Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi (right)
Former Barcelona star Emmanuel Petit once opined that Lionel Messi wasn't a leader like Cristiano Ronaldo. His comments came during the 2018 FIFA World Cup after Argentina suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia in the group stage.
Lionel Messi inherited the captain's armband for Argentina in 2011 and Barcelona in 2018. However, the now-37-year-old struggled to inspire his nation in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Argentina drew Iceland 1-1, lost to Croatia 3-0, and beat Nigeria 2-1 in the group stage before being knocked out by France (4-3) in the Round of 16.
Messi scored one goal and provided two assists in his four games at the World Cup. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a hat-trick during Portugal's thrilling 3-3 draw against Spain and scored the winner in their 1-0 win against Morocco. Portugal drew 1-1 with Iran in their final group-stage clash.
