Rewind, if you would, back to the week before the 2009 Champions League Final.
The whole world, spearheaded by the British media, were ready to anoint Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player of the decade and Manchester United its greatest team.
Barcelona were called lucky to get through the Chelsea match, and although luck certainly played a part, there was no praise for Andres Iniesta's miracle winner, or the calmness of Lionel Messi to make the final pass to the Spain midfielder rather than trying to dribble through the entire Chelsea defense, as a Ronaldo-type character may have done.
In fact, Messi, despite coming into that game with 37 goals and as the leading scorer in the Champions League, received minimal if no accolades. In fact, he was maligned because he had no right foot, or because he was useless in the air. There was also the fact that he had never scored against English competition, a statistic that proved that Spain's La Liga was a walk in the park.
Then the game took place.
Messi, accustomed to playing out on the right side, tucked into the middle and helped Xavi and Andres Iniesta control the game, before doing the one thing no one thought he could do: score against an English team, and with his head no less.
At the time, Ronaldo had never scored against a Spanish team (a fact completely overlooked by the English press and fans), and although that has obviously changed, the former Sporting Lisbon man has still yet to find the back of the net against Barcelona, including a penalty miss during the Champions League Semifinal in 2008 at the Nou Camp.
Yet before Saturday's Real Madrid vs. Barcelona game, there were still those who maintained that Ronaldo was the best in the world.
Some claimed that Messi's four-goal onslaught of Arsenal said more about the depleted Arsenal team than the brilliant Argentine. But then again, Barcelona did it without many of their key players as well: Ibrahimovic, Puyol, Pique, Toure, and Iniesta also missing out on the starting lineup.
Messi was at the heart of yet another Barcelona victory yesterday, chesting down a brilliantly chipped pass from Xavi before finishing with his right foot, right past Iker Casillas.
The understanding between Xavi and Messi is poetry in motion, and neither should claim the the majority of credit for the goal: it was a product of not only two of the best football players of the world, but two of the best football minds.
Messi always seems poised to make a run, with the knowledge that Xavi will spot him, and put the ball on a platter. The wonderful opener epitomizes the relationship between the two stars that has left many a La Liga defender grasping at air.
With better finishing, Messi could have had a hat trick, but Madrid had already been put to the sword.
Ronaldo continued goalless against the Catalans (he is also goalless against Atletico Madrid, Real's second biggest rivals), and although one cannot deny he lacks the artist in midfield that Messi has in Xavi, all of the weaknesses of Ronaldo's game were on display.
Messi, in contrast, has hit seven strikes against Madrid in nine games, including a sensational hat-trick during a 3-3 draw in March 2007.
At times, the Portuguese looked to try and take on the entire defense alone. Dropping back and playing the patient game is something Ronaldo has not yet learned.
Various times through a match, you will see Messi probe at the defense before with drawing back and starting over, circulating the ball amongst his teammates. For Ronaldo it is almost always all or nothing.
Although both players have made the transition from being wingers, Messi has proven that he can play through the middle, either as a main striker, or behind either Bojan or Ibrahimovic as a playmaker.
Messi's new found versatility has helped him reach nine assists in La Liga this season, compared to just three for Ronaldo. Ronaldo has also taken 24 more shots than Messi, and still scored nine fewer goals.
Messi has scored just one penalty, as opposed to three for Ronaldo, while "La Pulga" has found the net three times with his head (his supposed weakness), compared to just two headed goals by CR9.
Although Ronaldo certainly has the edge in free kicks, his efforts are often predictable, sending many into the wall, relying only on power.
Ronaldo has scored some brilliant, long range free kicks this season and last, but he has yet to take the step into the realm of Zidane, Ronaldinho, Beckham, and some of the other best free kick takers of the past decade who used craft and trickery in addition to power.
Without Ronaldo in the line up, Los Merengues actually achieved their most difficult away win of the season: a 3-2 classic against Valencia in the Mestalla.
Now the only thing left for Messi to achieve is the greatest prize of all: the World Cup. Messi will certainly have a stronger supporting cast than Ronaldo in South Africa, just as he has with Barcelona.
One interesting note will be if Messi can form a better strike partnership with Gonzalo Higuain, with whom Ronaldo has feuded with all season, rarely looking on the same page.
Jack Tilghman is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, the open source sports network.
