Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo enter the 2026 World Cup with legendary resumes with plenty of similarities and some big differences.

From Lionel Messi to Naomi Osaka, elite athlete investors are turning championships into equity and redefining wealth beyond contracts.

Messi did not play in a game in Vancouver in May 2024 Alex Menendez/ The British Columbia Supreme Court has approved a CAN $475,000 ($347,000) settlement to be paid by the Vancouver Whitecaps and Major League Soccer after a class-action lawsuit was brought against the parties following a regular-season game in 2024 when Lionel Messi was featured in promotional material but did not show up to play the match in Canada.

The British Columbia Supreme Court approved a settlement in the class-action lawsuit against defendants MLS and the Vancouver Whitecaps that claimed both parties relied on "misleading promotional material" when selling tickets to a match against Miami.

Lionel Messi might be the betting favorite out of the MLS ranks, but FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winners are usually breakout stars.

Ronaldo scored the 900th goal of his career back in September 2024, in a Nations League clash between Portugal and Croatia. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has made no secret of his desire to reach 1000 official goals before he finally hangs up his boots. He’s currently on 965, with just 35 more to go.

With such milestones inevitably come comparisons to Lionel Messi, the player who defined a generation at Barcelona. The question naturally arises: when did Messi score his first hat-trick, and how old was he?

However, Lionel Messi and the 2025 MLS champions are scheduled to meet Trump at the White House, according to a report from Adam Crafton and Paul Tenorio of The Athletic: “Inter Miami will visit the White House on Thursday, March 5 to mark the team’s MLS Cup win, according to a White House official.