James Hendrix

@FCBarcelona | @Arsenal

[M.anifest @manifestive]

This is what GREATNESS looks like.

Go down by one early. Miss a penalty. Go down by two against an incredibly poised defense and supremely confident counterattacking - Big love to Egypt btw. With 21mins left in regulation, find inspiration out of nowhere for a tremendous assist. Score a clinical and excellent equalizer. At this point your teammates who look up to you are all vim’d up and press fwd and take the lead.

Sounds like a fable except we all just witnessed this in HD. Please compare Messi to no one in his generation.

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

Put Messi in that Portuguese team and he’d win them their first world title

Do the reverse and Argentina wouldn’t have even qualified for the World Cup

Now that’s GOAT status

[Appie Culé @appiecule]

I’m going to take my time with this one. If you’re busy, save this post and read it later. If you’re a night owl like me, this is a good late-night read.

Do you know the worst thing about Cristiano Ronaldo?

It’s that he set the standards for what defines a legend… and in the end, he couldn’t even live up to the standards he created himself.

After winning Euro 2016, Ronaldo said:

“You can’t become a legend until you win a trophy with your national team.”

It was an obvious dig at Messi.

Argentina had just lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany, and Messi was going through the toughest period of his international career. Those words only added fuel to the fire.

Where was the respect for a rival, Ronaldo?

The surprising part was that social media completely embraced that narrative. Messi was labeled a bottler, while Ronaldo was declared the winner of the rivalry—at least in the media, not on the pitch.

Then Messi retired from international football, came back, won the Copa América, and suddenly they were level in major international trophies.

What happened next?

Ronaldo fans started saying that one Euro is worth more than a hundred Copa Américas, claiming there was no competition in South America. Not true—but that became the excuse.

Then Messi went on to win the World Cup.

This time, the excuses changed again.

They claimed FIFA had fixed the tournament for Messi. That the World Cup was scripted in his favor. They simply didn’t know what else to say.

Then Ronaldo himself came out with one of the strangest quotes imaginable:

“A legend’s career can’t be defined by just seven games.”

At first glance, it sounds reasonable.

But beneath it was another attempt to diminish what Messi had achieved.

Before the World Cup, they insisted it would be Ronaldo’s tournament. On paper, Portugal had a fantastic squad. If the manager couldn’t get the best out of them, that’s Portugal’s problem—not Ronaldo’s.

Yet that same Portugal squad wasn’t any weaker than the Argentina team Messi led to the 2014 World Cup final—the same team people mocked Messi for not carrying to the title.

Just a couple of days ago, Ronaldo said:

“The World Cup doesn’t define my career, whether I win it or not.”

A statement that directly contradicts what he had said years earlier, when he admitted that winning the World Cup would make him feel completely fulfilled.

Now you’re 41 years old, Cristiano.

By your own standards:

* You have 5 Ballon d’Ors, not 8.
* You have one European Championship, not two Copa América titles.
* You never won the World Cup.
* You have four European Golden Shoes, while Messi has six—even though you’re an out-and-out striker.

So what now?

Will you keep playing until the next World Cup and become the first player to appear in one at 45, hoping to finally win it?

If we judged you by the standards you created, you wouldn’t qualify as a legend.

Of course, nobody actually judges you that way. Everyone still recognizes you as one of football’s greatest legends.

The real mistake was comparing Ronaldo to Messi in the first place.

That rivalry was exaggerated from the beginning by the media and figures like José Mourinho.

Messi conquered every major trophy available to him, shattered records that once seemed untouchable, and at 39 years old he’s still competing with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland—the stars of the next generation—for the Golden Boot. And honestly, he could still win it.

What made Messi beloved by so many fans is that he never tried to diminish Ronaldo’s achievements.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, repeatedly made comments that many interpreted as attempts to downplay his greatest rival’s accomplishments—and that’s never an admirable trait.

Cristiano helped create a generation that thinks belittling other people’s achievements while constantly glorifying your own is a way to establish dominance.

Good bye. Ronaldo.

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

Doesn’t really matter if Argentina gets knocked out know.
The fact that Cristiano is never touching a World Cup trophy is exhilarating enough .
Him winning a world championship while’s being carried would’ve surely distorted historical reality

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

After emphatically stating that he’s back against Uzbekistan, he ghosted against real opponents

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

But the World Cup was never his dream though 🤣

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

Norway is putting up a performance that I expected from the Netherlands

[Guillem Balague @GuillemBalague]

Honestly...

We have never seen this before and we keep walking new ground

And, guess what, more to come!

🫪😱

#Messi 🐐

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

@ballondor Imagine if the roles were reversed

[Guillem Balague @GuillemBalague]

Brilliant Cristiano Ronaldo — possibly the greatest goalscorer the game has ever seen!

Now ALL the superstars have arrived.

But please, please, let's not start the comparison game. It's one he will always lose.

Let's appreciate him for what he is, rather than measuring him against someone else.

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

Ronald is great, but
Messi is the greatest

[Guillem Balague @GuillemBalague]

@piersmorgan @Cristiano Saying Messi is better is not hating Ronaldo

In fact I don't know anyone who hates Ronaldo

He is great!

Just not the greatest 😉

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

@MLS Those 1000 goals Cristiano is chasing, what is their value again ?

[FOX Soccer @FOXSoccer]

Bangladesh unleashed some of the loudest Messi chants

(via X/ultras_clips)

[KlintonCod @klintoncod]

I cannot lie, and this is my personal conviction, if somebody mentions a player as their best ever and it’s not Messi, i just know i cannot discuss football matters with you at all. No need

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

@jujupunte PSG 0: 1 Arsenal

[DR Sports @drsportsmedia]

ARSENAL ARE BACK OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO🔴⚪️🎶

#BestOfEnemies #Arsenal #Football

[Arsenal @Arsenal]

We did it, together.

[James Hendrix @JamesAkani_]

Bournemouth out here doing the lords work
🤣

[Robert Lewandowski @lewy_official]

After four years full of challenges and hard work, it's time to move on.

I leave with the feeling that the mission is complete. 4 seasons, 3 championships.

I will never forget the love I received from the fans from my very first days.
Catalonia is my place on earth.

Thank you to everyone I met along the way during these beautiful four years.
A special thank you to President Laporta for giving me the chance to live the most incredible chapter of my career.

Barça is back where it belongs.
Visca el Barça. Visca Catalunya 💙❤️

@fcbarcelona