After being exposed by the Internet, the World Cup official removed the picture without Ronaldo, but replaced it with a new picture with Messi in the C position!

November 22. When the World Cup officially released its first warm-up poster for the 2026 World Cup, a seemingly ordinary choice caused an unexpected storm - the representative of the Portuguese team was not Cristiano Ronaldo, but B Fernando. This decision, based on competitive performance and data support, unexpectedly touched some sensitive nerves. Messi on the poster only appears in the group portrait with regular actions, but because of Ronaldo's absence, he becomes the focus. This in itself is an intriguing phenomenon.

Faced with the strong reaction of some fans, the new poster released by the World Cup official completed a textbook-level narrative reconstruction. In the new picture, Messi is in the absolute C position holding the Hercules Cup, while Ronaldo appears in the controversial image of taking a penalty kick. What is even more interesting is that the representative of the Moroccan team was changed from the boss Achraf to Ennesri and his header moment - it was this goal that sent Portugal, who had Ronaldo, home at the World Cup in Qatar. This arrangement has gone beyond simple player comparison to a redefinition of football memories.

The controversy surrounding the poster reflects the cognitive dilemma in contemporary sports idol worship. When competitive achievements cannot be surpassed on the established track, some supporters will choose to deny the evaluation system itself to seek psychological balance. As a result, the importance of the World Cup, the highest palace of football, was deconstructed in a specific discourse system, the standards of the scoring agencies were questioned, and the evaluations of the media and celebrities were classified as biased. Although this self-protection mechanism can alleviate cognitive dissonance in the short term, it inevitably leads to a gradual alienation from the mainstream football world.

Ironically, this confrontation becomes particularly futile when the Messi they are trying to challenge has become the only Grand Slam winner in football history. From the Ballon d'Or to the World Player of the Year, from the World Cup title to the quality of the Champions League (Messi has the most valuable Champions League title in history and the most exciting goal in the history of the Champions League), from goal records to assist data, Messi has occupied the commanding heights in every traditional judgment path. Even in non-competitive dimensions such as personality charm and fan base, he has established an influence that is difficult to shake. In this sense, the dispute surrounding the poster has long gone beyond the comparison of individual players, and has evolved into a collision of two values ​​- on the one hand, the results of an unshakable evaluation system based on evidence and achievements, and on the other hand, the increasingly closed pseudo-self-affirmation. What history will remember in the end is never the number of eye-catching controversial remarks, but the superstars who can continue to create precious football memories.