Messi at 39, Ronaldo at 41: what is left to play for?

Both players are still playing club football, and within a month of each other they have both ended their international careers. Messi is 39 and retired from Argentina on 31 August. Ronaldo is 41 and walked away from Portugal on 30 September, yesterday as I write this.

In this article I look at what each of them still has to play for. Everything below is as of 1 October 2026, and anything that can still change carries its date. ⚽

Let’s dive in!

📚 Content

• The ages, and the two World Cups
• Messi: the national team is done, the club is not
• Ronaldo: the World Cup is done, the country is not
• Side by side
• What is left to chase
• Thank you

The ages, and the two World Cups

Messi was born on 24 June 1987, so he is 39. Ronaldo was born on 5 February 1985, so he is 41. The gap is two years and four and a half months, and it shows in what each of them has left to do.

The 2026 World Cup was the last one for both. Argentina reached the final and lost 1–0 to Spain after extra time, on 19 July (Al Jazeera). Portugal went out in the round of 16, also 1–0 to Spain, to a stoppage-time goal in Dallas (ESPN).

Ronaldo scored three goals in the tournament and became the first player to score at six World Cups. According to ESPN’s Messi tracker, Messi took his own World Cup tally to 21 goals. Kylian Mbappé then passed him in the third-place match and finished on 22 (ESPN).

Messi: the national team is done, the club is not

On 31 August Messi announced his retirement from Argentina. Here’s how he put it 👇

“It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deep down.” (Al Jazeera)

He finishes with 207 caps and 125 goals. At the time of writing, his last match is scheduled for 6 October against Benin, per ESPN’s tracker.

At Inter Miami his contract runs through the 2028 season (Al Jazeera). He turns 41 during it. There are reports that he might stop earlier, but I found no confirmation, so I’m not treating it as news.

He is not coasting either. ESPN’s tracker has him on 35 goals and 15 assists in 39 games for club and country in 2026. That is the latest count I could find, and it is from September. In MLS alone, Wikipedia’s season page credits him with 21 league goals and 25 in all competitions for Miami. The tracker also records his 100th goal for the club, in the Campeones Cup on 16 September.

Ronaldo: one more squad, then done

After the Spain game Ronaldo said it was his last World Cup, and that he would not decide anything in the heat of the moment. For a couple of months it looked like that was about the World Cup only, not about Portugal.

On 18 September Portugal’s new coach Jorge Jesus, who coached him at Al Nassr, named him in the squad for the first four Nations League matches (AFP via France 24). He was an unused substitute in Portugal’s 2–1 win in Norway on 27 September (ESPN). He had played against Wales three days earlier without scoring. That Wales game turned out to be his last for Portugal: on 30 September he left the squad and ended his international career with immediate effect (Goal).

He finishes with 234 appearances and 146 goals, both records for men’s international football. That is 27 more caps and 21 more goals than Messi has.

At club level he won the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr on 21 May, the club’s first title since 2019, after 28 league goals and 2 assists in 30 games (Sofascore). Wikipedia puts his season at 30 goals in all competitions. His contract expires in June 2027 (Al Jazeera).

In an August interview with Vogue he said: “This is probably my last year of football.” Note the word “probably”. It leaves the door open.

Side by side

Here are the numbers side by side 👇

What is left to chase

Ronaldo has a number, and he has said it matters. At the time of the August interview, outlets counted him at 976 career goals. By mid-September World Soccer Talk had him at 979 from 1,336 senior appearances. Career totals vary by a few goals between counters, so I don’t print one as a fact about today. The live count is at /1000. One caution: the 1,000 is a milestone he picked, and there is no rule that he stops when he reaches it.

Messi has less to prove in the usual currency and fewer numbers pinned on him. What remains is a club career at 39 and 40 that still produces, with the MLS goals and assists charts, and then the rest of his contract to 2028. His World Cup business is finished, with the 2022 title and the 2026 final both in the book. If you want him to chase something, it is staying at this level into his forties. Ronaldo is already doing that.

Neither chase makes the argument easier to settle. Whether a long goodbye helps either case is a matter of taste, and the arena is where taste gets counted.

Thank you 🙏

I hope you found this article helpful 🔥 If you’ve made up your mind, pick your side — $1 is one vote and every vote gets you a card. No prize, just bragging rights. You can follow @TheGoatDebateIO on X for more.