Well it’s settled then. Or is it?

Whether it’s a thrilling Ali Frazier trilogy or the FIFA World Cup Final, I love myself a good sports story. Watching the fallout from the World Cup has been fascinating. A man has been exalted as the greatest ever and cemented his legacy (as if it needed further cementing). While his counterpart has been deemed defeated, and a beaten, bitter arrogant, petulant man. It is truly finished then. The debate that now suddenly, after a mere 7 games "should never have happened". Heck, I came across a poll the other day, "who is greater? CR7 or Zidane?" That seems like quite a relegation, I thought to myself.

But it’s been that way, hasn’t it? You hit a rough patch and suddenly the pundits are speaking, the fans are trolling. What aged like fine wine when the last kick of the game ended with the ball nestling in the Atalanta goal not too long ago, now appears like it’s milk gone bad. 7 games by your eternal rival, one of which he lost to a minnow, missed spot kick to boot, and you’re done. That’s all it took Should quit football. In the worst 11 by the way, by FIFA. Of all the players that played. The worst.

Sure the powers are not what they once were. Sure the leap is a tad shorter. The time to shoot a tad longer, but you’d think if there was one player that deserved the benefit of the doubt, it was him. But alas, it is what it is. To be honest, he had no business being here in the first place.

Most official goals in the history of the game? - while spending half his career as a left winger? Yeah right!

A European championship in France with that team? Lol, you’re having a laugh!

What? Most champions league goals? Most international goals as well? Etc. Etc.

But all that's irrelevant now. Pfft. What matters are those 7 games.

Truth be told, This was the era of Messi. A man blessed by God to play football. A man who after reaching the cusp time and again, took his chance. The GOD of football - Lionel Messi.

But one man dint read that script. In fact he tore it up. A man dared to go toe-to-toe with God. For 15 long years. A man who worked hard to do what for his rival was second nature. A man who a FIFA president once described as a “Commander” who went up against the Free spirited magician. A man who had to become a freak of nature in the process, so that he could utilise every sinew, muscle and bone in his body to win . A man who just refused to quit, refused to accept what fate had in store for him. In my eyes, that man will always stand alongside God. The two greatest ever. One can’t be mentioned without the other.

The world will dismiss Cristiano. And what’s funny is the old man will still lace his boots up. Still line up that free-kick. Still attempt a ridiculous bicycle kick. It’s what he does. He refuses to quit.

And even if by some chance the flames don't burn that brightly within him anymore, in my opinion, he's done enough. He's given enough. They both have.