“I often ask myself what I can do to become like Messi and Ronaldo and get 50 or 60 goals in a season,” he confessed to Sport/Foot.  I try, of course, but I realise that I will never be a true goalscorer like them. It’s not in me. It is mainly mental: at 2-0, not thinking that is enough for example. Sometimes I still think after a goal, ‘That’s enough.’

“I’m not in search of records like some other players – if I can score between 15 and 20 goals each season, I will be very happy.”

One could never imagine Messi or Ronaldo being content with such a tally.

Of course, for the sake of narrative, they are portrayed as polar opposites: Messi is the quiet, unassuming genius who puts the team first; Ronaldo the self-made goal-scoring machine who takes as much pride in his appearance as his records. Both are crude caricatures, which do both a disservice. Messi can be as ruthless as Ronaldo; Ronaldo can be as magnanimous as Messi.

In addition, they are bound not only by brilliance, but also determination, an inner drive that has seen both make the absolute most of their considerable skills.

“Messi has just as much dedication as Ronaldo but in a different way,” argued West, who penned the book ‘Lionel Messi and The Art of Living’. “We can certainly say that Ronaldo has done everything within his power to be the best player in the world. He’s always been open about that: he wants other people to look at him and say he’s the greatest ever. He’s always had that focus, so he’s done it for external recognition.

“However, I think Messi has the same drive; it’s just that his comes from within. He wants to be the best he can be. He pushes himself to be better, not so other people will say he’s the best, but so that he can be at peace with himself. I don’t think he needs that external gratification in the same way Cristiano does, but he still has that ruthless drive to push himself and get the very best out of himself.

“So, in terms of achieving that level of greatness and consistency, a lot of it comes down to the mentality of the player.”

Which is perhaps why Neymar is no longer the favourite to step into the spotlight when Messi and Ronaldo bow out. There have never been any doubts over the Brazilian’s ability but his level of focus has long been a cause for concern.

It is five years since Johan Cruyff warned: “Neymar’s always in the centre of the storm for things outside of football. He needs to play football to improve and develop in many areas. He will only achieve by playing football. The problem is that he is constantly being linked with negative things.”

Neymar’s situation has hardly improved in the interim. If anything, that storm has only worsened. As has his physical condition.

Since moving to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee in 2017, Neymar has been blighted by injuries and ill-discipline. At 28, his career path now looks more likely to follow that of Ronaldinho than Ronaldo, having, thus far, failed to strike the perfect balance between sporting and commercial growth.

“I think if you look at Ronaldo, I think it’s fair to say that he’s very conscience of his image, just like Neymar,” West reasoned. “Cristiano’s been very keen to exploit all of the opportunities that his popularity as a footballer affords him. But he’s maintained that awareness that all of this comes from what he does on the pitch. Football comes first.

“He’s not allowed his commercial life to detract from his professional life. I don’t think you could say the same about Neymar. If you look at Neymar’s tweets, for example, it’s just brand, brand, brand. You wouldn’t know he’s a footballer the way he portrays himself at times. He’s a celebrity first and foremost, whereas Ronaldo never seems to do anything that would jeopardise his ability to deliver on the pitch.

“Messi, too, had physical problems early in his career and Barca’s medical team fairly quickly linked them to a poor diet and poor training regimes. So, they changed his diet, they convinced him to stop eating pizzas and drinking Coca-Cola, and he became fitter and overcome those fitness problems.

“But Neymar enjoys the other things in life too much. He doesn’t have that ruthless commitment to his career, meaning he hasn’t been able to achieve Messi and Ronaldo’s level of consistency.”

But what about the next generation? Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are considered the frontrunners to fill the void that Messi and Ronaldo will leave behind. Both are extraordinary young talents.

Mbappe is the only man other than Pele to have scored in a World Cup final as a teenager; Haaland is the youngest player in history to score 10 Champions League goals, having reached that mark in just seven matches.

Their potential is as obvious as it is enormous. Questions remain, of course. Can they sustain their fine form? Will they avoid serious injuries? Will they be as dedicated to their profession as Messi and Ronaldo?

In a similar vein, Mbappe once skipped a party in honour of Monaco’s shock 2016-17 Ligue 1 title triumph so that he could get enough rest to be in peak physical condition for the following day’s training session. The Frenchman was only a teenager back then, though, and there having been growing concerns about his allegedly egotistical behaviour since being taken under Neymar’s wing in Paris, as underlined by his recent spats with PSG coach Thomas Tuchel.

Mbappe has admitted himself that he is “not a hard worker” but is still regarded by journalists who follow the French league and national team closely as someone who simply loves playing football. As long as he retains that passion for the game, he should – like Haaland – continue to rack up record after record.

However, even Mbappe has conceded that matching Messi may be impossible. He netted 33 goals in 29 Ligue 1 matches last season and it still was not enough to deny the Argentine a third consecutive European Golden Shoe.

“There were days when I scored three goals and then he would score four,” the winger told France Football. “I remember that I spoke to Ousmane Dembele (of Barcelona and France) and said: ‘It’s not possible! Does he do it on purpose?'”

Of course, it would be unfair to expect anyone to equal Messi or Ronaldo’s remarkable strike-rates. Or carry the game into a new era, for that matter. Besides, it’s not as if the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry has been the only show in town over the past 10 to 15 years.

Messi has never played in the Premier League, while Ronaldo left in 2009 – yet the English top-flight is by some distance the most watched and, consequently, the richest championship in club football. There are, of course, many reasons for its global popularity: the sheer pace of the game separates it from its European rivals; what it loses in quality, it makes up for in frenzied entertainment.

In addition, the almost total absence of running tracks around its pitches only accentuates the raucous atmosphere generated by the massive and passionate crowds found with its modern stadia. England changed its practices and image following the Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies of the 1980s, and reaped the rewards.

With the advent of the Premier League in 1992, English football became a perfectly packaged product expertly sold to audiences across the globe by BSkyB and, in turn, the further riches bestowed upon clubs by the sale of overseas TV rights enabled the acquisition of some of the most talented and charismatic characters in football. All of this, coupled with the sport’s innate capacity for unscripted drama, made the Premier League compelling viewing.

“Ronaldo and Messi, though, just happened to exist in this unprecedented rivalry at the very same time social media was blowing up. So, they ushered in new ways of consuming football.

“For example, when Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus, we saw a huge shift in the two club’s social media numbers too. However, while there are many unique aspects to Ronaldo, Messi and their rivalry, the way of watching and consuming the show they’ve put on for the past decade has now become ingrained in fans. So, even after they retire, the fans will just apply those same practices and habits to following new players.”

Essentially, football faces a far more pressing concern than the imminent retirement of two living legends, with the Covid-19 pandemic having plunged the game into financial crisis that represents a very real existential threat for clubs and leagues across the world.