Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both contested a major international tournament this summer. Both managed to get to the final.

Only one won.

For years, Ronaldo has been seen as a one-trick pony that could only score goals and was out for his own personal glory. And yet as the summer tournaments draw to an end, the dynamic has shifted quite significantly in favor of the Portuguese star.

Contrasting Styles

Ronaldo and Messi will invariably be compared through statistics and trophy count, yet one major intangible was on full display this summer between the two players, with Ronaldo ultimately winning out - leadership.

Messi has often been noted as the selfless star that makes others around him better while his rival was the one that wanted everyone to play for him.

The script remained steady throughout the start of both tournaments with Messi leading by example in the Copa America and pulling out the big moments as Ronaldo's selfish personality put Portugal in the wrong spotlight.

Pressure Does Different things to Different People

But as the pressure mounted the two stars took diverging paths.

Messi had contested three finals prior to this Copa America 2016 finale. He failed in all of them. In this one he was given a golden chance to lead his team to glory, getting a chance to put Argentina ahead in the penalty shootout. He failed and the team imploded around him.

Ronaldo meanwhile led Portugal all the way to the final with a mix of performances. Yet when the pressure was highest, he constantly rallied the troops, gave players faith and made things count. He also didn't fail to convert a crucial penalty in a shootout.

Perhaps his defining moments came in a final that he had to sit out through injury. While Messi moved away from the group after failing his penalty in the final against Chile instead of rallying his troops, Ronaldo gave his teammates a pep talk in the locker room and pushed them on from the sidelines as an assistant coach. He told Eder he would score the winner and constantly gave his teammates faith that they could win without him.

The truth is that they won without him on the pitch, but they got the boost from him when they needed it the most. Messi could have gone back to his team after his penalty miss and motivated them as nothing had been lost to that point. He sulked. 

Legacy

Messi had a far more talented group that was better positioned for success than Ronaldo's troops but could never get the result. He retired (for now) a loser in his country's colors. 

That might ultimately come to define their respective legacies when all is said and done. Ronaldo has shown an ability to win in a number of ways for different teams. Messi can only win with Barcelona and the security blanket it ceaselessly provides for him.

One did not give up when the odds stacked up against him. The other gave up after failing to lead his team to victory.