The 2026 World Cup marks the climax of several storied football careers—none more notable than those of Lionel Messi, who turned 39 on Wednesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who turned 41 this February. Now that they are both scoring again, the spotlight is back on their intense rivalry. Amid this, recent research led by Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University’s Saifuddin Ahmed suggests that global support for either of the GOATs can be correlated with the ideological leanings of fans. A survey of 10,661 respondents from 26 countries showed that liberals preferred LM10 while the more conservative respondents preferred CR7. While brand designers pore over the research to find what works for whom, those trying to promote football in India should heed that the sport cuts across ideologies and demographics.
