Lionel Messi added two more goals against Austria on Monday, pushing his World Cup tally to 18 and surpassing Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16. Argentina’s campaign continues to build momentum as they defend their title, while the contrast with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal grew sharper after a 1-1 draw with DR Congo left the Europeans on shaky ground. The gap between the two icons is no longer just statistical.
Ex-NFL QB Robert Griffin III sparks controversy with claim Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammates ‘hate him’ during World Cup
Robert Griffin III, the former NFL quarterback turned sports analyst, was watching both matches closely. What he saw had less to do with goals and more to do with body language. When Messi scored, Argentina’s players piled on. The joy looked genuine, the kind that builds over years of shared belief. Messi has been at the centre of that belief since Argentina ended their long wait for silverware in 2021 and capped it with the World Cup in 2022. That history carries weight.Griffin made his point directly. “When you watch Argentina and Portugal, one thing is very clear. Lionel Messi’s teammates LOVE HIM. Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammates HATE HIM,” he wrote. It is a blunt read, but it captured something a lot of viewers were already sensing.Ronaldo’s afternoon against DR Congo did nothing to counter that narrative. Portugal were heavy favourites but could only manage a draw. Ronaldo was criticised for holding onto the ball in situations where a pass would have been the smarter, more dangerous option. Emmanuel Acho, the former NFL linebacker who has carved out a sharp second career as an analyst, watched the same footage and came away with a specific frustration.“If you happen to watch him play the later half of his career, especially this recent World Cup, you watch him play today. He cost his team a goal. Because Ronaldo doesn’t care so much that his team scores. He cares so much that he scores, and that is the dilemma when you put yourself ahead of the team, ahead of Portugal, all of a sudden, you’re undermining yourself and you’re undermining the team,” Acho said.That is a hard thing to say about one of the greatest players the sport has ever produced. But the evidence keeps piling up. Messi has scored all five of Argentina’s goals at this tournament. He is not just leading his side, he is carrying it, and his teammates look like they genuinely want to run through walls for him. Ronaldo needs to shift gears fast or the tournament could slip away before it properly begins.The record Messi broke on Monday belonged to a German striker who retired a decade ago. That it took this long for anyone to challenge it says everything about how rare this kind of sustained excellence is. At 37, Messi is not just adding to his legacy. He is rewriting the limits of what is considered possible at this stage of a career. However, CR7 silenced his critics by scoring a brace against Uzbekistan where his team won the match 5-0.