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Cristiano Ronaldo's former Manchester United teammate Patrice Evra has reckoned Lionel Messi was 'gifted' the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It was Argentina's first triumph - third overall - at the quadrennial tournament in 36 years.
Messi led from the front - bagging seven goals and three assists - playing every minute of every game as Lionel Scaloni's side dethroned reigning champions France with a shootout win in the final.
The Inter Miami man scored in all four knockout games - including twice in the final against France - narrowly missing out on the tournament's Golden Boot to his then Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe (8).
In an interaction with his compatriot and former PSG winger Jerome Rothen, Evra said about Messi's World Cup triumph in 2022 (as per Roy Nemer)
"We all know that in 2022 they gave the World Cup to Messi."
With that, Messi "completed football," bagging every major possible trophy with club and country.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo had a disappointing outing in Qatar that year, scoring just once in five games, as Portugal were upset 1-0 by Morocco in the quarter-final. The 40-year-old is yet to win the prestigious event in five attempts, with a semi-final run in 2006 in Germany being his best effort so far.
How have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared this season?
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Cristiano Ronaldo (keft) and Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as two of the best ever to grace a football field. In their illustrious careers spanning more than two decades, each men has netted over 850 times for club and country, winning big titles and individual accolades galore.
Ronaldo, now at Al-Nassr, is in the midst of a decent second full campaign with the Saudi Pro League giants, bagging 28 goals and four assists in 33 outings across competitions. That includes 19 goals and three assists in 24 games in the league, where Stefano Pioli's side are third, 10 points off leaders Al-Ittihad, with Ronaldo scoring in his last two league outings.
The 40-year-old has also contributed seven goals in six games in the AFC Champions League Elite, scoring in the 3-0 second-leg home win over Esteghlal in the Round of 16 for a 3-1 aggregate win.
Meanwhile, Messi has four goals and two assists in five games across competitions for Inter Miami this season. That includes a goal and two assists in two outings in MLS and three strikes in as many games in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
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Edited by Bhargav