10 Best Rivalries To Look Out For At World Cup 2018

They smile and nod at awards ceremonies and politely evade questions about each other during media interviews, but the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is evident for all to see. The two best players on the planet are constantly compared to one another and have been forced to share all of the big individual awards of recent years.

Messi holds the edge individually, having scored 5 World Cup goals to Ronaldo's 3, as well as winning the Golden Ball in 2014 and also appearing in the final of that tournament, but he's yet to actually lift a trophy with Argentina. Ronaldo, meanwhile, has only ever made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup but is a current European Champion after Portugal's surprising victory in Euro 2016.

This summer's tournament represents Messi and Ronaldo's last big chance to go all the way. It's their final hurrah. Neither Portugal nor Argentina are clear favourites to win the competition, but both sides feature some very strong players, and Ronaldo in particular will be looking to finally live up to the hype at a World Cup and compete for awards like the Golden Boot and Golden Ball. The pair could even potentially clash in the quarter finals.