When the World Cup kicks off next month, the two biggest stars in Qatar will be Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the players who shaped the modern era of the world’s most popular sport and who collectively have achieved fame normally reserved for popes. and presidents of the United States.
The rivalry between a little Argentine genius and a friendly Portuguese superhero has unfolded over the past 15 years as a story of opposites, down to the most essential tools of their craft: their stallions. With billions of dollars at stake, Messi wore Adidas while Ronaldo was Nike.
