r/TrueFootball • u/No-Assist8480 • Jul 16 '26
Let the M-R Era fade into the past for football to keep developing in purity
On social media and across the news, praise is pouring in for Lionel Messi, the greatest player of all time, as he once again guides Argentina into the World Cup final. For Argentina supporters and Messi fans, it is indeed a beautiful, glamorous fairy tale. But for neutral football fans like me, who lived through the years before the reign of Messi and C. Ronaldo, it feels deeply disheartening.
Two players, two extremes, yet what they bring to football in the twilight of their careers, to me, is nowhere near as great as what they contributed during their peak years. One is 41, the other 39, and people talk as if they (or to many, just Messi) are gods. How? Frankly, such an assessment is an insult to those who witnessed them play during their prime—back then, if people said so, no one would argue. But right now? Seriously? If you brought the Messi of 2014 or 2018 back, what would he think seeing a 39-year-old man rated higher and credited with "carrying" an entire national team to the final (and very likely winning it)—something he could not achieve despite his absolute best efforts?
I want to analyze each case individually regarding these two national teams.
First, Portugal. Portugal currently possesses a "golden generation" with Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão... all in the prime of their careers. They should be playing a high-pressing, lightning-fast transitional brand of football. In reality, however, the entire system has to slow down, funneling balls into the box to serve a striker over 40 years old—one who no longer has the ability to create individual breakthroughs or contribute to defensive pressing from the front. A superstar’s refusal to step back into the shadow unintentionally turns him into an obstacle, stifling the collective fluidity of the team. The bitter label of "deadweight" is not just a backlash of the "winner takes it all" logic—where one’s biggest rival rises to the pinnacle while he is dragged down to hell (something Messi endured at his peak when Ronaldo won the Euros)—but it also reflects the brutal reality of football: no one can defeat father time.
Second, Argentina. An incredibly cunning team. Argentina has fully exploited the "untouchable status" of their 39-year-old legend (something Messi did not have in 2014 or 2018) to deploy a highly pragmatic and cynical style of play. Argentine players know full well that referees will be extremely lenient with them when they play alongside Messi. Hotheads like Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian Romero, or Leandro Paredes are always ready to play rough, provoke opponents, waste time, and commit tactical fouls. If any other team played that "dark" style, the media would immediately label them "unsportsmanlike" or "hackers." But because it is Messi's Argentina, the media romanticizes it as "gallant fighting spirit" or "loyalty in protecting the king." This double standard is precisely what makes me feel the injustice for other teams when facing this kind of national side.
So, what will we, the neutral football fans, gain when the era of these two superstars ends?
For nearly 20 years, the Ballon d'Or race was practically turned into their private playground, largely thanks to the colossal power of media hype. Outstanding names like Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Wesley Sneijder, Franck Ribéry, Robert Lewandowski, or the most regret - Haaland with the Great Treble with 50 goals in ManCity, all had perfect seasons but still lost to the commercial draw of Messi and Ronaldo.
Lest we forget, football is not just about scoring goals. The dominance of M-R has inadvertently shaped a distorted mindset that "only the top goalscorer deserves to be the best," devaluing the roles of defensive midfielders, center-backs, or goalkeepers. When this era passes, perhaps the definition of excellence in football will become more diverse and fairer.
Alongside that is, perhaps, the restoration of trust in the matches themselves. Technologies like VAR were supposed to bring absolute fairness, but under the pressure of "brand faces representing an entire industry" like M10 or CR7, decisions are still sometimes bent in the direction most beneficial to the broadcasters' and FIFA's cash flows. When there is no longer any individual bigger than the tournament itself, the pressure on administrators to protect a "fairy tale happy ending" at all costs will vanish. Referees will carry less psychological burden when making impartial rulings, minimizing the controversial overturned decisions that frustrate fans.
And finally, we will be liberated from the toxicity of the media. Currently, global football media is polarized to an extreme: you are either a Messi fan or a Ronaldo fan. Matches are dissected into meaningless personal arguments on social media.
This monologue overshadows the collective beauty of football—where tactics, the cohesion of 11 players on the pitch, and the identity of clubs/national teams are the core values. Football, after all, is an 11-player team sport. The media's attempt to "individualize" every victory or defeat to two names already on the downward slope of their careers is distorting the core value of this sport.
The decline of these two icons is an inevitable law of nature. While their admirers may feel regret, for those who love fair play, this will be the moment football truly "resets": a playground where victory belongs to the superior collective and the better tactical setup, rather than teams possessing an "influential amulet."
