For more than two decades, the rivalry between two legends, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, has loomed large at every level.
Their fierce battle over individual awards and records, for club and country alike, captivated football fans in every corner of the earth, an event perhaps unprecedented in the history of the game.
Cristiano, 41, began his international career with Portugal in 2003. Messi started his journey with Argentina two years later, in 2005.
A historic moment in Messi's career
Today, though, brought a historic moment that ended one particular strand of the rivalry: each player's international career.
Lionel Messi played his final match in the Argentina shirt in the early hours of this Wednesday, drawing the curtain on a glittering international career. Cristiano, by contrast, still wants to keep playing for Portugal despite his dispute with coach Jorge Jesus.
Messi walks away from the Argentina national team with a historic legacy, headed by the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar, alongside other trophies and records with which he surpassed his country's legends.
Ronaldo, whose international career has not officially ended, has his own historic feats to boast, chief among them Euro 2016, plus other titles and records that will not fall easily either.
Messi's international retirement safeguards some of Cristiano's achievements
Messi retired from international football having achieved plenty that his rival Cristiano Ronaldo will not be able to reach should he continue with Portugal. The most obvious is the World Cup. The next edition comes in 2030, and it is practically impossible for Don to feature, given he would be around 45 at the time.
But his decision to retire also protected some of his Portuguese rival's achievements. Had the Flea carried on with Argentina for a few more years, those records were under threat.
Getty ImagesThe most capped at international level
One historic record is now safe from Messi's pursuit: most appearances for a national team in history.
Ronaldo tops the list with 234 matches, a figure that may yet climb should Don return to the Portugal fold. Messi's tally stopped at 208, after his final outing in the early hours of today against Benin.
The top scorer at international level
Cristiano also leads the all-time international scoring charts with 146 goals, another number that could rise given his international career has not ended.
Messi's penalty against Benin in the early hours of today took him to 126 goals, meaning he posed a genuine threat to Cristiano's record. Don is now safe, with the Flea's international career over.
Cristiano shades the scoring rate too, netting roughly every 127 minutes to Messi's goal every 136 minutes.
Ronaldo has scored against the most different national teams
Messi's penalty in that final match against Benin took the number of national teams he has scored against to 46.
Cristiano, meanwhile, has found the net against 49 national teams, the most of any player for his country. That is one more record Messi can no longer break after hanging up his international boots.
Getty ImagesScoring in 6 editions of the World Cup
Ronaldo became the first player in football history to score at 6 different World Cups.
The Portuguese star reached the mark at the 2026 World Cup, scoring against Uzbekistan in the group stage.
That record hands Ronaldo something unique: he has found the net at every World Cup he has played since his first appearance in the tournament.
Messi also featured at 6 editions but scored at 5 of them, failing to find the net at South Africa 2010.
Messi scored 21 goals in 34 World Cup matches, making him the second-highest scorer in history after Mbappe. Ronaldo scored 11 in 27.
Don, the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifiers
Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list of World Cup qualifier scorers with 41 goals in 52 matches. Carlos Ruiz, the former Guatemala star, sits second on 39 goals in 47 matches.
Messi comes third with 36 goals in 72 matches, followed by Robert Lewandowski on 35 in 46.