tactical analysis, since I’m not an expert.

As a basketball blogger, let me share my thoughts using basketball terms:Messi is like Curry, and Ronaldo is like Durant.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not discussing their historical legacies, as that’s pointless.

In sports, the highest-level talent is the Playmaker, the game organizer.

A Playmaker’s core skills don’t fade with age as easily.

Because they rely on vision, anticipation, rhythm, positioning, passing, creating space, and reading defenses.

As they age, slower speed and weaker explosiveness don’t affect their value much. Messi has slowed down, but he’s become more efficient, better at positioning, deadlier with his passes, and more stable in controlling the game.

Yesterday, as soon as he was subbed off, Argentina’s attacking quality dropped immediately.

Curry has also slowed down and lost some of his former speed, but his rhythm is finer, his shots are more precise, and his ability to stretch the floor remains elite in the league.

So, you’ll find that both of them are still favored by time.

Both Ronaldo and Durant are Finishers—the ones who close out plays.

In their prime, they could go one-on-one and score at will.

The logic is simple: relying on body, explosiveness, and individual scoring is impressive.

But once speed, jumping, and physicality decline...

Why has Ronaldo declined so noticeably? Why has he rarely shone in World Cup knockout stages?

Why does Durant always have many turnovers in the playoffs? Why does his performance look off?

Their core role isto deliver the final blow, but they are not good at linking, organizing, or activating the team, and their threat is heavily tied to their physical condition.

Finally, back to the World Cup.

Messi is both an organizer and a finisher, providing a double safety net.

Even another veteran, Kane, has the ability to drop deep, distribute, and connect the midfield, compensating for his physical decline.

What were Ronaldo’s trademarks? Rapid runs to get on the end of crosses, sprinting down the wing to overpower defenders, winning aerial duels, set pieces, free kicks (remember the equalizer against Spain in 2018)...

Besides his physical decline, don’t forget that Portugal now favors possession-based football, but such a system requires forwards to drop back, distribute, and connect with the midfield.

Ronaldo has long been accustomed to staying in the box waiting for the ball, rarely involving himself in midfield play, and he is out of sync with the team’s rhythm. Often, his presence makes players like Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva unsure what to do.

He constantly waits in offside positions for the ball... Frankly speaking, many times it feels like playing with 10 men.

We can’t solely blame him for the draw and the upset, but as someone who doesn’t really understand football, I’ll give a reckless suggestion:

Maybe he should come off the bench—if a goal is needed after the 60th minute, he can be brought on.

That’s my personal opinion. Ronaldo’s fans, please don’t be offended if you disagree.