Industry Odisha Bureau, May 23: When the whole world is agog over being all eyes on the upcoming super spectacle ‘FIFA World Cup-2026’ scheduled to be co-hosted by the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, worldwide fans of the ‘Troika Titans’ (Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo & Brazilian footballer Neymar da Silva Santos Junior) are apprehensive of being all ears to their probable proclamation of ‘hanging up boots’ (retirement) owing to their age and health factors as well as paving path for emerging counterparts in the arena of their next to heart –‘Football’.
Deemed and adored to be the icons of world football, the ‘Troika Titans’ have not only ruled the roost, but has also dictated the terms.
Lionel Andres “Leo” Messi (Born June 24, 1987): “Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, Messi has set numerous records for individual accolades won throughout his professional footballing career, including eight Ballon d’Ors, six European Golden Shoes, and eight times being named the world’s best player by FIFA. In 2025, he was named the All Time Men’s World Best Player by the IFFHS.”
Moreover, “He is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, having won 46 team trophies. His records include most goals in a calendar year (91), most goals for a single club (672 for Barcelona), most goals in La Liga (474), most assists in international football (61), most goal contributions in the FIFA World Cup (21), and most goal contributions in the Copa América (32). Messi has scored over 910 senior career goals and provided over 410 assists for club and country, resulting in over 1,320 goal contributions—the highest total in the sport’s history.” (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Born February 5, 1985): “Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, he has won numerous individual accolades throughout his career, including five Ballon d’Ors, a record three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Awards, and four European Golden Shoes. He was also named the world’s best player five times by FIFA. He has won 35 trophies in his career, including five UEFA Champions Leagues and the UEFA European Championship.”
Also, “He holds the records for most goals (140) and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals (14) and assists (8) in the European Championship, and most international appearances (226) and international goals (143). He is the only player to have scored 100 goals with four different clubs. He has made over 1,300 professional career appearances, the most by an outfield player, and has scored over 970 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer of all time.”
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Born February 5, 1992): “Known for his dribbling, technical ability, playmaking, and finishing, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He is one of only five players to have scored 100 goals with three different clubs, both the all-time Brazilian top goalscorer (43) and assist provider (33) in the UEFA Champions League, ranks second for the all-time South American men’s top goalscorers in international football (79), and was the all-time top assist provider in international football (59) from 2023 to 2025.”
The world-acclaimed remarks on the ‘Troika Titans’ would be better to quote here: “While Messi and Ronaldo hold the records for trophies and Ballon d’Or awards, Neymar is widely recognized as the third giant of their era, possessing a different, more expressive style of play. The three players share a deep mutual respect, having dominated the global stage for nearly two decades.”
