⚽ Who Will Carry The Global Soccer Torch After Ronaldo?

Don’t count against Cristiano Ronaldo playing in his fifth World Cup, although the fear of him not being in Qatar is a chilling one. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS]( In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: We are exactly one year out from the 2022 World Cup, but will Cristiano Ronaldo be there? ... we take a look at Andy Katz’s first set of men’s college basketball tiers ... and a 10-year-old fan asks a laugh-out-loud question to Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker. Exactly one year from today, soccer’s grandest event will return, the World Cup, a sports occasion that captivates a global audience like none other, the Olympics included. Has much happened in our world since the last one, four years ago? Yeah, just a little bit. Back in the summer of 2018, when corona was known as just a beer, fist bumps were occasional and masks were for Halloween, Cristiano Ronaldo had himself a busy old time. As the tournament began, the Portugal star [paid more than $20 million to avoid prison in a Spanish tax fraud case]( related to his earnings while at Real Madrid. A couple of days later, he smashed home a spectacular hat-trick to earn his team a dramatic 3-3 tie against Spain. Before long, Ronaldo helped Portugal reach the round of 16 and reminded people why he was one of the all-time greats, while strutting and preening enough to be described as the most arrogant yet brilliant athlete in sports ([by, ahem, me](. [STORY IMAGE 1] Eventually, just as fans were starting to wonder whether he could finally do some damage in the elimination round of the most important competition in international soccer, the answer arrived – no, he couldn’t - as Portugal waved goodbye in the round of 16 stage with a defeat to Uruguay. And, finally, he tried to upstage the final week of the World Cup (and somewhat succeeded) by announcing his move from Real Madrid to Juventus on the date of the semifinal. None of this was especially surprising. Ronaldo is not only arguably the best soccer player of modern times, with Lionel Messi the only other participant in that conversation, but he is also the most fascinating. He’s aggravating to many, intoxicating to others, but unavoidably front and center of the soccer news cycle at any given time. It is going to be the same story in the months of November and December next year, as Qatar readies to play host to 32 of the top teams in the world. Right? Well, yes, unless the unthinkable, which suddenly took a seismic lurch towards “thinkable,” transpires between now and then. Because Ronaldo, as things stand, might not be there at all. The 36-year-old has often said this World Cup will be his last international tournament, but as Portugal stumbled at the final hurdle, actually the final minute, of its European qualifying campaign, his participation a year from now was thrown into major doubt. Last Sunday, Portugal needed only a tie to guarantee a spot among the elite field and was situated at 1-1 at home to Serbia in the 90th minute, but then surrendered a goal to Aleksandar Mitrovic to throw everything into flux. At the end of the game, Ronaldo sat on the turf and shook his head, tearful anguish on his face. He knew what it meant – that Portugal can still qualify for the World Cup, but that the path just became infinitely more difficult. [STORY IMAGE 2] “Football has shown us time and time again that sometimes the most difficult paths are the ones that lead us to the most desired outcomes,” Ronaldo wrote on his social media a day later. “Yesterday’s result was tough, but not tough enough to get us down. The goal of being in the 2022 World Cup is still very much alive and we know what we have to do to get there. No excuses. Portugal on the road to Qatar.” Portugal must now face a playoff journey that will be thrilling to watch but is not for the faint-hearted. A total of 12 European teams must be whittled down to three, meaning each contender must win a pair of win-or-go-home, single-elimination matchups. Opponents such as European champion Italy, Sweden and Russia populate the field of contenders. Ronaldo has survived the playoff path before. In 2010, a pair of narrow 1-0 wins against Bosnia and Herzegovina was enough to squeak Portugal through. Four years later, Ronaldo scored all four goals in a 4-2 home-and-home nail-biter against Sweden. This time, with two rounds to get through, is tougher. [STORY IMAGE 3] It is hard to imagine a World Cup without Ronaldo, especially for those who idolize him, but even for those who don’t. While it is possible the playoff path just becomes part of the Ronaldo lore and plays into his flair for the dramatic, it also enhances the narrative that things aren’t playing out as he’d have wanted in this late part of his career. At the club level, his summer return to Manchester United after 12 years away has experienced some road blocks. United has slumped to sixth in the English Premier League and Ronaldo has not had the kind of revolutionary impact on the team that many expected. One way or another, it won’t be long before Ronaldo and Messi’s careers come to an end, leading us all to wonder who will carry the global soccer torch in the way they have for a decade and more. France's Kylian Mbappe, Norway’s Erling Haaland and Brazil’s Neymar are the front-runners but the most realistic answer is “no one.” An outcome where a player (or two) dominates the sport for 10-plus years isn’t normal, we’ve just been conditioned to think so because Ronaldo and Messi were so good, for so long. More probable is that a revolving collection of stars will share the load. [STORY IMAGE 4] Part of what has kept Ronaldo at the top is that whenever he’s been doubted, he’s always found a way to bounce back. “I’ve lost count of the number of times over the years when it looked like Ronaldo was on the decline,” British broadcaster Aidan Magee told me. “Even now, with things falling off course at United, you feel like it’s just a matter of time before he finds a way to turn things around.” Don’t count against him doing so again, although the fear of him not being there in Qatar is a chilling one. If his bid to play a fifth World Cup ultimately fails, it will be a shock to the soccer universe. There will be more tears, and not just from him. [STORY IMAGE 5] Why are Lionel Messi and Jerry Jones Investing in this Secret $2.7 Trillion Asset? sponsored content There’s an unusual investment gaining traction in the sporting world. David Beckham has invested over $44 million in this asset. Steve Cohen, who owns the NY Mets, invested over $1 billion. And Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks recently invested in an alternate form of this asset. It has nothing to do with real estate, clothing lines, or startups. Yet has beaten the S&P 500 from 1995 to 2020, so should come as no surprise it’s loved by millionaires. This overlooked investment is Contemporary Art. Thanks to Masterworks, you can invest in art via fractional shares similar to a public company. With over 260,000 users, it’s no wonder Masterworks is the only alternative investing platform valued at over $1 billion. Skip their waitlist with this special [Fox Sports link today](. *See important [disclosures]( [IN OTHER WORDS] - The Golden State Warriors are back on top of the NBA thanks to Steph Curry and a team culture he wouldn’t let go away, [FOX Sports NBA Writer Ric Bucher writes](. - Sure, Dallas is 7-2, but we’ll find out a lot about the NFC East leaders Sunday in Kansas City, [Matt Mosley writes](. - As the 2021-22 men’s college basketball season picks up steam, [FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst Andy Katz presents his first set of regular-season tiers](. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( Reports have surfaced this week that Michigan State is set to offer a 10-year, $95 million contract to head coach Mel Tucker in order to keep their head man in East Lansing. The Spartans’ head coach was asked about his reported contract extension on his weekly radio show and had the perfect response. Check out this tweet, which explains how a 10-year-old asked Tucker if he had signed his extension yet. “You wanna be my agent,” Tucker said. “I haven’t signed anything yet but the night’s still young.” [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (Sunday, FOX, 1 p.m. ET) Aaron Rodgers leads the Green Bay Packers into Minnesota to take on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings in an NFC North clash. Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, FOX, 4:05 p.m. ET) Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys battle Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs: Cowboys +2.5 From FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd: I like the under, and I like Dallas. I think the Cowboys' defense is going to pressure Patrick Mahomes into, if not mistakes, a subpar afternoon. Dallas creates pressure. They bring a lot of heat. Even without Randy Gregory (calf strain) or Demarcus Lawrence (foot surgery), they still bring heat. 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