07/20/2026
I was once a 16-year-old kid.
I still remember those afternoons riding my bicycle home from school with my best friend. There were two of us. One was obsessed with football and seemed to know the name of every player in the world. The other was me. I didn't know a damn thing about football—I just joined the conversations because everyone was talking about Messi and Ronaldo.
And yet, we would argue endlessly about one question:
"Who is better, Messi or Ronaldo?"
And somehow...
I realized I was sad.
Strange, isn't it?
I don't even consider myself a football fan.
Then I realized something else.
I like both Ronaldo and Messi.
And then it hit me that I'm 30 years old now. I grew up during the era of two football legends who divided the entire world into two sides.
What makes me sad is realizing that this World Cup may be the last time I ever see Messi, Ronaldo, and even Neymar on football's biggest stage.
I only know a little about the sport.
But somehow, that's enough to make me emotional every time I look at the TV and feel that an entire era is slowly coming to an end.
One represents discipline, relentless hard work, and the refusal to give up.
The other is pure talent—a once-in-a-generation genius whose dribbling could leave the whole world in awe.
Maybe I missed countless matches throughout their careers.
But even after watching only two or three games featuring these legends, I completely understood why people fell in love with them. Watching Messi glide past defenders or Ronaldo charge forward with unstoppable determination... it simply felt incredible.
For the first time, I understood what football fans around the world have been feeling for the past two decades.
I understood how deeply they could love their idols.
And I understood how painful it must be to watch the end of an era.
MAYBE I MISSED DECADES OF THEIR GREATEST MATCHES.
I FEEL SAD THAT I ONLY STARTED PAYING ATTENTION TO THEM WHEN THEIR JOURNEYS ARE ALMOST OVER.
BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, I FEEL GRATEFUL AND FORTUNATE TO HAVE LIVED THROUGH THEIR ERA.
AND I'M THANKFUL THAT, EVEN IF IT WAS ONLY FOR TWO OR THREE MATCHES, I WAS ABLE TO WATCH MESSI AND RONALDO PLAY LIVE.