Messi rises while Ronaldo falls

Lionel Messi (Argentina, aged 29) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, aged 31) are competing for the title “the greatest player on the earth,” by showing different performances in the recent games.

Messi had a goal and two assists at the 2016 Copa America on Saturday local time, while Argentina defeated Venezuela 4-1 in a quarterfinal in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The fourth goal was his 54th international goal and matched Gabriel Batistuta's national record.

Messi has won La Liga championships and UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona. In contrast, he has shown relatively poor performances for his national team in major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and Copa America. At this Copa America, however, he is cruising his way to the first major title, making four goals, including a hat trick as a substitute in a group stage match. In the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Argentina finished second, due to poor performances of key players other than Messi. At this Copa America, other strikers such as Gonzalo Higuain (2 goals) and Sergio Aguero (1 goal) have also performed greatly. Argentina will play against the U.S., the host nation, in the semifinal to win the title in 23 years.

On the same day, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has no major title either, failed to make a goal in the second Group F match of Euro 2016 in Paris, France. He missed a second half penalty as Portugal held to 0-0 draw by Austria. This second straight draw leaves Portugal third in Group F, coming close to elimination. Ronaldo made his record 128th appearance for Portugal’s national team, which was overshadowed by poor performance. “Obviously, yes, it's a reason to be proud, reaching 128 international matches … but obviously I'm a bit sad, because this wasn't the way I wanted to break this record,” he said after the match.

Some fans blamed Ronaldo, describing his sportswear commercial where he collides with a ball boy and somehow swap bodies. They said that the “goal machine” might have swapped bodies with a ball boy.

정윤철기자 trigger@donga.com