With the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup behind us, the topic of the world’s biggest sporting event (sorry, Olympics) got re-heated and is again the main talking point of football fans across the globe. For many reasons, the next summer’s tournament will be a historical one, and in 10, 15 years certainly the most remembered as the last dance of the two GOATs.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, all-time greats, probably the #1 and #2 on the all-time list. In whatever order you like. Bearing that in mind, it’s no wonder that one of the latest segments of CBS Golazo Sport Network’s show Numbers Don’t Lie covered exactly that topic: how the two legends are approaching the World Cup and what can we expect from them once the ball starts rolling in America.

First, the club form nobody wants to hear about. Since January 2023, MLS and the Saudi Pro League have posted shockingly similar underlying stats—and in that like-for-like world, Messi has contributed more to Inter Miami than Ronaldo has to Al-Nassr. Yes, really. Feel free to scream into a pillow.

Then comes the age factor. Thiago Silva, Pepe and Ignashevich all played 350+ minutes at recent World Cups—but they were centre-backs, which is basically ageing on easy mode. Trying to imagine two nearly-40-year-olds running an attack in 2026? That’s a different science experiment entirely.

So how are their national teams doing without them?
Argentina: 7 games without Messi since 2022, two losses; 17 with him, also two losses. The real kicker? They actually score more without him—tiny sample, huge headache for narrative merchants.

Portugal: Ronaldo plays almost every match—28 appearances, only three missed. And those three? Portugal scored over six goals per game without him. Nothing says “awkward conversation” like a team suddenly turning into 1970 Brazil the moment you’re not there.

So will Messi and Ronaldo dominate 2026, or will their teams quietly thrive without them? Tune in to CBS Sports Golazo Network for the full statistical drama—because numbers don’t lie, even when you really wish they would.