Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar: End of golden era! Football's biggest changing of the guard? | Decoding now

Welcome, you're watching Decoding Now and I'm Meghna Dekha. Well, today is the end of an era. After more than two decades in Portugal's famous red jersey, Cristiano Ronaldo has played the final international match of his glittering career. His last dance ended in heartbreak as Portugal were edged out 1-0 by Spain. A dramatic stoppage time winner bringing the curtains down on one of football's greatest international journeys that we have ever seen. It all began in the summer of 2003. A fearless 18-year-old from Madeira made his debut against Kazakhstan. Just months after announcing himself to the footballing world with Sporting Lisbon, that That skinny teenager with dazzling footwork, blistering pace and boundless ambition would go on to rewrite every Portuguese record in the book. 23 years, over 230 international appearances and nearly 150 goals later, Ronaldo walks away as Portugal's greatest ever footballer. a global icon who's transformed footballing nation into a perennial powerhouse and has inspired an entire generation. And you can see what the outcome of that retirement, hanging his boots, has left the world in tears. And remember, it's not just about one nation. Across the world, you have these teary scenes coming out as we bid adieu to one of the biggest coach of football, Ronaldo. Well, it is an image. Let's get you that image. We'll perhaps be etched into football history and all our collective conscience forever. Cristiano Ronaldo, overcome with emotion, walks off the pitch in tears after what is his final appearance now we know for Portugal at the World Cup. The curtain has fallen on this remarkable international career that he's had. A dream of lifting the World Cup has slipped away in the cruelest possible fashion. Many have said that he deserved it, that he played for it. And those who are saying that the swan song should not have ended in these tears. Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away from the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo's hometown of Madeira has also paid an emotional tribute to its greatest son ever. As the night fell over the island, hundreds of drones lit up the sky. You can see that spectacular image there on your screens, recreating the image of CR7 in a breathtaking farewell for him. It was Madeira's way of saying thank you to the man who carried the dreams of Portugal and inspired millions across the world. But remember, there are records, and then there is Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7 rewrote football's history books time and again. He retires at his highest goalscorer in men's international football with 146 goals, the all-time leading scorer in UEFA competitions with 140 goals, and the most capped international player with 233 appearances. Add to that, of course, the five UEFA Champions League titles, a record of 42 Champions League assists, five Ballon d'Or crowns and the unique distinction of being the only player to score six different FIFA World Cups. That's what his career has spanned over. Well tonight on Decoding Now, we are going to say is it time to bid adieu to an entire era as the curtains are going to be coming down on some of the biggest greats that the game, the beautiful game has seen. Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and perhaps even Messi? And who is going to be carrying the torch forward? Because as many have said, have no fret, the future is here. We'll be discussing and breaking that for you here on Times Now. The reign of Ronaldo, it may have come to an end, an era that has defined world football, is slowly now drawing to a close. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, the Messi magic there on your screens. Neymar, the three superstars, all of them, the Brazilian flair that he brought back the nation to. The superstars have captivated fans for nearly two decades. They are now bidding farewell to the biggest stage, perhaps. Ronaldo's relentless pursuit of greatness, Messi's unmatched magic, and Neymar's dazzling Brazilian flair. They've all inspired a generation have rewritten football history, but is it time now to pass the torch on? That's exactly what we are going to be discussing today. But the numbers of course speak for themselves. Cristiano Ronaldo's reign in Portuguese football is unmatched. 233 appearances, a record of 146 international goals, 45 assists in a career that has spanned more than two decades. As I was telling you, he's been part of six different World Cups every four year just do the math from a teenage debutant to Portugal's greatest ever footballer CR7 didn't just break the records he has actually redefined them that's going to be a tough one to actually follow but remember it's not just him there's also Lionel Messi another one of the numbers which is nothing short of extraordinary In 196 appearances for Argentina, the maestro has scored 119 goals. Let that sink in, 119 goals, and has provided 64 assists in addition to that. He's orchestrated one of the greatest international careers the sport has ever witnessed, and every touch carried purpose, every pass has created magic, every goal has added another chapter to an unforgettable legacy which one is greater well we leave you the fans of football to decide but well Messi's international career of course has reached its crescendo in Qatar 2022 when he finally had lifted the FIFA World Cup one of those dreams of Ronaldo that many have said hopefully would have been fulfilled but never was it did however however, get fulfilled for Messi. He led Argentina to their third world title after an unforgettable victory over France in one of the greatest finals in football's history. Messi has also stands alone, remember, as the highest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 20 goals, another record that underlines his brilliance on football's biggest stage. For many, that triumph itself has settled the greatest of all time debate once and for all. And remember, it's not curtains down yet. He's got a match tonight, so we are going to be hoping he can even better his own score now. That's what he's come down to, well, competing with himself. That's the greatness of Messi. But let's also talk about the other big star that we have bid adieu to this football season and at the highest ever stage at FIFA. It is Neymar. Yes, you have the Brazilian flair there on your screens. He was football showman. the embodiment of the flair, the swagger, the imagination that he managed to capture. In 130 appearances for Brazil, he has scored 80 goals. He's provided 58 assists. Dazzling fans with breathtaking skill. He's, of course, audacious when it comes to the dribbles and moments of pure genius that he's displayed on the field. Yet, despite his extraordinary talent, his career unfolded in the era of two footballing titles, that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Many have said that was his misfortune. He would have been even the greatest of great had it not been for two other greats who were sharing the era with him. He is often, of course, Neymar nonetheless was hailed as the prince who never became the king. Well, Neymar's brilliance was sometimes overshadowed perhaps by many say in the relentless greatness of these two other icons as well. In many other ways, he may well have reigned supreme, had it been any other era, had it not been the era of Ronaldo and Messi. We leave you the fans of football to actually decide if that was to be true. But even so, his legacy, Neymar's legacy is one of Brazil's greatest ever footballers is beyond question. It's unfortunate that it's already curtains down on this spectacular career as well. But every era in football has its defining stars, and every era must eventually pass the torch. For nearly two decades now, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, these are the ones who have ruled the global game. They've captivated millions with their brilliance, breaking all the records, they've inspired a generation. But as we were discussing, as the curtains begin to fall on the old guard, a new generation now is ready to seize the spotlight. You have that on your screens. The change of the guards. The old guard makes way for the new guard. And what an era it will be to watch out for. None other than Erling Haaland. His ruthless finishing, Kylian Mbappe's electrifying pace, and of course, you have Yamal's fearless brilliance. All of them have been shaping football's next chapter. That's what we are going to be discussing. What next for the beautiful game? He is, of course, one of the most exciting players to watch out this FIFA season. He is widely seen as the heir to football's throne. He's just 54 appearances for Norway. He has already struck an astonishing 62 international goals. Yes, you got that right. Appearances, the number of games that he's played, are 54. And he's already managed to score 62 international goals, underlining his reputation as one of the most ruthless finishers of his generation. He's powerful, he's clinical, he's relentless in front of the goal. And Haaland has shattered records at a breathtaking pace. As the legends of the past begin to bow out, it may just be the era of the Norwegian gold machine. The Norwegian gold machine is now emerging as one of the leading faces of football's next era. And if I may add, Also one of the biggest internet sensations that we have seen in a very long time. And of course, then you have Kylian Mbappe. He has long been the standard bearer of football's new generation. General Mbappe, as he's called. In 101 appearances for France, he's already managed to amass 60 goals and, of course, 24 assists. He's established himself as one of the game's most complete forwards as B. In fact, he's been blessed with the blistering pace, he's had clinical finishing and the ability to shine on to the biggest stage. And Bape has already lifted the FIFA World Cup, he led France to back-to-back World Cup finals and he's produced one of the greatest individual performance that we have seen in World Cup history with a stunning hat-trick in 2022 finals in Qatar. He's also scored 19 FIFA Cup goals, and that leaves him just one behind Lionel Messi. So is he going to be the successor to Messi? The all-time tournament record of Lionel Messi is at 20, remember. Now underlining his extraordinary consistency on football's grandest stage, today he is widely regarded as the face of football's next gen, the next era, with France amongst One of the favorites this time around to lift the 2026 FIFA World Cup will Mbappe be the one who assists France, we'll have to wait and see. But again, there is another one, a young challenger and this one is one of the most exciting one because he's still a teenager, he's just 18 years old, yes, I'm talking about Lamin Yamal. He is already being hailed as football's next global superstar. In only 32 appearances for Spain, the teenage sensation has scored 12 goals and has provided 17 assists. Well, the numbers may not be staggering unless you start averaging it out and see how young he is. He showcased a maturity which is far beyond his years. He is, of course, blessed with dazzling skill, he is fearless, dribbling as well as remarkable vision. Yamal has the heartbeat, literally the heartbeat of Spain's new generation. At Barcelona, remember, he has inherited the iconic number 10 shirt, which was once worn by none other than Lionel Messi. The number 10, will it bring him similar luck? Well, this is a career we are going to be definitely watching out for, a symbolic passing of the torch that has only fueled comparisons with the Argentinian great. He's touted, as Yamal has been touted, by many as the heir to Messi's throne at the Catalan club. Yamal carries, of course, the weight of enormous expectations. Many have said it's unfair for him to be put under this kind of expectations. But we'll have to wait and see how this one is going to be pairing up. Then you have back to Halaan. Well, he's emerged as football's most feared goal scorer. Mbappe has become the face of a new era with France. And you have the teenage sensation, Yamal, who's being hailed as the heir to Lionel Messi's legacy. Different styles, different stories, but one common destiny. These are the young guns who have now been entrusted with carrying the beautiful game forward. The old guard may have set the benchmark, but the race to define football's next generation has well and truly begun. Let me go across to Jushna Shaheen, who's joining us today on the show. She's a football journalist, but also, I believe, one of the greatest fans of Messi ever. We'll be discussing that, Jushna, in just a bit. We also have Arunabh Choudhury who's joining us. He is a football administration expert. Arunabh, I'm going to be starting with you first. Today, of course, has been the day for Ronaldo. So, a sworn song, which unfortunately ended in tears. Would you have had a better send-off for someone who's, after all, played in six World Cups in the past? Well, good evening here from Germany. And, yeah, one would have expected for CR7 a better send-off. but you know it you could see in the game that you know even Ronaldo at 41 and it's been incredible career that time has been catching up I do remember watching him in the 2006 World Cup live very young very energetic talented player who was bursting onto the world stage made his influence at the time at Man United and then and then at Real Madrid and everything else which came on and then the success with Portugal but you could see last night that not only him but Portugal were not at the level that they needed to be to be challenging the Spanish team with all the potential that the Spaniards have. Well, he was clearly struggling there. And everyone was saying that that you could see the difference and what was the expectation perhaps. But after all, many said that it wasn't a game that he could have been benched. And Jushna, I'm going to ask you about Ronaldo before we speak about Messi. Do you think perhaps the club, the team itself was running on pure adrenaline rather than meticulous preparation as it has been that perhaps they put emotions first rather than strategy in playing Ronaldo? First of all thank you so much Meghna for this opportunity and what I think about Ronaldo's exit yesterday was that we saw an exit in 2022 World Cup which Ronaldo did not even deserve so getting an opportunity after that I'm sorry to interrupt you, Jushna, unfortunately, we need to quickly cut out of this, there's some breaking news.