It’s a rivalry that has dominated football for almost two decades now, with the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo story looking likely to come to a close at next year’s World Cup.
Now well into veteran, yet not necessarily diminished, status, the two men defined a generation during their pomp at Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, with the beautiful game arguably having never seen – and might never again – the two best players in the world going head to head on a weekly basis.
While Messi’s contract situation at Inter Miami had sparked speculation regarding a potential switch to Saudi Arabian side, Al Ahli – throwing up the prospect of a renewed battle with Al Nassr’s number seven – it looks unlikely that their paths will cross again on the club scene.
With previous reports of Ronaldo moving to Miami to partner the Argentine having also been shut down by his recent bumper extension in the Middle East, the greatest ‘what if’ question of the modern era is likely to go unanswered.
Just what would have happened if the two men had ever played together in the same side?
Well, with the help of AI tool ChatGPT, we may well have the answers, having taken a deep dive into what Messi’s career, in particular, would have looked like had he ended up partnering the Portuguese sensation:
2017/18
33 G, 22 A
44 G, 8 A
2016/17
37 G, 25 A
42 G, 10 A
2015/16
32 G, 27 A
49 G, 11 A
2014/15
35 G, 30 A
52 G, 9 A
2013/14
34 G, 21 A
51 G, 12 A
2012/13
42 G, 24 A
47 G, 11 A
2011/12
50 G, 29 A
48 G, 9 A
2010/11
40 G, 25 A
45 G, 10 A
2009/10
38 G, 21 A
42 G, 10 A
1 A change in role
The sight of the 38-year-old strolling round the park has become a familiar one for both club and country these days, with Messi, as to be expected considering his age, no longer the balletic, lightning forward who tore defences to shreds in his pomp.
Who can forget the left-footer’s majestic 2012, in which he scored 91 goals in total during a simply staggering calendar year, having made a sublime transition from life on the flanks to a false nine berth. In all for Barcelona, the 5 foot 7 star registered 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games, as per Transfermarkt.
In the view of ChatGPT, a link up with Ronaldo at the Bernabeu might well have led to a different positional path, with it predicted that Messi would have dropped into a deeper role sooner, described as “more orchestrator than finisher”.
That tweak to operate more as a number ten – in a similar vein to Mesut Ozil’s role behind ‘CR7’ for Los Blancos – would perhaps have seen Messi emerge as more of a provider than a clinical goalscorer.
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Indeed, ChatGPT thinks that he would have more likely chipped in with 35-45 goals per season, in contrast to his 50+ average at his pomp, albeit with that counterbalanced by an increase in assists. As the AI tool states, a “season with 30+ assists wouldn’t be impossible.”
2 Increased success at club level
As was seen during Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain, alongside both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, putting the world’s best together doesn’t always prove particularly fruitful, with the Ligue 1 side unable to even get close to securing Champions League glory with that trio onboard.
Would the same have happened with a forward line containing Messi and Ronaldo? Well, ChatGPT doesn’t think so, having predicted that Madrid – with that duo in tow – could have won “seven or eight La Liga titles in a decade”.
In the real world, Messi already boasts ten LaLiga titles, although he could have eclipsed his record on the European stage, having won four Champions League titles during his time in Catalonia.
According to ChatGPT, that return could be enhanced with a haul of six to eight Champions League triumphs, alongside Ronaldo, mirroring the club’s success during the golden period in the 1950s.
Such glittering success both in Spain and on the continent would, in the view of ChatGPT, have led that Madrid side to become recognised as “the greatest in club football history”.
3 The GOAT debate
Everyone has their favoured pick, although it is hard to argue against Messi being the greatest of his generation – if not of all-time – having claimed eight Ballon d’Or awards to date, eclipsing Ronaldo’s return of five.
Would that domination over his long-time foe have continued with the two playing together? Well, ChatGPT thinks not, suggesting that the pair might have claimed six apiece.
They add that their “votes would cannibalise each other’s dominance”, thus potentially opening the door for a player like Neymar or Robert Lewandowski to claim the award themselves.
Equally, a seemingly prosperous joint Ballon d’Or is even floated for the great duo, with the debate predicted to shift away from Messi vs Ronaldo, and instead focus on the pair “versus everyone else”.
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There is the claim that there would be far less of a debate over who is the better of the two, with there a more wider acceptance of just how great they are together.
That said, even in a parallel universe, tribalism exists, with ChatGPT noting that contention would remain over who is the one “carrying the team”.
4 A different legacy?
As a man who has won everything in the game – including the World Cup – the diminutive wizard could hardly have built a greater legacy, with even his recent mixed adventures in Paris and Miami unable to tarnish a truly staggering individual career.
Sharing the limelight with Ronaldo may well have impacted his standing somewhat, however, with ChatGPT suggesting that Messi would have been more widely admired as the “ultimate team player”, rather than simply an individual genius.
With his role as a supplier or a provider, ChatGPT claims that the Argentine would be “seen as the creative force behind an unbeatable duo”, leading to him being “even more respected by coaches and purists” but “less by stat-driven fans”.
Is that a world we would have liked to see? Two figures working in tandem to terrorise the rest of Europe, rather than going head to head with each other?
Much of what has made the 21st Century great in a footballing context has centred on that Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, but were we denied something even more intriguing by not seeing them play together?
Alas, it was not to be. But if ChatGPT is anything to go by, both men would have achieved greatness either way.
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