Messi and Ronaldo slumps signal of looming end of era

In what are the closing pages of their glorious careers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's respective dreams of conquering the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Asian Champions League Elite came to an abrupt end after they were both eliminated in the semi-finals.

In the United States, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, alongside his inseparable mates Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez, missed out on reaching the CONCACAF Champions Cup showpiece after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday in south Florida.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Miami had made the perfect start to their comeback attempt when former Alba put them ahead from Messi's assist in just the ninth minute. But second-half goals from Brian White, Pedro Vite, and Sebastian Berhalter sealed a 5-1 win on aggregate for the Whitecaps.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's lacklustre displays in recent outings for the Florida side see him go four matches in a row without scoring or assisting - something that he had not experienced since 2021.

But on the other side of the planet, things were no better for his long-time Portuguese rival. Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr crashed out of the Asian Champions League Elite semi-finals on Wednesday when they were beaten 3-2 by Kawasaki Frontale.

The five-time winner of the UEFA Champions League hit the woodwork with a first-half header in Jeddah and spurned a golden opportunity right at the death, allowing the Japanese side to progress into the final, where they will face Saudi side Al Ahly.

Tatsuya Ito opened the scoring for Frontale with a superb volley in the 10th minute before Sadio Mane pulled Al Nassr level before the 30-minute mark. Yuto Ozeki finished on an Ito rebound to restore his side's lead, with Akihiro Ienaga doubling the advantage.

Substitute Ayman Yahya reduced the deficit in injury time to give Al Nassr hope, but it was not enough to save them from defeat. Ronaldo, who left the pitch shaking his head after the full-time whistle, is still without a major trophy in his two and a half years in Saudi Arabia.

Their back-to-back fiascos signal the looming end of an era - one dominated by the two stars throughout the past two decades. Time catches up to everyone, even legends of the sport like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.