Former Barcelona star Emmanuel Petit once opined that Lionel Messi wasn’t a leader like Cristiano Ronaldo. His comments came during the 2018 FIFA World Cup after Argentina suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia in the group stage.
Lionel Messi inherited the captain’s armband for Argentina in 2011 and Barcelona in 2018. However, the now-37-year-old struggled to inspire his nation in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Argentina drew Iceland 1-1, lost to Croatia 3-0, and beat Nigeria 2-1 in the group stage before being knocked out by France (4-3) in the Round of 16.
Messi scored one goal and provided two assists in his four games at the World Cup. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a hat-trick during Portugal’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Spain and scored the winner in their 1-0 win against Morocco. Portugal drew 1-1 with Iran in their final group-stage clash.
Following Argentina’s 3-0 loss against Croatia, Petit told Paddy Power (via AS):
“He’s not a leader. He’s no Ronaldo in that regard. Messi is one of the best players ever, but he needs to show that mentality. He needs to wake up! When things go well with Barcelona, he’s a terrific player. We’ve seen it in the Champions League though, when things don’t go well, he can disappear on the pitch. He’s not there anymore. He’s not running, he’s walking. He’s not concerned about the ball. Come on.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal failed to do much better in the knockouts as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Uruguay in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi went on to prove his doubters wrong as he led Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory. He also helped them win the 2021 and 2024 editions of the Copa America.
How have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fared for their national teams in 2024?
With 2024 coming to an end, let’s take a quick look at how captains Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have fared for Argentina and Portugal, respectively.
Messi led his nation in 11 games this calendar year across competitions, missing four fixtures due to injury. The Inter Miami ace scored six goals and provided five assists in total and inspired Argentina to 2024 Copa America glory.
On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo played 12 games across competitions for Portugal in 2024. The 39-year-old netted seven goals and registered two assists. However, he struggled to make an impact during Euro 2024, scoring zero goals in five appearances, as A Selecao were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.
