The end of the Cristiano Ronaldo era?

Is the GOAT debate over for good? Cristiano Ronaldo is nowhere to be seen as eternal rival Lionel Messi picks up his seventh GOAL50 award.

The Portuguese didn’t feature in GOAL50 for the first time ever – so is the 38-year-old finished at the very highest level?

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?

Ronaldo’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?

From 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.

Shunned 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.

Read : CRISTIANO RONALDO LEFT FOR PORTUGAL before Man Utd 

Saudi 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.

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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.

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Shining again in the SPL

However, all is not lost. We may yet see Ronaldo return to GOAL50 in 2024.

Firstly, the perception of the SPL has changed dramatically after a summer spending spree that made the whole world sit up and take notice.

It was inevitable that its status and standard of play would increase dramatically after the arrival of so many proven performers from Europe. It’s not like the money is going to dry up any time soon either.

Saudi Arabia is going to continue splashing the cash as it bids to become one of the most influential players in the global game.

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As a result, plying one’s trade outside of Europe might no longer be the hindrance it once was to winning distinguished individual accolades, which is obviously very good news for Ronaldo, who has just scored his 30th SPL goal in just 31 appearances.

Given we’re talking about one of the most professional players on the planet, a character that takes enormous pride in keeping himself in peak physical condition, it’s highly likely that Ronaldo will continue tearing it up for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

The key, though, is what happens immediately after that.

A fittingly fantastic finale in Germany

Ronaldo’s status as one of the greatest players of all time has long been secure. Nothing that happens between now and the end of his career can change that fact. His records and medals speak for themselves.

However, his hopes of a fittingly fantastic finale hinge upon how he performs at Euro 2024, which is likely to be his last major tournament at international level (even if an appearance at the 2026 World Cup really can’t be ruled out!).

If both Ronaldo and Portugal shine in Germany, one can be certain that he’ll be in contention to win GOAL50, the Ballon d’Or, The Best and every other award going next year.

And the thing is, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. Ten of the 50 goals Cristiano Ronaldo scored in 2023 were for the Selecao, who qualified for the Euros with a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 games. Given the depth of talent available to Roberto Martinez, they are unquestionably one of the tournament favourites.

Granted, the Spaniard has previous when it comes to wasting golden generations, but the draw has been incredibly kind to him. Portugal have been placed in one of the weaker pools (Turkey, Czech Republic and one of Greece, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg) and, provided they finish first, are not scheduled to face another group winner until the semi-finals.

In that sense, it’s not hard to envisage a revitalised Ronaldo running riot in Germany next summer – and forcing us all to once again ask ourselves whether we prefer truffles or caviar.