Essential World Cup Reading Featured in The New York Times' 'What to Read During the World Cup'
Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported
account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all
time-Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal
competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry paralleling the stunning rise overwhelming
excesses and uncertain future of modern international soccer. For over fifteen years almost
any conversation about international soccer has always come back to two players-Lionel Messi
and Cristiano Ronaldo-undoubtedly the greatest of their generation but with styles attitudes
and fanbases that couldn't be more different. For millions of people around the world Messi or
Ronaldo? isn't simply a barroom argument or an affirmation of fandom so much as a statement
of philosophy of values of what global soccer is today and of what it will be tomorrow. Now
Wall Street Journal reporters and co-authors of The Club Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg
unite the stories of Messi and Ronaldo into a single modern epic of global sports detailing
how one rivalry changed both the game and the business of international soccer-forever. Based
on dozens of firsthand accounts and years of original reporting Messi vs. Ronaldo weaves
together the stakes color and characters at the heart of each man's story going inside the
locker rooms and boardrooms where their legends were forged and revealing off-field drama as
gripping as anything that happened on it. From their contrasting origin stories to their
divergent career arcs and their conflicting reputations these players have built their
successes on opposite paths yet each in his own way offers a riveting tale of triumph and
excess. Taken together their story embodies the astronomical growth of international soccer
how social media has revolutionized the power of sports celebrity and how the desire to
capitalize on the billions of dollars these players represent electrified some of the most
storied clubs in Europe-Barcelona Real Madrid and Manchester United among them-and cost them
almost everything. With the 2022 World Cup almost certain to be the last for both of these
figures Messi vs. Ronaldo offers a deeply researched look at their legacy and grapples with
the impact that their talents have had on the game for better and for worse. Much more than a
retelling of the dual accomplishments of these great players this is truly a biography of a
rivalry one that has become a crucial lens for understanding the past present and future of
global soccer.
