The revelation brought by the European League final - Is the last puzzle needed in the era of the peerless two heroes?

I admit I'm overthinking. It's just a good wish, I know it's almost impossible.

The UEFA League is regarded as a useless rib by many people, but even if it is a useless rib, until the final, are you willing to spit out the chicken bones that you have chewed for a season and make it cheaper for your opponent? It does not exist. The match between Spain and Portugal was thrilling, and all the elements should be there. Overtime, penalty kicks, a 90-minute game was extended by 50%, making the atmosphere of the blockbuster. Although this scene is far less than the historic moment after the European Cup World Cup final, it is also a gift to fans for the Little Year of Football.

After watching this game, I even regret that why was it not Portugal but France that met with Spain in the 2024 European Cup semi-finals? Of course, Portugal might not have been able to beat Spain at that time, but at least, the scene presented would be much better, just like this UEFA League final.

This may be the strongest national team in Portugal after the golden generation. At least, there are 4 players from the season's triple-winning team. What else can you ask for? Portugal was not defeated by Spain like France (the semi-finals once led 4:0) because Portugal's rhythm was not thrown away by Spain, and the offensive and defensive transitions between the two sides have always been the same frequency.

The most gratifying thing is that Ronaldo scored a goal, avoiding many people saying that he was taking advantage of the new golden generation of Portugal. He still refused to leave after 40, which seriously affected the performance of the new generation of Portugal's center forwards and thus affected the high-speed operation of the entire team.

In fact, there will definitely be someone saying this. But objectively speaking, for young players, being able to fight side by side with such legendary players can already gain huge spiritual energy. Moreover, Gonzalo Ramos, a player who cannot play the main role in Paris Saint-Germain, can his output in the national team really be stronger than Ronaldo? To this day, I still want to mention the hat trick of the 2022 World Cup?

In a narrow sense, the era of the two men has certainly ended, but in a broad sense, as long as Melo has not retired, this era will always be there, even if it is at its end.

Some people will definitely say, don't use Ronaldo to mess with Messi. After the 2022 World Cup, all the rhetorics of the two heroes are forcing the two heroes. It makes sense to say this, but if you look carefully at the development trend of Mero over the past 20 years, you will find that the two have always been rising and falling. If you go along, I will decline, I will rise, and you will become dull. Therefore, the relationship between the two has always been in a wavy and repeated turn. However, there is a difference in the duration and intensity of the turning point.

At the beginning, Ronaldo won the Champions League championship at Manchester United and won the Golden Ball Award, and was two years older, so he started the first place. Of course, the concept of the two peerless heroes had not yet been implemented at that time. But after that, Messi's four-year monopoly on the Golden Globes. In those years, Messi suppressed Ronaldo in all respects.

But just when people thought Ronaldo would completely sink into this relationship, in 2013 and 2014, he won the Golden Globes twice in a row and won the Champions League again. This is another turning point in the relationship between the two heroes.

Then, in 2015, Messi won the Golden Ball Award again with the triple crown and stood at the top of the world football world. Ronaldo is relatively bleak. But in 2016 and 2017, Ronaldo suppressed Messi again, one European Cup champion and the other Champions League champion. At that time, many people believed that Ronaldo was about to end the relationship as a winner.

Including in 2018, although the Ballon d'Or award was given to Modric, Ronaldo's performance was still strong. However, in 2019, Messi came back and won the sixth Golden Globe Award, surpassing Ronaldo. It is from this year that this turning point has been 7 years in one stroke. From 2019 to 2025, Messi won the Copa America and the World Cup again, and won the Golden Globe Award for the eighth time. This series of honors is about to turn the concept of the peerless twins into a false proposition. During this period, Ronaldo has indeed found it difficult to stand out.

However, in 2025, after the UEFA League final, when I saw Ronaldo win another championship trophy, I did give birth to an imagination - since the era of peerless doubles focuses on a turning point, focusing on one rising and the other falling, will it be the beginning of Ronaldo again raise the banner of turning point? Or, does the era of peerless two heroes need to make a last turn when it is approaching its end?

What will happen in the 2026 World Cup? Portugal's new golden generation, can Ronaldo put on his yellow robe and raise the Hercules Cup? If this is true, the era of the two heroes will be considered as the last piece of the puzzle. If not, it doesn’t matter what the era of the two heroes is.

is the same sentence, the probability of this happening is slim. Moreover, even if it comes true, Ronaldo, who is 41 years old, will not be the key man. But this possibility can also be used as a gimmick for us to chew in the coming year.