2024 promises more of 2023: Ronaldo-Messi’s rivalry, Guardiola’s evolution, Saudi’s Europe assault

Some footballing inevitabilities of the New Year: The two ageless emperors of our times, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, would continue their journey into timelessness. Pep Guardiola would continue his maniacal obsession to evolve, to enrich the game with more than just trophies and medals, but embellish the game with something truly immortal; Manchester United would envisage new ways to flounder their glorious heritage; Saudi would keep shelling out incredible sums to lure the best of Europe.

Messi turns 37 in June. Cristiano Ronaldo becomes 39 at the stroke of February. Both have achieved so much that you wonder what more they could achieve in football, or what more they need to achieve in the game. The World Cup dream fuels Ronaldo. It’s the only vacuum in his trophy-chest. He would be 41 by then. But nothing would stop them—he is scoring goals as frequently as he had in Europe. No one scored as many goals as Ronaldo in 2023 (54 goals in 59 appearances for Al Nassr and Portugal). No mean feat in the shriveling heat of Saudi Arabia, the standards steadily improving with the influx from Europe. No one netted more goals (10) in the Euro 2024 qualifiers than Ronaldo either. Maybe, he will play as long as Messi does. The sport has not seen a rivalry as long-lasting as theirs, two individuals turning a team-game into a perennial two-man race for the throne of the greatest footballer ever. It could be that football does not want them to leave them, more than them wanting to leave them.

What’s inspiring Messi, then? An MLS league title? The revenue from it? A World Cup and COPA defence? Or just the fear of loneliness without the ball at his feet, without the deafening applause of the arena, without the un-swaying