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this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2026
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Football
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I'm not sure I'd frame it like that. In fact, I've never liked the "Messi is a god, Messi is not human, etc" narratives because they downplay all the hard work he has had to put in during his career to become the greatest player of his generation despite his obvious physical disadvantages. Technical ability and understanding of the game is not a gift at birth, it's something that all footballers develop during the earlier parts of their lives and the ones who go the furthest are generally among the hardest workers. Fans don't really pay attention until these guys are playing at a senior level, though, so all that early progression and work is often chalked up to natural talent instead.
Both players worked incredibly hard during their careers and were amazing in their own ways during their respective peaks, but Cristiano Ronaldo's game was always based a lot more on his physical attributes (relative to Messi). He was never as good technically so the only way to extend his career at the highest level was to refashion himself as a centre forward, which he did successfully for a while. However his lack of speed and endurance is so obviously a hindrance now in that position; he can't press, he can't run the channels, he can't stray too far from his starting position to influence the play because he won't be able to get back in time, etc.
Messi's traits lend themselves much more to a prolonged career at the highest level. Technical players can often transition into more of a deep playmaker role where they don't have to sprint as much, or as a Riquelme type figure in a central attacking position where they are only required to find space and link the midfield and attack, rather than carry the ball and make forward runs themselves.
I think the writing was on the wall for Ronaldo ages ago but unfortunately the more he has tried to cling on to this myth that he is a greater footballer than Messi, the more he has tarnished his own legacy. Increasingly, he is being remembered as this meme old man who sold out to Saudi Arabia and refused to move on gracefully, when that should never have been anymore than a footnote at the very end of his otherwise great career.
I call Messi an alien simply because we lack better terms to describe the way he consistently overperforms most metrics, and has for most of his career. The article "Lionel Messi Is Impossible" is over ten years old and the trend is not stopping, especially not if you normalize his performances for age group.
That has nothing to do with whether he works hard or not. He has spent an enormous amount of time honing his skill and thinking about the game. Like any child prodigy he was set down the path by his parents from as early an age as possible. For the most part child prodigies turn out to be people whose parents set them down on a path of practising from before they can walk.
But even though hard work and practice is the most important thing, aptitude still exists. Neither extreme is correct - the people who say talent is deterministic and entirely rules your fate are wrong, but so are those who say talent doesn't exist at all. Our genetic makeup provides the foundation, practice builds the house. You can build a pretty good house on a shoddy foundation if you work hard on it, but the truly impressive palaces have both. And of course, a great foundation with a shoddy structure will collapse anyway.
I do sympathise with Ronaldo in a sense. On the whole I don't really like him as a person, or what I've seen of him at least. But he built his entire life around this aspiration of greatness, this obsession with performance. I don't think he could have made himself the player he was without this belief that he was the best, but now it's becoming a huge mental obstacle for him. And adjusting to civilian life after a playing career is already a struggle for normal footballers, for him it must be cataclysmic.
I empathise with any aging player, having been through the process myself over the last few years. It is incredibly frustrating to have the same football mind trapped inside a body that is only weakening and letting you down more as the years pass. You feel like you are the same player you were at your peak and it's hard to let go of that and accept that you're just not.
My sympathies. I know it's a huge struggle, and mental health in football (especially post-career) is a dark underbelly that is often swept under the rug.
I don't know what that is like personally, as I've never had much footballing ability to lose in the first place. Though I've had vaguely similar experiences in regard to some mental pursuits, mainly related to my prolonged lack of sleep from insomnia. In that sense I'm familiar with the feeling of lost ability and frustration at your body (or mind) betraying you.