NCE upon a time, in Spain's golden era, the two superhuman pillars of modern football would come face to face with each other in famous annual spectacles.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo wore the crests of two footballing superpowers, Barcelona and Real Madrid, globally admired clubs with their very own footballing philosophies and immortal icons.
Now, Messi and Ronaldo spend their days on different sides of the world at clubs that have truly only been in the global eye since their arrival.
Messi's Inter Miami line up in Major League Soccer, a league with sizeable global recognition but limited worldwide viewing.
Ronaldo's Al Nassr compete in the ever-developing Saudi Pro League. The Portuguese great won't be the only inhabitant being eagerly watched in the coming year as the league have amassed quite a collection of superstars this summer.
Whether you like it or not, MLS and the Saudi Pro League look set to increase in importance on the global football stage in the coming years, particularly with Messi and Ronaldo on board. They've both come a long way from more humble beginnings...
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
The MLS has always had a sparkly new shine to it with its palm-tree-surrounded stadiums and team names that sound more like those of an American teenager's FIFA team.
And that may well be because the league is relatively sparkly new. It wasn't formed until 1993 but this was not the beginning of US soccer. The true professional era began in late 1967 when the United Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League merged to form the North American Soccer League.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September - October 2023-Ausgabe von Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September - October 2023-Ausgabe von Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
PASSING THE BATON
NOTTS COUNTY FAN IAN KIRKE REFLECTS ON AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY AT MEADOW LANE...
CHEEKY CHARLIE
TOM GREEN LOOKS AT THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHARLIE MITTEN, WHO WENT FROM BURMA TO BOGOTA VIA OLD TRAFFORD
HAPPY WITH OUR LOT
WATFORD FAN JONNY BRICK IS QUITE CONTENT WITH HIS TEAM NEVER GOING UP AND NEVER GOING DOWN...
JAMES RODRIGUEZ TEN YEARS ON
DANIEL MOFFAT LOOKS AT THE CAREER OF THE COLOMBIA STAR
LIFE AFTER THE CUP HEROICS
BEN SMITH LOOKS AT THE REALITY FOR MAIDSTONE UNITED FOLLOWING THEIR STINT IN THE SPOTLIGHT...
AND SMITH DOES SCORE
BARNABY ROSTANT LOOKS AT THE CAREER OF EVERGREEN CENTRE-FORWARD MATT SMITH..
JUST HOW DO YOU REPLACE JURGEN KLOPP?
ROBERT J WILSON ON THE CHALLENGE AHEAD FOR LIVERPOOL AS THEIR INSPIRATIONAL GERMAN BOSS PREPARES TO WALK AWAY...
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
JOHN LYONS LOOKS AT HOW THE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE IS SHAPING UP AS WE APPROACH SQUEAKY-BUM TIME..
GIANT-KILLING CANARIES
SAM TODD RECALLS WHEN NORWICH CITY ENJOYED A SENSATIONAL FA CUP RUN 65 YEARS AGO...
HOWARD'S WAY
LIFELONG BIRMINGHAM CITY SUPPORTER KEITH DIXON RECALLS WHEN HOWARD KENDALL HELPED SAVE THE BLUES FROM RELEGATION HALF A CENTURY AGO...