The World Cup is an opportunity to show skills for young players who have the potential for a bright future, they will show their talent to steal the attention of elite clubs in Europe. Players will change over time, because they can't fight the movement of age. We used to be able to watch the beautiful game of Ronaldinho, after that it was Messi and Ronaldo. Maybe in the future other talented players can be born to replace their role. Losing the two gridiron legends will not reduce the interest of football lovers in the 2026 world cup, because generations of players will continue to change.
Players may come and go. But for my generation, Messi and Ronaldo are like legends. They represent the sport of football for an entire generation, as they have been playing for more than 15 years. Obviously in the next world cup (2026) some new player may take their place. And it is quite possible that some of the younger fans back then won't recognize how good Messi and Ronaldo were. For my parents' generation, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Peter Schmeichel, Romário and Roberto Baggio were the heroes. But I don't feel nostalgic for them, because I was a small kid back then. For me, my heroes are Messi and Ronaldo. For the next generation, it maybe someone else.