Forget El Classico, we've now got El Cashico. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were once foes in Spain for Barcelona and Real Madrid, a rivalry forged by tradition and titanic battles.
The pair traded Balon D'Or trophies, La Liga titles and Champions League crowns during a period where both the superstars and their clubs were at the top of the game. But it was never going to last forever and both made moves elsewhere in Europe that failed to live up to the billing.
Messi and Ronaldo were meant to bring European success to PSG and Juventus respectively but couldn't manage it. Ronaldo returned to Manchester United, a move doused in romance rather than realism, while Messi provided one momentous last hurrah when he helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar.
Just months after the tournament, he was available on a free transfer. As Ronaldo was just before the competition kicked off. The Portugal legend chose Saudi Arabia and Al-Nassr lured by the finances, despite doing his best to talk up the league and the project.
Now Messi has chosen the States. The money would have been greater had he accepted an offer from Al-Hilal to join Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, but there's no shortage of cash being thrown at Messi by America.
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The superstars might not be able to mix it with the world's best on the pitch but they are now spearheading two emerging football markets. The US will co-host the next World Cup and, led by David Beckham's arrival 15 years ago, have seen unprecedented growth. The number of teams is set to rise to 30 come 2025 and the standard has improved.
The MLS is providing talent for European giants while the national team has progressed to the last 16 of the last three World Cups they have participated in. The growth in the domestic scene was highlighted by the signing of a 10-year, $2.5bn deal with Apple TV this year.
It's a figure Messi will reportedly take a portion off as part of the terms of his move to Miami. The 35-year-old is understood to be getting a share of the revenue from the Season Pass subscriptions as well as cash from Adidas for a share of increased profits as a result of his move.
All contracts with MLS players are officially registered through the league, rather than the teams directly, allowing for a variety of options to be included, with a potential stake in Inter Miami also mooted.
Throw in a salary for his football and Messi's contract is reported to be worth between £125m and £150m. The length of his contract is yet to be revealed, though a two-and-a-half-year deal has been widely reported, raising the prospect of that figure rising.
Remarkably, it was nothing compared to what he could have earned in Saudi Arabia, where the money is flowing. According to reports, the Saudi league offered Messi a contract worth more than $1 billion (£800m).
That would have surpassed Ronaldo's salary where he is said to be earning £173m ($216m) a year with £62m ($77m) coming from his football contract and a further £111m ($139m) from commercial deals and image rights, according to CBS Sports. The former Manchester United man signed a two-year contract, putting his earnings at a staggering £346m ($433m).
Ronaldo spoke at the end of his first season in the country of the league potentially becoming one of the world's top five. Since then his former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema has arrived and there is talk of more superstars following.
The league is determined to raise the profile, and therefore the standard, by attracting some of the world's best. Bigger names mean bigger TV deals and commercial opportunities. It's the same in the States.
The Premier League has led the way off the field for many years, and now, spearheaded by Ronaldo and Messi, the MLS and Saudi Pro League are emerging as the markets to watch. It's not the battle between the two we are used to, but it could be a pivotal one for the footballing landscape over the coming years.
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