Lionel Messi marked his 39th birthday on the grandest stage football has to offer — the FIFA World Cup 2026 — and, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, he is ensuring that the twilight of two legendary careers remains impossible to ignore.

Messi arrived at his milestone birthday having already lit up the tournament. A hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening match was followed by a brace against Austria, lifting him to 18 World Cup goals in total — the highest tally in the competition's history. Ronaldo, meanwhile, wasted no time in mounting his own response to the critics.

Ronaldo answers the doubters

Portugal had drawn 1-1 with DR Congo in their Group stage opener, a performance that left Ronaldo exposed to questions about his form and reports of friction within the squad. Six minutes into the match against Uzbekistan, he silenced them all. His goal made him the first player ever to score at six different World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026. He added a second later in the game to complete a brace.

Messi also featured in all six of those tournaments, but failed to find the net in 2010. The goals against Uzbekistan ended an 11-match World Cup scoring drought for Ronaldo, stretching back to Portugal's opening fixture against Ghana at the 2022 edition.