Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo return to club action with strong performances after contrasting international breaks

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo returned to club action this weekend after very different international breaks, and both marked the occasion with goals. Messi came back from an emotional farewell with the Argentina national team to score twice for Inter Miami on Saturday, October 10, while Ronaldo returned from a turbulent stint with Portugal to find the net for Al Nassr a day earlier.

Messi’s break was one of celebration. He arrived in Buenos Aires on October 2, missed the 7-0 win over Burkina Faso and said goodbye to the national team on October 6 with a goal and two assists in a 3-0 win over Benin in front of more than 85,000 fans. He left as Argentina’s most-capped player with 208 appearances, record scorer with 126 goals and record assist with 64 assists.

Four days later, he was back in Miami and the transition was seamless. Messi started and captained Inter Miami against DC United, where he scored a brace to reach 934 career goals.

The two goals took his season total to 23 and kept him as the outright leader of the MLS Golden Boot race, while the win ended a five-match winless run for Inter Miami.

Ronaldo returns after a turbulent break

Cristiano Ronaldo’s international break was far more troubled. The Portuguese forward left the national team’s camp after a fallout with coach Jorge Jesus, having played only in the match against Wales on the first matchday of the UEFA Nations League.

After not getting any minutes against Norway on the second matchday, he decided to leave the camp, which sparked a major controversy over his future with Portugal. However, after a turbulent few weeks, the captain confirmed that he has not retired from international duty, and the federation has opened the door for his return in the next international window in November.

His return to Al Nassr on Friday, October 9, was a welcome change of atmosphere. The home fans chanted his name before kick-off and raised a banner in his honor that read “Greatness is earned,” and Ronaldo repaid them in the 23rd minute, pouncing on a rebound for his 980th career goal.

Al Nassr won 3-0 and rose to 19 points, but Al Hilal’s win over Al Ittihad in Saturday’s clash lifted them to 21 and left Al Nassr third in the Saudi Pro League, two points behind the leaders and level on points with Al Qadsiah, which holds second place on goal difference. Ronaldo, meanwhile, now sits 20 goals away from becoming the first player to reach 1,000, while Messi, with 934, is 66 away.