For nine years it was the greatest show on earth – the two best players of their generation in a season-long slog of 'anything you can do I can do better'.
We will miss their battle to be the best, and Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will miss each other in the way all great sporting rivals end up longing for the once sworn enemy.Messi invariably had the upper hand in the early days but just when it seemed Ronaldo was a beaten man he won three straight Champions Leagues and he leaves having pulled level in the Ballon d'Or stakes too.
Messi was already established in La Liga when Ronaldo was unveiled in front of 80,000 supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu. The main stage presentation on the pitch complete with catwalk seemed completely over the top back in 2009 and at first Ronaldo failed to live up to the hype.
It would be an exaggeration to say he spent the first Clasico in Gerard Pique's pocket but it was certainly true that his former Manchester United team-mate had the measure of him while Messi ran riot against the Real Madrid defence.Ronaldo's first Clasico it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic who stole the show with a rare moment of Nou Camp magic. The return fixture in 2010 ended with Barcelona winning 2-0 and Messi scoring his 40th goal of the season. Barca won the league and Ronaldo won nothing.
Ronaldo was still being labelled a flat-track bully at the time while Messi could bamboozle all-comers. The two were mentioned in the same breath but only as their respective team's best players.
That began to change at the end of their second season in direct competition when for the first of many times Ronaldo did something that made sure Messi would end up on the losing side.
The tit-for-tat genius had began in earnest in the league with one trying to outdo the other as they invariably played at different times across the weekend. But in April 2011 they met in the Spanish Cup final and a majestic header from Ronaldo settled the game in Real Madrid's favour.
And if Ronaldo had left Messi without a cup winner's medal in 2011, in 2012 he would leave him without a league medal.
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