Perhaps an insight into the downfall of Cristiano Ronaldo is the jubilation of scoring two goals in a friendly defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday night.
Fans around the world bought into the Ronaldo vs Messi friendly encounter as a way for the pair to roll back the years.
Despite it only being a friendly between Riyadh All-Stars and PSG, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both found the back of the net, much to the delight of the watching world.
While it was great to see the old foes going toe-to-toe, it being in this manner summarised the demise of the great Ronaldo.
The Portuguese international scored two goals but it was the manner of his excitement that made it laughable.
In a friendly match against a PSG side barely breaking a sweat, Ronaldo celebrated as if it actually mattered.
It was certainly an entertaining fixture, ending 5-4 to the French champions, but for Ronaldo, it seemed it meant a lot more than it did for Messi.
And that is exactly where the debate about the greatest of all time ends. Ronaldo sought redemption while Messi fancied a kickabout with some mates.
Messi came into the fixture just a month after winning the Fifa World Cup, the same tournament where Ronaldo spent the majority of the time on the bench.
Making matters worse, Ronaldo looked and played as if he had something to prove when in fact he has nothing left to give.
Will he go down as one of the best footballers of all time? Absolutely. But Messi has and always will prove to be a thorn in his side.
Ronaldo posted on social media after the game that “it was good to see some old friends” in Sergio Ramos and Messi, which admittedly was wholesome to see, but it painted the perfect picture.
Ronaldo continues to claw at any sense of relevance at the back end of his career while Messi eases off into the sunset as the greatest of all time.
Pictured above: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo meet one final time
Image source: @karawamedia
