In 2015, two adjacent transparent bins in London became the arena for a silent but heated debate, where smokers would dispose of their cigarette butts to answer a burning question: Who is the best football player in the world, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?.
As a way to encourage people to use the bins to dispose of cigarette butts, the greatest rivalry in football in the twenty-first century has proven to be an effective attempt to achieve this.
A decade later, the debate is still raging as the duo approach becoming the first players to participate in six World Cup tournaments.
Both Ronaldo and Messi have scored over 800 goals with clubs and national teams each, and together they have won nine Champions League titles and 13 Ballon d'Or awards.
Messi's fans assert that his World Cup win with Argentina in 2022 puts him at the pinnacle, but Ronaldo's supporters cite his titles in major European leagues, his total of 954 goals including 143 with his national team, and him being the most capped international player with 226 matches for Portugal.
Ronaldo will be 41 years old and Messi 39 at the tournament to be held next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which will be the last for both of them.
*World Cup 2006
Ronaldo was 21 years old and Messi was almost 19 when they became their countries' youngest goalscorers in the World Cup during their first appearance in the tournament in Germany.
Messi did not play in the quarter-finals when the Argentine team lost to the host team on penalties. The following day, Ronaldo scored the decisive penalty against England before facing disappointment in the semifinal, losing to France.
*World Cup 2010
Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal, scored only one goal in the finals in South Africa before Portugal lost to Spain, who later won the title, in the round of 16.
Messi, who failed to score during the tournament after Germany knocked Argentina out for the second time in a row, faced sharp criticism in his country, with fans accusing him of caring more about Barcelona than the national team.
*World Cup 2014
Portugal gave a forgettable performance, as Ronaldo, who risked his career by playing with a knee injury, scored only one goal before being eliminated in the group stage.
Messi, who had become the captain of his national team, shined by scoring in every group stage match and won four consecutive best player of the match awards.
However, Argentina lost the final against Germany, and the Golden Ball award for the best player in the tournament was little consolation for Messi, who was seen crying after the match.
In the following two years, Argentina lost the Copa America final and the Centennial Copa America final, both against Chile on penalties. Messi announced his retirement from international football, devastated, but later reversed his decision.
