First Lionel Messi. Now Cristiano Ronaldo. Within a space of three months, two of the all-time greats have called time on their international careers.

International football will never quite be the same again. How could it be, without the genius of Messi that creates something out of nothing and the force, pace and the brutal elegance of Ronaldo?

We have been fortunate that their extraordinary careers blossomed right in front of our eyes, that we could watch them score all those incredible goals over the last couple of decades, at the World Cups, in European leagues.

True, everyone loves to love Messi. Ronaldo may not be universally cherished like the way the Argentine is, but his fan-following is no less committed.

Modesty may not be his best quality, he may have been accused of diving, he may have been theatrical, but make no mistake, few have played the beautiful game with as much passion, with as much hunger.

In fact, when it comes to the sheer drive and the relentless pursuit in the perfection of their art and athleticism, you would not too find many like Ronaldo in all sports, not just football. Closer home, he reminds you of one sporting great, though.

That man, Virat Kohli, like Ronaldo, has defied age. Not surprising really that the Indian superstar admires the Portuguese superstar.

If football was more of an individual game within a team game, like cricket, Portugal would have won more tournaments. A Kapil Dev could defeat Zimbabwe. A Glenn Maxwell could beat Afghanistan.

Football is as much a team game as any. Just the other day, Borussia Dortmund great Marcel Schmelzer had told this correspondent during an interview, that he was not a fan of the Ballon d’Or, as he believed football was a team game, it was not about individuals.

Still, the individual brilliance of Ronaldo made Portugal a formidable force. He led Portugal all the way to the Euro title in 2016. He sadly had to leave the field after just 25 minutes in the final against France, but he cheered his teammates from beyond the boundary. It was Portugal’s finest hour.

With Ronaldo, the Portuguese played in every World Cup between 2006 and 2026 (before him they featured in only three). And he provided some unforgettable moments with his genius at the world’s greatest spectacle. Remember that hat-trick against Spain in 2018? You will not have forgotten that insane free-kick in the 88th minute that made the score 3-3.

It was genius. It was magic. It was Ronaldo.