Every sport has its golden era. A time when a team or an individual player was so spectacular that no other moment has managed to live up to the legacy that they left behind. Basketball has the 90s Bulls. Baseball has the Babe Ruth Yankees. Even golf has Tiger Woods and his epic 2000 season.
Soccer has the Messi vs Ronaldo era. Not only were Messi and Ronaldo two of the best players to ever kick a ball, but they clashed in a way that was truly explosive—and easily viewable.
That’s the tricky thing about rivalries. You can’t just have two great players. You need great players who are in a position to thwart one another. We had that in the Messi and Ronaldo era.
Will we ever see the La Liga betting sites hyping another similar rivalry?
Overview
Maybe you remember how it went. Messi for Real Madrid. Ronaldo for Barcelona. Like most rivalries, the true superiority was clear—even during the most competitive moments in these men’s careers. Messi won ten league titles and scored 474 goals during his time in Madrid.
Ronaldo won only two league titles and put up 311 goals.
Regardless of the slightly slanted statistics, Real Madrid and Barcelona matches were legendary. Hundreds of millions of people tuned in to watch the two titans clash over the years.
Not only were matches iconic but they were also extremely lucrative. Many soccer analysts call 2008-2018 the golden age of Spanish soccer.
Unfortunately, La Liga took two incredible hits that have to this point kept it from achieving its former glory.
In 2018, Ronaldo left Real Madrid after reportedly clashing with the club's leadership. He went to Juventus for a reported $100 million deal.
That was a hit to be sure, but not an apocalyptic one. La Liga still had Messi. And they would continue until 2021 when the superstar left for a two-year stint with Paris St. Germain.
All of a sudden, La Liga, which had previously been a giant in the world of soccer, had lost two of its most compelling athletes.
Where are Ronaldo and Messi Now?
Cristiano Ronaldo currently plays for Al-Nassr, a club in the Saudi Pro League. He joined them in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United. His contract reportedly makes him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
Before moving to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. He remains Portugal's national team captain and competes in major international tournaments. Despite leaving Europe, he continues to break records and attract global attention.
Messi, on the other hand, made a surprise move to the developing American soccer league—the MLS. Currently, he plays for Inter Miami. While the exact details of his contract are unknown, the terms are said to be quite favorable. In addition to a salary, Messi signed a revenue-sharing deal with the club’s sponsors.
Upon retirement, he will also have the option to buy into the club.
David Beckham received a similar deal when he joined Major League Soccer. That arrangement has led to him becoming the co-owner of Inter Miami.
Is La Liga Still Worth Your Time?
The Messi/Ronaldo era has been over for some time. Good soccer has certainly taken place in La Liga since then. While ratings tapered off when the stars left, fans of Spanish soccer have plenty to be optimistic about.
In 2021, at the end of a difficult season for the league, La Liga signed a somewhat controversial deal with a private equity firm called CVC. In exchange for an 8% share of La Liga’s broadcasting revenue for the next fifty years, CVC dumped $2 billion into the league.
Many were naturally uncomfortable with the terms. Fifty years is a long time. Still, an old nugget about beggars and what they can choose comes to mind.
Here’s what is true. That money is already being put to good use. Stadiums are being renovated and rebuilt. Teams are investing in infrastructure. The general attitude is optimistic.
If you are the sort of fan who likes to peruse La Liga betting sites, now is a good time to pay attention. La Liga is evolving in ways that will be of great interest to fans and bettors alike over the next few years.
Will La Liga Ever Be The Same?
Well, no. You can’t catch lightning in a bottle twice. The Messi and Ronaldo era was special precisely because the dynamic was so rare and unlikely. Right now some fans are expecting that Mbappe and Lamine Yamal can capture a similar rivalry, but it is unlikely. Not only will La Liga never recapture quite that same level of magic, but the world of soccer fandom shouldn’t be holding its breath either.
And that’s ok. Sports fans learn to live with the transient nature of the games that they love. Players move on. Teams change. Yet love of the game persists. La Liga has good times ahead. And while those times won’t involve Messi or Ronaldo, they will exist in a continuation of the legacy that those stars left behind.