Bro, hold on tight and put down that shawarma, because I've got news that cuts through the air harder than my BMW's exhaust after a night of flexing. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two legends who've made us jump off the couch so many times, are getting ready for their last World Cup. Yeah, bro, you heard right: the last one! From June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, we'll see them for the last time at a tournament of this caliber. What can I say, it feels like yesterday was 32 years ago when North America last hosted the competition. Now, our old footballers are saying goodbye to the stage.

Ronaldo, at 41, is playing in his sixth World Cup - an absolute record, bro. He confirmed it himself on CNN in November 2025: "It will definitely be my last World Cup, because I'll be 41. When I say retirement is near, it really is very near, because I've given everything to football." But wait, Portugal's coach, Roberto Martínez, stirs the pot: "No one should doubt that. He's earned this right." So maybe we'll see him at 45 in 2030? Man, total madness! If I were him, I'd say enough, I'm done with football and I'll focus on hotels and CR7 perfumes, but the guy is thirsty for records.

Portugal starts on June 17 against the Democratic Republic of Congo at NRG Stadium in Texas, then Uzbekistan on the 23rd and Colombia on the 27th, in Group K. Argentina, the world champions, debut on June 18 against Algeria, then Austria and Jordan. The final is on July 19 - I'm already making plans at Fane's terrace, with cold beer and football boots on the table. Mioara will say again that I'm wasting time, but what does she know about football?

Now, the part that makes my eyes pop out: the money, bro! Ronaldo and Messi are officially billionaires before this tournament, according to Forbes. Ronaldo has 1.4 billion pounds (almost 1.7 billion dollars), and Messi 1.2 billion pounds (1.5 billion dollars). Honestly, when I look at my 2008 BMW, which still has payments to Relu, and see that one guy has as much as a whole country, I feel like kicking myself. But at least I have my watch from Dubai, right? Fake, but it still looks good.

Ronaldo has earned about 2.1 billion dollars in his career (before taxes), surpassing Messi (1.8 billion) and even Tiger Woods (under 2 billion). His contract with Al-Nassr, signed in 2023 and renewed in 2025, brings him over 200 million dollars a year. In the last 12 months, he earned about 300 million, tying Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s 2015 record. He's been the highest-paid athlete in the world for four consecutive years. Seriously, if I had a quarter of his money, I'd buy an Audi like Relu's and leave him with his mouth hanging open.

Messi, for his part, made 1.2 billion pounds from contracts with Barcelona, PSG, and Inter Miami. Sponsorships bring him 44 million pounds a year (Pepsi, Hard Rock, Adidas). Ronaldo, on the other hand, earns 48 million pounds just from social media - he has over a billion followers on Instagram, Facebook, and X. And he has contracts with Nike, Herbalife, and his own CR7 brand. What can I say, that's a social network, not like the guys on TikTok filming themselves eating shawarma.

Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid's star, gave a statement I liked. He said: "Cristiano is my idol, but Leo was my teammate. They are completely different: right foot versus left foot, tall versus short, strength versus elegance, explosiveness versus vision. The claim that one represents hard work and the other innate talent? That's said by people who don't play football. If you tell me Ronaldo has no talent or Messi doesn't work hard, it means you've never put on football boots." Exactly, bro! And when I play football with the guys at the field behind the block, I know how much work it is. It's not just talent, it's sweat and determination.

Ronaldo has scored a record 973 career goals and wants to reach 1,000 before retiring. He's won eight league titles (three in the Premier League, two in La Liga, two in Serie A, and the 2026 Saudi Pro League title) and five UEFA Champions League trophies. He brought Portugal its first major trophy, Euro 2016. Messi, with seven Ballon d'Ors, won the World Cup in 2022 and aspires to a second trophy. Two sacred monsters, as they say.

Besides football, Ronaldo is also an entrepreneur: the CR7 brand includes luxury hotels (including one in Times Square), gyms, perfumes, watches, and clothing. He invested in Whoop (2024), Perplexity AI, and bought 25% of Spanish club UD Almería. In a 2025 interview, he said: "When you reach a certain level, money doesn't matter anymore, in my opinion, but it's always good to have more." He talks like a true bombardier, no doubt. I'm going to tell Mioara that I'd be a billionaire too if it weren't for the payments and Ioana's allowance.