Not long ago, Messi or Ronaldo and their teams being eliminated from a tournament would have been considered a surprise result. Or at least, it would have raised eyebrows.

But this week, Messi and Ronaldo – the two brightest stars of their generation, who have dominated the game for more than two decades – have both bowed out of the continental club competition. Is it still shocking? When it all happened within 24 hours?

That’s exactly what happened in midweek. Messi’s Inter Miami fell to the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-1 on aggregate in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, while Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr lost 3-2 to Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League Elite at a neutral venue in Saudi Arabia.

These are both continental tournaments that Inter Miami and Al-Nassr have set their sights on this season after suffering many bitter defeats in recent years. Both teams started very well, but were eventually defeated in the semi-finals. The focus on Messi and Ronaldo after these defeats is understandable given their stature, but unfair to the winners.

The Vancouver Whitecaps deserve more credit. The Canadian club has been the strongest team in MLS this season, climbing to the top of the Western Conference standings and now reaching the final of the most prestigious club tournament in North and Central America.

It was a proud achievement given that new coach Jesper Sorensen has been unable to use many of his team’s key players in recent seasons due to injuries or other health issues. Ryan Gauld, a key player for the Whitecaps, had to watch his team’s journey from the stands as he is still recovering from a knee injury. Overcoming all difficulties thanks to Mr. Sorensen’s “hands on the table” ability, Vancouver did what few expected when defeating the highly rated Inter Miami.

“Being underestimated makes everything easier, less pressure,” Sorensen said in an interview after beating Inter Miami on May 1. “Then you can play more comfortably and flexibly.”

Similarly, Kawasaki Frontale were placed underdogs in the match against Al-Nassr – a team that not only has Ronaldo, but also Sadio Mane, Jhon Duran, Marcelo Brozovic and many other famous names from Europe. Even more disadvantageous, the Japanese team also had to travel to a “neutral” location – Jeddah – to play, which is no different from Al-Nassr’s home ground.

But like Vancouver, Kawasaki Frontate – under new coach Shigetoshi Hasebe, who replaced Toru Oniki’s seven-year reign with much success – played with confidence, exploiting mistakes from opponents to score, with Tatsuya Ito opening the scoring with a stunning volley.

“There were some big stars in this match, standing right next to me as the two teams were getting ready to take the field,” Ito said after the match. “It felt like I was in a video game.”

In the latest iteration of the video game, Ronaldo and Messi appear to be fallible and seemingly helpless. Both remain professional in training and in life, maintaining the competitive streak that has propelled them to the top of the game. Neither is using the latter years of their careers as an extended vacation.

Still, that doesn’t obscure the fact that Ronaldo is 40, and Messi is about to turn 38. The effects of age are becoming more evident, not necessarily in strides, distance covered or speed, but in the crucial moments that decide the whole match.

Ronaldo and Messi have always known, or were guided by instinct, to find the key that opens the door to an opportunity, a goal, a victory. It could be at the most sensitive, most important moment, or simply when the game is already decided. But they – with their natural talent honed over the years – always feel the boundary, however fragile, to make a difference.

That line between genius and Ronaldo is increasingly blurred. Against Kawasaki, CR7 had a clear chance to score with a header, but the ball hit the crossbar. He also missed a golden opportunity at the end of the match, sliding his left-footed shot in front of a nearly empty goal. As for Messi, he still had some moments of brilliance with his famous dribbles to overcome Vancouver’s dense defense, but those efforts only helped the Argentine striker send the ball a few centimeters wide of the goal.

Of course, these misses and failures do not damage the legacy of either, but it is difficult not to mention, especially when on the same day, Lamine Yamal performed superb football in the Champions League. The genius of 17-year-old Yamal was a reminder to Ronaldo and Messi that time is still moving, unchangeable, and football is also changing everywhere.

Even at their peak, at their best, Messi and Ronaldo cannot win the title alone. They want good teammates in attack and need more than that in defence, which has been a problem for both Inter Miami and Al-Nassr. In Fort Lauderdale, Messi does not have Carles Puyol to lean on, while Ronaldo must have missed Sergio Ramos in Jeddah. The distance between Chase Stadium and Camp Nou is as great as the distance from Jeddah to Madrid or Manchester.

One thing that has remained constant, though, is the charisma of Ronaldo and Messi. From the crowd filling the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah to the children who brought their families to the stadium in Miami, everyone was chanting Ronaldo and Messi’s names as soon as they both warmed up.

“Some of the players on the pitch, when they were kids, had pictures of Messi in their rooms,” said coach Sorensen. “Against players like that, you can’t stop them. You can only limit them and try to play your own way.”

The effort paid off, and now the two football legends seem to have seen limits that few had previously imagined.

Vy Anh