Everyone and their mother has probably dreamed up the scenario at some point in their lives. But few would ever have even brought the conversation up as a serious talking point if Cristiano Ronaldo had not said the following during his Ballon d'Or press conference: "It would be nice to have the three of us together on the same team. That would be a good thing!"

And then Messi said this: "I think he will definitely be one of [the best players ever], it will be difficult to top that," he said. "But yes I'd obviously love to play [with him]."

So would a Messi-Ronaldo tandem work?

Many would look at the idea and jump for joy. Both players are the top scorers in the world and would easily make other teams suffer defensively. It would be extremely difficult to stop a duo that scored close to 120 goals in a single year between them in 2014. Throw in the fact that they both topped 20 assists apiece and you are talking about two players collectively creating 160 goals between them. Those numbers are astounding from any angle. And throw in the fact that they are at their supposed peaks at this very moment and you have a great deal.

But there are more than goals in a team sport. And do not forget, soccer is a team sport. A team sport requires players to work together, in service of the whole, not individuals. A team requires players to make compromises to help the others, not themselves. Say what you will about how these two greats can contribute with other players but the reality is that Messi and Ronaldo are two players that want spotlight.

And that spotlight they want all to themselves.

So sharing would create a lot of problems. If they were on the same team, one would have to ask Messi to turn himself more into a creator so that Ronaldo could finish players with his lethal striking abilities. Messi did this early on for Barcelona in 2014-15, but was reportedly not happy with the gameplan and returned to his role as the team's primary goal scorer. Would he be okay watching Ronaldo score all the goals he could easily have? And what if Messi decides he wants to score some; will Ronaldo be upset that his rival did not pass him the ball for an easy tap-in?

Who takes the penalty shots? Both players do that duty for their current clubs. Who gets the honor? And who takes free kicks? Ronaldo has deferred to Gareth Bale in recent months so, in this case, Messi might be the one who gets the call. Would it work into a scenario where Messi takes free kicks and Ronaldo the penalties?

But the reason why this is doomed to fail as a proposition is because of their allegiances.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said it best on Monday: "You must bear in mind that Cristiano is the emblem of Real Madrid, and Messi of Barcelona. Each one has their own team and their own history, but to have both in the same team would be a great thing for us. It is, however, difficult to think it is going to change."

Players have crossed the rivalry divide. Just ask Luis Figo, Ronaldo, current Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, Javier Saviola and Samuel Eto'o. Some went directly from one to the other while others, including Ronaldo and Eto'o, went to a different team in between. So it is not impossible to imagine a scenario in which one player crosses the divide. After all, money has the final word.

But Messi is more than just another Barcelona player. He is more than just another Barcelona great. He is the quintessential Barcelona player. When people look back at the history of soccer and look at Barcelona's Golden Age, they will see Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes, Pep Guardiola and Carles Puyol. But standing over all of them will be Messi. There is no way that the superstar wants to tarnish his legacy as the ultimate Judas of soccer. He would not want people to remember him as the guy who went from one side of the Clasico to the other for money to play alongside his hated rival. He would not want that.

And that is probably the reason why the Messi-Ronaldo dream team is nothing more than that. The stuff of dreams.