Having Messi and Ronaldo leaving the game is really something to worry about, there rivalry is just unique. Messi has already ended the whole debate of who's the GOAT, no sentiment. Even if Messi retires today he'll be happy that he has done it all, what more does he need to prove that he's the greatest of all time? Let's give the guy some credit.
Age is really not on both Messi and Ronaldo's side, but I think Messi can still play in the next world cup not Ronaldo. The Portugal national team can decide to drop him and before you know it he might choose to retire. Ronaldo's speed and contribution to the Portugal national team is no longer there. He's now a shadow of him self.
That's a bit harsh on Ronaldo, IMO. Messi won the world cup for his country, but that doesn't mean that now we can say with 100% confidence that he is a better player when compared to Ronaldo. In case of Messi, he had full support from his coach and teammates. On the other hand, Ronaldo was constantly humiliated during Qatar 2022 by the coach (Fernando Santos), and he didn't received much support from his teammates. It would be wrong to say that Ronaldo is a shadow of what he was earlier. If you don't give him the opportunity to play, how can you claim that his skills have degraded?
Well, the way the Argentina team and coach have all prioritized Messi has brought out Messi's best and best game. And he succeeded. It can be said that Ronaldo did not get any advantage in Setulna. He is also a player who, like Messi, can single-handedly carry a team and make something new happen. So should have kept Ronaldo on the field and fixed the rest of the squad.