India, July 25 -- For more than two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have existed almost inseparably in football's biggest individual debate. Now, for perhaps the first time, the end of both their international careers appears close enough to allow their national-team legacies to be assessed almost in full.

Ronaldo, 41, has already confirmed that the 2026 World Cup was his last. After Portugal were eliminated 1-0 by Spain in the round of 16, he stopped short of immediately retiring from international football, saying he would take time before making a final decision. The latest reports suggest Portugal's Nations League meeting with Wales on September 24 at Sporting's Estadio Jose Alvalade could become his farewell appearance, ...