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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are back with their respective national teams, but their performances did not go quite as planned. Both players decided to stay off national duty after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, they were back in action on Friday as Argentina and Portugal took on Venezuela and Ukraine respectively. Ronaldo started for the Selecao in an attacking front three with Andre Silva and Bernardo Silva following his return to the Portugal national team.
But, rather than inspire the side like he usually does, the 34-year-old endured a frustrating night as his country drew goalless in the Euros 2020 qualifier. Not only did Ronaldo fail to influence the game, he also struggled in the final third, as service from the supporting cast was missing.
The Portuguese, though, was not the only one to flop on international duty. Messi equally endured a very frustrating night with Argentina. The Barcelona star returned to the national team amidst huge fanfare, but his impact was little as Argentine lost 3-1 to lowly Venezuela in an international friendly.
In a week where both Ronaldo and Messi have dominated headlines due to the impressive performances at club level, the superstar pair could not replicate their geniuses at international level. In the UEFA Champions League, for instance, both players played key roles as Barcelona and Juventus advanced to the quarter-final of the competition.
While Ronaldo scored a sensational hat-trick to help his side overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Atletico Madrid, Messi scored twice and assisted two more as Barcelona romped to a 5-1 win over Lyon at the Cam Nou.
But, as social media would have it, no one is beyond trolls – not even Ronaldo and Messi, who are considered the greatest players in this generation.
Fans on Twitter has been quick to react to the performance of the superstar duo following their woeful outings with their respective national teams.
Here are some of the best tweets:
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