ODDS and EVENS | The Amazing Goalscoring Exploits of Messi and Ronaldo

There's a magical quality to the goalscoring brilliance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Many times in their dazzling soccer careers, they've been unstoppable.

So savor the memories of watching the all-time greats competing once again on the world's biggest stage. We'll likely never again see Messi and Ronaldo participating in the same FIFA World Cup.

After all, Messi celebrated his 39th birthday on Wednesday, June 24, and Ronaldo turned 41 in February. And it would surprise nobody if both men retired from international football after the 2026 World Cup.

Over the past few days, soccer fans were reminded of the exceptional skills of both men.

Fittingly, the Argentina forward and the Portugal forward shared the spotlight (and also basked in its glow separately) on back-to-back nights in the group stage.

In short, Messi and Ronaldo produced must-see highlights!

Perhaps it's a bit comical, too, that their latest outstanding performances occurred in one of the hotbeds of American football, Texas.

goalscoring — *Argentina great Lionel Messi scores one of his three goals against Algeria in a FIFA World Cup Group J match on June 16 in Kansas City, Missouri. (©REUTERS/via KYODO)*

Double the Delight for Argentina Fans

In Monday's Group J match against Austria, Messi picked up where he left off in Argentina's opener, when he had a hat trick against Algeria on June 16.

The Argentine's three-goal masterclass produced a notable historic achievement, too, tying German great Miroslav Klose for the most goals (16) in World Cup history.

Records are made to be broken.

Against Austria, Messi displayed his supreme goalscoring skills with a pair of strikes in Argentina's 2-0 triumph in Arlington, Texas.

He made it 1-0 with his record-breaking goal in the 38th minute, delivering a brilliant finish inside the 18-yard box.

Then, in second-half injury time, Messi doubled the lead. His well-placed shot zoomed past a pair of Austria defenders to put the finishing touches on the win.

What was Messi's reaction to his performance and reigning World Cup champion Argentina's second win of the 2026 tournament?

"Beyond anything I'm so happy for the win," Messi said, according to The Associated Press. "It was huge, tough and difficult, [and] it would allow us to be relaxed to what's ahead. All matches in this World Cup are very even, very intense. I'm enjoying this moment and craving to enjoy it with my teammates."

Perspective from a Goalscoring Genius

Messi, appearing in his sixth World Cup, also missed a penalty in the ninth minute against Austria, booting the ball wide right.

"There were moments when I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it," said Messi, who spent the bulk of his professional career with Barcelona (2004-2021).

The goalscoring maestro has now notched goals in six consecutive World Cup games, matching a record set by France's Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil's Jairzinho in 1970.

"I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi," the legend Diego Maradona once said. "Messi is a genius."

Eye-opening facts about Messi's stellar play over the years for Argentina: 122 goals in 201 matches, putting the ball into the net against 42 different nations.

Ronaldo Commands Nonstop Attention

Like Messi, Ronaldo, who's also mentioned as the greatest player of his generation, has generated massive headlines in the early phase of the 2026 World Cup.

Appearing in his sixth World Cup, the Portugal captain rebounded from a less-than-satisfying effort in the side's Group K opener versus the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 17. Ronaldo was scoreless in that match. And his 25 touches were not enough, insisted team manager Roberto Martinez.

Martinez highlighted Ronaldo's surgical precision in finding the smallest openings to produce goals.

"Cristiano is the best one to do that," Martinez was quoted as saying by The Associated Press in the run-up to Portugal's second World Cup match on Tuesday, June 23. "The numbers support this [about the] iconic player who is Cristiano Ronaldo. If you look at the past 32 games, he is the player that has extra movement, opening spaces and finding pockets."

A brief reminder: Ronaldo has scored more than 970 goals in his long career for various pro clubs, starting in his homeland in 2002, and for the national team. He's famously revealed he is chasing 1,000 goals before he retires.

Preparing to play Portugal, Uzbekistan manager Fabio Cannavaro issued a bold reminder that he expected Ronaldo to play an influential role in the match.

"We need to be careful when we are in the box because we cannot leave this kind of player alone," Cannavaro said, according to The Associated Press.

He added, "We need to be very focused on him because Cristiano can score in every situation, free kicks, even in the corner. So we need to be very careful."

Ronaldo Sets New Goalscoring Standard

In the Portugal-Uzbekistan Group K match in Houston, Ronaldo quickly made an impact, hooking up with Joao Cancelo in the sixth minute for the first goal. Ronaldo capitalized on his teammate's well-placed pass and rifled a shot past Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.

Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups.

And he made it 3-0 in the 39th minute, providing another thrilling moment for Portugal supporters ― and countless fans worldwide ― with a clinical finish, tapping a low, rolling shot into the net.

The goalscoring legend dismissed critics who questioned whether he should remain in the lineup after a disappointing performance against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"I always arrive, even if it's later, but I'm there," Ronaldo said, according to Agence France-Presse. "So, it's about continuing my work, I truly believe in what I do.

"My career has always been like this, it wasn't going to change."

He now has a jaw-dropping 145 goals in 230 international matches, more than any men's footballer in history.

A Satisfying Performance for Ronaldo

After Portugal's 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan, Ronaldo said he's hitting his stride.

"I'm back, I'm back," he was quoted as saying in a TV interview by Agence France-Presse.

Ronaldo added, "I can say it was a very tough week, a difficult week, a week in which public opinion was very harsh on us, on all the players, especially on the coach. But it's always like that, it's fine because when you think about it, it's already 23 years I've been a professional and whenever things don't go well it's, 'Cristiano, he's finished, he's old.' "

He then said, "But well, it was a good response from me and my teammates, which is what we wanted."

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.