Topic: FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread - page 201. (Read 62801 times)

I agree that Messi was the most important player for Argentina in winning the world title.
However, the same cannot be said for Ronaldo and his performance in Qatar.
Ronaldo did not play at his usual level and Portugal started to play well in attack only when Ronaldo was dropped from the Portugal first team.
Instead of accepting the coach's decision, Ronaldo rebelled and brought discord into the team, and the media wrote more about why Ronaldo is not playing than about the Portuguese national team. The atmosphere in the team was broken and I think that is the main reason why Portugal was not successful at the last world cup in Qatar.

If you are trying to imply that it is the sole responsibility of the athletes to protest against the human rights abuses happening in Saudi Arabia and other countries? Messi's own country (Argentina) maintain business and political ties with Saudi Arabia, so do countries such as the United States and France. As far as I know, there are no sanctions or embargoes from the United Nations that are directed towards KSA.

And if your argument is that rich people have the luxury of the laws bending down to them in Saudi Arabia, then I need to remind you that it happens everywhere including the United States (where Inter Miami is based). Look at Sam Bankman Fraud. Despite stealing $8 billion, he is chilling out at his home without facing any time in prison. If some ordinary guy had stolen $8 from a local Walmart in the US, he would have been behind the bars by now. 

Their performance in the last world cup football was amazing. One of them was finally successful while the other was criticized for drooping to the bench. People's passion for Ronaldo increased when Portugal lost the match. Portugal did not win the last World Cup but his fan followers did not decrease. When you get older, you don't have the same energy as before. But I think these two legends will try to give their best at the last stage of their football career.

Ronaldo and Messi have both been very influential players for their national teams.
Ronaldo, who is a Portuguese national player, is one of the mainstay players for the attack line and vice versa, Messi for Argentina is also a core player in the attack line.
But both of them had their heyday at almost the same time to become players who were really very competitive.
It's just that it happened in the past when both of them still had the stamina and performance to play well.

Now, due to the age factor, maybe the way of playing has changed drastically, only luck distinguishes it, where Ronaldo was trusted to be brought in by the Saudi team with a very large contract, while Messi is still the subject of discussion.

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Whether your words have been wisely chosen and are well-considered will remain unanswered I suppose.

Messi won't ever regret his decision because he will be a billionaire with or without a contract in the SPL. But what you said about the laws and how they only apply to rich people could be the exact reason why Messi did not go there. Ronaldo took the money from people in a country where a lot of things go wrong and are dominated by injustice. But you call it a lost opportunity when someone decides against taking the money. Let's see if he decides to go there later, but someone saying no to Saudi bloody money isn't a mistake, it can also be a statement.

Don't worry too much about Messi's financial future. I am positive that he will be able to afford his bread and butter everyday.

If that is the real reason why Messi preferred MLS instead of the SPL, then I have to say that it is a big mistake. Look at Ronaldo. He is residing with his girlfriend in Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that unmarried couples are de jure not permitted in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has relaxed a lot of their strict laws recently. For rich people, many of the laws are not applicable. I just hope that Messi will not regret about the lost opportunity. $1.2 billion offer was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Hopefully, he will rethink about it after a year in MLS.

I think Messi is superior to Ronaldo, but they are very close.

And the thing is that both should actually retire since they are way past their prime already, and they should give the opportunity to the next generation.

I mean, they both can simply appear on ads and they will make more money than actually playing

In fact, I think that both Messi and Ronaldo have the same technical level, the problem is that Ronaldo was going through a very bad phase at that moment with Manchester United for different reasons, not because he was actually playing badly.
Portugal's disqualification in the quarterfinals left Ronaldo with an even greater "weight" on his conscience.

I believe that Ronaldo has already recovered from this bad phase and if he plays in the next world cup... I hope he accepts it and that Portugal qualifies, I believe that we will still be able to see Cristiano Ronaldo in his full form and as one of the favorite players .

Yes, I really think that here the good combination of veteran players with younger ones is ideal, why? young players run a lot and have impressive speed, something that veteran players don't have unless you're CR7 or Messi who eventually are jets when they run, however when we see that in the news even right here on the forum they give it very Veteran players are tough because of their age, and yes, they may not have the same speed, but they are players who, if they leave the ball in an extreme situation, have the clarity to do the right thing, even over youngsters.

You are right, but what happens here is that when we talk about these two stars, they are the ones that give the most emotions in world football, until now I have not seen a player who has the same impetus as them, and apart from the same level that is from another world, for me both players did not give the required importance, they treated CR7 very badly, and Messi was not very good that the fans made that rudeness to him, and apart from that, the sheikh forced him to lose forgiveness, they are things that really people do not see, only the one who lives it is the one who knows, I think that for that reason they both went far away, to have more peace of mind doing what they like the most, I hope to see Messi and CR7 in the next world cup.

I don't agree with comparing these two players like that. Ronaldo left Manchester United because he had a poor performance there even in the first weeks in were playing on his team he got enough support but the Ronaldo we saw in the last months was not like the Rinaldo we saw in Real Madrid.
But Messi had a good performance in the last world cup and in PSG but he didn't get the support he had to get and that's why he left PSG for Inter Miami where can earn more money and he obviously could choose better teams but he put his family as first priority.
That's why I think even if we are going to see both players in the next world cup Messi can have much more chance there.

The truth is I do not think even they knew what they were going to do, according to the rumors Messi did indeed wanted to play at the Saudi Arabian league, but his wife simply did not agree with the decision to move there and that is why he is now at Miami, after all as we have discussed before the restrictions and laws on a country like Saudi Arabia could feel very restricting for some people and that is why Messi finally decided to play at Miami instead.

Barcelona FC was so keen in getting him but when Messi asked them, they cannot give a solid answer and was part of the reason why he did not return to Spain.
Anyway, here are some reasons that I found that might be reasonable enough on why Messi joined the Inter Miami FC and not Barcelona or Saudi Arabia.

1. Barcelona cannot afford it YET
A sensational return to Spain was reportedly Messi's preferred option, and the club was also keen on bringing him back.
However, although they have managed to get the green light from LALIGA to make a move for Messi, they still need to make sales to fund the operation.
The Qatar 2022 champion wanted his future sorted as soon as possible, and Barcelona were unable to provide guarantees.

2. American branding/business deal
Although he stands to earn nothing close to the reported wages offered by the Saudi club, the move to the MLS is lucrative and can be huge for Messi's brand.
According to the Athletic, Messi will reportedly receive a portion of the profits made by Adidas and Apple, two MLS-affiliated companies, for joining Inter Miami.  
He will also reportedly stand a chance to own a stake in the Miami-based club.

3. His family
Messi is evidently a family man, and they are involved in the decisions he makes.
According to reports, he did not see himself settling in Saudi Arabia with his family, hence the decision to choose Inter Miami.

Source: https://www.pulsesports.ng/football/story/3-reasons-why-messi-chose-inter-miami-over-barcelona-and-al-hilal-2023060717292795788

They don't have to play every game. As I already wrote, it is enough for them to enter the field a couple of times in the group stage, where, thanks to FIFA increasing the number of teams and thereby lowering the quality of the competition, we will know in advance which teams qualify from the group.
Messi said that he will not play in the World Cup 2026 but I remember him saying this already (I think even a couple of times) after another unsuccessful Copa America, but nevertheless he returned to the national team.

I absolutely agree and it also depends on what Messi wants. Nobody knows yet whether even he himself would agree to play another World Cup. But when he now stays fit and shows some great performances in the MLS, I expect the fans around the globe to be wanting to see Messi play the World Cup or at least be part of the Argentina team. He will also feel the pressure that people want him to be there because he is their idol in soccer.

But yes it is three years to go and nobody knows what is going to happen. It is also possible that in two years he goes to Saudi Arabia and it is the Saudi Arabians who want him to play another World Cup in order to draw more attention to the Saudi league as well. A lot of potential scenarios and in the end we will have to wait and see how it plays out.

When Cristiano Ronaldo was last at Manchester United and when the issue of his leaving the club came in front of everyone, no one thought for a single moment that Cristiano Ronaldo could go to Saudi Arabia but to everyone's surprise, he joined Al-Nassr Club in Saudi Arabia at the last moment.  
Same goes for Lionel Messi this season when he was out of power with PSG it was almost certain that he was without class but we all expected that Messi might not return to Barcelona or go to the Saudi League but at the last minute he joined Inter Miami in the United States. That is, apart from the club of these two, only they both knew about it and surprisingly they showed such a surprising act.

Letting countries like Saudi Arabia or Qatar host the world cup will definitely damage the tournament because the only thing they can do is just spend money and there are not enough facilities there unless just like what Qatar has done in the past, Saudi Arabia spends money and hire workers from other countries to build stadiums and we can have another shiny but dirty world cup.

Messi’s prowess might be a game-changer, but not the only game piece. Messi is more than an athlete; he’s Argentina's beacon. His influence goes beyond the game.

However, remember, football’s a group dance. With Messi in, the team's combined output still rules. Messi’s a force, but can’t wrestle victory alone.

In terms of fitness, absolutely, it counts. Age might be a limit, but many players shatter it. If Messi holds onto his stamina, he might secure a 2026 World Cup berth. Yet, the final decision will depend on several factors, and time will certainly reveal what's in store

Saudi clubs have been floating since the past. I want to say that (Mohammed bin Salman) paid huge attention to the Saudi club when Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia during the opening game of the 2022 World Cup in Saudi Arabia. And the big players keep buying which is currently at the top of the discussion. And the clubs have become very strong enough to be exposed to the outside world. Salman Bin is ready to invest heavily on how to reach the pinnacle of further development. And with huge offers, stars are leading to clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Not sure about Qatar (their bid for 2022 FIFA World Cup was made more than a decade ago), but Saudi Arabia is taking giant strides in sports. The current ruler (Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud) has explicitly stated that one of his aims is to make Saudi Arabia as one of the global sports hubs. And apart from football, they are making significant investments in other sports such as cricket, golf and boxing. And this is not a one-off policy change. Under prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia has taken a lot of revolutionary steps to integrate with the outside world, unlike the countries such as Qatar and Kuwait, who still want to live in the stone age.

Great stars will always be great wherever they go, especially the lesser team or countryside. Messi has been linked with many places in recent times, there are speculations that he is going to Saudi Arabia, a close relation claims that he would be back in Barcelona and now the USA claims are coming on board. Although this is not popular as I've never heard or read about it before. My guess is that Messi would find his part in either Barcelona or Saudi Arabia and you should know that the Saudi option would be for the money.

He would soon retire, so I believe gathering all the money possible is a very good and wise option now. The next world cup might also be his last, by then he should be 40-1 years, he can't predictably play in the next 2.