Cristiano Ronaldo 'waits in Dubai' for new club as Lionel Messi celebrates greatest triumph

Lionel Messi took the trophy to bed just over a week after Cristiano Ronaldo went straight down the tunnel in tears as the World Cup decisively separated football's two biggest superstars.

It came with Ronaldo having ended his relationship with MU by mutual consent last month, following his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan. He is now a free agent with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr strongly linked with a move.

Leading European clubs have distanced themselves from a move, including Real Madrid – where the striker is the all-time club record scorer – who have no interest in a sensational return for Ronaldo. Porting Lisbon have pushed away speculation also, as have Bayern Munich, while the 37-year-old's displays in Qatar won't have helped his cause if he wishes to continue at Europe's elite level.

Ronaldo was dropped from the starting line-up for Portugal’s Round of 16 6-1 demolition of Switzerland, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos netting a hat-trick. Ramos was again preferred over Ronaldo for the quarter-final loss to Morroco, with the former United striker coming on as a second half substitute in both matches.

This came in stark contrast to Messi’s role in Argentina’s remarkable World Cup final victory over France. The Paris Saint-Germain forward broke multiple records in final on his way to finally getting his hands on the trophy that had previously eluded him during his career.

Messi appears, at the age of 35 to have retained the best form of his career for club and country. A central star for arguably the world’s best club team this season and now the world champions at international level.