If there was still any debate over which of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could claim bragging rights, the events of 2022 put that to bed once and for all.
At the start of the calendar year, the pair of big-hitters were facing different realities in the twilights of their respective careers. Both had moved clubs in the summer of 2021 - Messi to Paris Saint-Germain and Ronaldo to Manchester United - and their new surroundings had brought new challenges.
Messi was well on course for domestic success in his first season in Paris, despite failing to match his usual high standards on the pitch, while Ronaldo's goal tally didn't look like being enough to propel United forward. Almost 12 months on, the World Cup always looked as though it could add another level to the debate, and so it proved as Messi led Argentina to glory.
