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In the latest episode of Copa Independent, Lawrence Ostlere and Miguel Delaney discuss a fascinating Golden Boot race as Lionel Messi scores twice against Austria to move onto five goals, while Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland also net braces to take their tallies to four.
The pair reflect on Messi’s extraordinary longevity and revisit his long-running rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, asking whether there was ever truly a debate over who was the greater player. They also look ahead to Portugal’s second group-stage match against Uzbekistan and consider whether Ronaldo can respond.
Elsewhere, they preview England’s second group game under Thomas Tuchel and assess whether the Three Lions can replicate the best moments of their opening victory over Croatia.
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"Messi v Ronaldo? The debate was always absurd" is an episode of Copa Independent. Runtime 41 min. Published June 23, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.