What if: Lionel Messi had signed for Real Madrid?

1. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi together?

*deep breaths*

Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the same side of a football pitch for game-after-game. OH! MY!

While there are a number of reasons why this may not have worked out well – Umeed Kumar Dey has covered that already in this rather nice read – but what’s there to stop us dreaming, eh?

For those of you wondering if Messi’s presence alone would have deterred Perez from pursuing Ronaldo, you don’t really know the construction magnate. If he could have build a strike force with Ronaldo and Messi, he would have made sure it happened!

Messi and Ronaldo would have torn up the wings on either side and building a team around them would have been any managers dream come true. These days – when Madrid play you outnumber Ronaldo, when Barcelona play you outnumber Messi. How do you outnumber both of them AT THE SAME TIME?

Well, one thing’s for sure, it wouldn’t have affected Ronaldo’s confidence

“It would be interesting to see both of us in the same team,” Ronaldo said after being asked how the award would split if they played together. “I think great players should play together. So if we were in the same team, I think I would have more than him, but he wouldn't be far off.”