30 plus and still setting new milestones

Both stars, now on the other side of 30, show no signs of decline. Their decade-long dominance of the Ballon d'Or was meant to slip this season, but they just keep on setting new records and firsts despite years at the top.

No other player even comes close to taking the crown given to the 'best player in the world'; This term, Messi is La Liga's leading scorer and has 30 goals in 39 games. Ronaldo is Champions League top scorer and has 28 goals in all competitions in just 31 matches.

The years have rolled by and both Messi and Ronaldo have done nothing but improve, turning their electric pace and skill into tactical intelligence and leadership. Barcelona have certainly benefited from the Argentine's versatile nature, which has allowed new attacking players to come into the lineup by shifting Messi's own starting position.

Ronaldo may not be quite as adaptable as his counterpart, but he too has morphed his style in recent years, becoming a different sort of presence on the pitch and in the dressing room. He appears more concerned with the team's needs rather than his own individualistic tendencies.

- How long can they go on? -

Sport no longer opens a trapdoor under every athlete that turns 30. At the age of 33, The Real Madrid star believes in the same clean living and training regime and it looks to be working. Ronaldo has avoided serious injuries so far and there is no reason why he shouldn't reach the sort of longevity that took Zlatan Ibrahimovic to 36 and saw Ryan Giggs retire at 40.

Messi also seems to have taken a page out of Giggs' book, emulating the Welshman's ability to play deeper and deeper into a midfield role as the years pass. The view in France is that heir-apparent Neymar's current rate of down-time partying will shorten his career, but that is not the case for the pair who have dominated football for years.

What Ronaldo and Messi have achieved at their respective clubs is something unique that may never be repeated, and we cannot see the finish line yet. When that day comes, if Barcelona and Real Madrid don't automatically retire the No 10 and No 7 shirts when they stop wearing them, the weight of their goals will be too much to bear. No player will want to carry such burden.