"Not even these footballing Gods can defy father time" - Gary Lineker suggests age is catching up to both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi 

Football pundit Gary Lineker feels people should lower their expectations of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Both players are well into their 30s as age is finally catching up with the two greats who've dominated the sport for nearly two decades. Ronaldo, who turned 37 this month, was in his worst goal-scoring drought in 13 years before netting against Brighton on Tuesday.

Messi, meanwhile, missed a penalty in PSG's Champions League win over Real Madrid as his struggles with the Ligue 1 giants continued.

Lineker, who has held both players in high regard, believes even they cannot defy father time. In a recent tweet, he wrote:

"Messi is 35 in June. Ronaldo has just turned 37. We should probably lower our expectations. They still do wonderful things, but not even these footballing Gods can defy father time forever."

Messi and Ronaldo are widely regarded as two of the greatest players of all time, with both players accomplishing great things in their illustrious careers. They boast over 1,000 goals, 67 trophies and 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them, creating a footballing rivalry never seen before.

Last summer, for the first time, both players changed teams in the same transfer window. Messi joined PSG following a shock exit from Barcelona, while Ronaldo made a sensational return to Manchester United.

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Gary Lineker prefers Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

The Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate continues to rage on, with fans of both players pushing each player's case. However, Linekar favours the Argentine, who he says brings joy to the sport like Diego Maradona did. The Englishman added in this regard:

"They gave us happiness. There were other greats, like the two Ronaldos, for example, but I consider them more as tremendous goalscorers. Diego and Leo did, and do, in each game, two or three things that neither I nor almost anyone did in an entire career."

The former England international maintained that he respects Cristiano Ronaldo but said Lionel Messi is better, noting:

"They play a different sport. I also love Cristiano. I respect him a lot, he is a great too… But my honest football opinion is that there is no comparison as to who is the best because of the things that Leo does. That said, it even hurts me to compare them, because they are both massive."