Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have redefined the parameters of greatness in modern football, dominating the worldwide game for the best part of two decades.
Record-breaking exploits on either side of the Clasico divide with Barcelona and Real Madrid lie at the heart of a collective body of work that has yielded more than 1,500 career goals and 12 Ballons d'Or between them, plus dozens of major honours and records.
From the Premier League to La Liga and Ligue 1, through clean sweeps of domestic cup competitions, nine Champions Leagues and belated respective Copa America and European Championship success, Messi and Ronaldo have won everything there is to win.
Well, almost everything.
The two giants of 21st century football head to Qatar for what will almost certainly be their final tilt at the World Cup. Despite bringing their formidable qualities to bear for talent-packed Argentina and Portugal sides, it remains the one that has repeatedly gotten away.
In Messi & Ronaldo: Destination Mundial we will chart the international careers of two men who have not been able to bend things to their will in quite the same fashion while wearing the colours of the Albiceleste and the Selecao.
It is a tale of joy, despair and everything in between as two passionate football cultures have repeatedly attached their hopes and dreams to the talents of two global megastars.
From Tuesday, November 15, The Sporting News will release two articles per day in a 12-part series leading up to the big kick-off in Qatar. Dive in and navigate the entire story below.
READ: PART 1 | A NOD AND A WINK
READ: PART 2 | THE SECOND COMING
READ: PART 3 | CULES SCHOOL
READ: PART 4 | DIEGO AND LEO
READ: PART 5 | CRISTIANO AND EUSEBIO
READ: PART 6 | 'THE CUP, HE'S GOING TO BRING IT HOME...'
READ: PART 7 | CR7 vs ZLATAN
READ: PART 8 | 'IT HURTS NOT TO BE CHAMPION'
READ: PART 9 | EUROSTAR
READ: PART 10 | MUTINY
READ: PART 11 | RECORDS AND REGRESSION
READ: PART 12 | AT LAST
READ: EPILOGUE | DANCING DAYS AND FADING LIGHT
Credits and acknowledgements
The Sporting News was fortunate enough to speak to a number of experts on Portuguese and Argentine football to enhance the Messi & Ronaldo: Destination Mundial series. We would like to thank the following people for their time and input – please do check out their superb work.
Santi Bauza: Argentinian football journalist and content creator, whose credits include Copa 90, CNN and Hand of Pod.
Dan Edwards: Freelance football journalist based in Argentina, formerly the long-time South America correspondent for Goal.com.
Peter Coates: Editor of Golazo Argentino.
Simon Curtis: Portuguese football expert and co-author of The Thirteenth Chapter.
Aaron Barton: Creator of English-language Portuguese football destination Proxima Journada.
Tom Kundert: Creator of PortuGOAL and co-author of The Thirteenth Chapter
Joshua Robinson & Jonathan Clegg: Wall Street Journal sports reporters and authors of Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World's Game