Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Football's greatest rivalry robbed of one final chapter by cruel injury as a generation weeps

"We will not see [Messi vs Ronaldo], Ronaldo is in the final part of his recovery to join the group. We hope that in the next few days you can start working with the team. He will be absent from the game," Castro said grimly.

It wasn't a complete shock, of course, with Al-Nassr hastily cancelling their trip to China due to concerns over Ronaldo's fitness. But it did little to soften the blow.

In fairness, there have been several occasions when it has been claimed that we would be saying goodbye to the Messi vs Ronaldo rivalry. Initially, it was after Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018, meaning that the certainty of him meeting Messi twice a year in La Liga was gone.

Similar claims were made when Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia in late 2022, ending any hopes of anymore Champions League meetings between the pair. By the time he and Messi faced off in a friendly between Paris Saint-Germain and a Saudi Pro League XI last January, fans had accepted that there probably wouldn't be any more chances to see these two share a field.

Thursday's game at the Kingdom Arena in the Saudi capital, offered a chance to witness the legendary sparring partners face off one more time - but it's now been cruelly ripped away.

Saying that, there's still a chance there could be one final meeting between two players who have shared 13 Ballons d'Or between them. More friendlies, both club and international, could yet be scheduled, while the possibility of Miami and Al-Nassr both qualifying for the 2025 Club World Cup is also very much alive. Even if there's no future matches between two official teams, there's enough money in the sport now to put together some kind of testimonial before both of their bodies finally give in.

For now, we have to accept that, even if we do see these two compete against one another once again, there aren't many times left. And for millions of fans, that's sad. It certainly is the end of an era.

For those who didn't live through it, it's hard to properly explain what El Clasico felt like at its peak. There was no match like it anywhere in the world; no game where the level was so high, nor the competition so downright fierce.

Those Jose Mourinho vs Pep Guardiola years? Bloodbaths. It even divided the Spanish national team for some time. The competition was so tight and the games so downright ferocious, that international teammates couldn't bear to look at one another as they joined up in the aftermath.

Messi and Ronaldo, of course, were center-stage throughout. They were the two best players on the two best teams, setting record after record in every way imaginable. There were battles all over the field in those days, but the world was watching to see how Messi would one-up Ronaldo, or vice versa.

For over a decade, there was no stopping Messi or Ronaldo. And what made them so special wasn't just what they did, but how they did it.

By the time all was said and done, Ronaldo won two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies while at Real Madrid. His performances, particularly in those European atmospheres, were legendary. There are few, if any, better big-game players in the history of this sport. When the lights were brightest, Ronaldo stepped up.

Messi, meanwhile, won La Liga a total of 10 times while also claiming four Champions Leagues. For years, you knew that when Barcelona rolled into town, you were in for a show. Whether flanked by Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, Neymar or Luis Suarez, Messi was the maestro. He helped Barcelona do unthinkable things during an unstoppable reign of terror atop La Liga.

Between them, they won 10 Ballons d'Or in a row before Luka Modric put an end to their unrivalled dominance in 2018. Messi, of course, would go on to claim the trophy again one year later, with Ronaldo also finishing among the top three.

In terms of goals, the numbers are astronomical. Messi has 899 career club goals with 122 more for Argentina. Ronaldo? He has hit the back of the net 745 times so far in his club career, with 128 more - a world record for men's international football - fired in for Portugal.

So many of those goals were scored whilst competing with one another. The two used each other as fuel, with the other's exploits pushing them to reach higher levels.

In some ways, though, Messi and Ronaldo are polar opposites.

On one side, there's Ronaldo, the physical specimen blessed with unmatched athleticism and an unrivalled work ethic. His craft was honed during hours upon hours in both the gym and on the training field. No player worked harder and, for some time, no player was better than Ronaldo. He was a physically unstoppable force, one that terrorized defender after defender with speed, strength and, most importantly, an undeniable competitive fire.

And then on the other, Messi. Diminutive, quiet, unassuming... he looks more fan than footballer. But the second that ball touches his feet, magic happens. When Messi plays, the game somehow speeds up and slows down. The day he was born in Rosario, the football gods chose to smile down, blessing him with the innate ability to bend games to his will,

They had two totally different approaches to the game and two very different personalities. Ronaldo was loud and boisterous. He often posed in minimal clothing, flexing his sculpted body just to show how much work he'd put in. Messi, meanwhile, largely kept to himself, never showing much emotion unless forced to.

Despite their differences, this rivalry never got personal. Overall, it was all about respect.

Not that you would know it if your only frame of reference for this rivalry was through social media. The Messi-Ronaldo debates are an absolute cesspool. All too often, those sorts of discussions get out of control, with personal attacks flying over the accolades of two footballers no one involved has ever met.

That's the internet, though. Real life has always been far different. Generally, Messi and Ronaldo have treated each other with respect, acknowledging the level the other has reached. Reports have claimed that behind the scenes, at least in Ronaldo's case, the tone has been different, but publicly, the two have always taken the opportunity to praise one another.

"No, I have always said it - and [Ronaldo] for his part - that he is armed with the presence of us both," Messi told Tencent Sports in 2017. "We try to achieve the best every year for our team, and what is said outside of that I don't think is very important. He is a phenomenal player with a lot of quality. All the world knows, and that is why he is one of the best in the world."

Messi even went so far as to admit that he missed Ronaldo after the Portuguese star left Madrid for Juventus, saying: "It was nice playing against Cristiano, even if it was difficult I enjoyed winning cups when he was at Madrid. It would be nice if he were still there."

Ronaldo, meanwhile, also had plenty of good things to say about his rival, pleading with fans to simply respect what the two of them achieved rather than pick sides.

"If you like Cristiano, you don't have to hate Messi," he said in 2023. "The two changed the history of football and are respected. Rivalry? I don't see those things like that, we shared the stage for 15 years. I'm not saying we are friends, but we respect each other."

Maybe, someday, after this is all over, that friendship will blossom, but even if it doesn't, the two will always be united to some degree.

"We have shared the stage for 15 years," Ronaldo said in 2022."I don't know if that's happened before - the same two guys on the same stage all the time. Of course, we have a good relationship. We haven't had dinner together yet, but I hope in the future. We had that battle in Spain. I pushed him and he pushed me as well. So it's good to be part of the history of football."

It remains to be seen when, and if, that dinner Ronaldo discussed ever happens. But even if they never share the pitch again, their names will be intertwined.

There would be no Messi without Ronaldo and no Ronaldo without Messi. They pushed each other, inspired each other and forced each other to be better. There was no letting up or dialling back; both were constant in the way they approached the game throughout their decade-long rivalry.

More rivalries will come in this sport. They have to. Maybe Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe push each other for the entirety of their careers? Maybe there are some kids in Rosario or Madeira or wherever else building up toward something special? You never know where the next great ones will come from.

They'll have to be some level of great to live up to Messi or Ronaldo, though. It'll take a few players alone just to match one of their goal totals, let alone both. Their names are etched so deep into the record books, it'll be almost impossible to take them out.

So enjoy them while you can. The two defined a generation, an era.... hell, even a sport. And that sport will feel a little more empty without them when they're gone.

All things come to an end, but what a thing this was that we were all lucky enough to witness for so long.