Messi and Ronaldo have name recognition and brand recognition on their side, as do their clubs.
The stature in the U.S. of Messi and Ronaldo is stunning considering their global standing.
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Beckham padded a lineup that already included such all-stars as Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo .
Yet off-the-field Messi cannot match the more glamorous duo of Beckham and Ronaldo when it comes to earnings.
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And Ronaldo struck again four minutes later, stroking the ball home after Kirkland parried his initial penalty kick.
Andy Gray, the former Aston Villa and Scotland striker, and Ronaldo achieved the feat in 1977 and 2007 respectively.
Yet for all their wealth and fame, Messi and Ronaldo have still not broken through in the U.S. market.
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One way or another, he looks destined to join Messi and Ronaldo at football's top table sooner rather than later.
But what exactly does it say about the level of competition that Messi and Ronaldo are facing week after week?
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But United look like they are going to win the Premier League and Ronaldo has been an inspiration for them.
The reward was creating the best early opportunities, with both Higuain and Ronaldo forcing excellent saves from Dortmund's goalkeeper, Roman Weidenfeller.
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City's hopes of a comeback were snuffed out six minutes from time when Dunne missed Rooney's cross and Ronaldo turned home.
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But when United stole the ball they were incisive, with Rooney and Ronaldo forcing Campbell into a number of last-ditch clearances.
And Ronaldo almost marked their arrival with United's second as he sent a thunderous right-foot shot against the crossbar with Almunia motionless.
Romario and Ronaldo are exhilarating to watch and Denilson could also prove to be one of the best players in the tournament.
You could probably chalk that up almost entirely to Messi and Ronaldo.
The rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo seems to intensify every week, as each seems to find a way to raise the stakes for the other.
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If the showdown between Messi and Ronaldo was billed as the spectacular sub-plot within this showpiece, there was only one winner as Barcelona's playmaker terrorised United throughout.
These names are not Messi and Ronaldo, but Underarmour has shown that the quality of its cleats are improving, which will help to attract more marquee players.
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The crowd at the 85, 000-seater Santiago Bernabeu stadium have targeted their frustrations at Mourinho -- a Champions League winner with both Porto and Inter Milan -- and Ronaldo.
United responded well and Ronaldo, who had come off the bench, appeared to wrap things up with a penalty of his own after Tevez was brought down by Carroll.
Germany struck again soon after when man of the match Schweinsteiger floated in a free-kick and Ronaldo remained flat-footed while Klose sped by to force the ball beyond Ricardo.
Until then, Messi and Ronaldo will continue to stockpile goals week after week, and the rest of La Liga will be left to wonder how they can possibly keep up.
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As Messi and Ronaldo continue to pile on the numbers, the economic advantage that Real Madrid and Barcelona have over the rest of La Liga is starting to overwhelm their on-field brilliance.
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Real restored their advantage when Celta goalkeeper Javi Varas brought down Brazil playmaker Kaka and Ronaldo stepped up to score his 25th league goal of the season -- 15 behind Messi's league tally.
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Messi and Ronaldo are among the most famous international athletes in the world, owing to (1) the popularity of their sport worldwide, (2) the brilliance with which they regularly display on the pitch, and (3) their looks.
Messi and Ronaldo took turns to show their skill, with the Argentine blazing a shot over from outside the area which left Edwin van der Sar shaking his head and Ronaldo setting himself up again with neat footwork before sending an effort wide.
United never allowed Arsenal to get into their trademark passing rhythm, playing with more drive and energy than the Gunners, who were overrun in midfield at times and struggled to cope with the pace and variety of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo in attack.
In the past few decades, though, only a handful of Brazilian stars such as supermodel Gisele Bundchen and footballers Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have managed to break that curse and become international household names.
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