RONALDO GOES OUT IN FRONT

THE debate over who is better, Messi or Ronaldo, summons the words of Mr Snell, the innkeeper in Silas Marner. Mr Snell is most concerned with keeping peace in his tavern. ‘The truth lies atween you: you’re both right and both wrong, as I allays say,’ is a typical response seeking out the middle ground.

It is difficult to maintain such a neutral stance after the first 10 days of action in Russia. Ronaldo’s vanity cannot obscure a magnificence that inspires an otherwise ordinary team. Messi, meanwhile, looks haunted.