Are Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo time travellers? Theories after cryptic photos emerge

Could time travel be the secret behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's unmatched skillset? Football fans have been forced to consider this absurd theory after photos emerged on social media which suggest both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi might have been playing football with different names during the mid-1900s. 

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Are Messi and Ronaldo time travellers? Social media is convinced

Cristiano Ronaldo's lookalike (or perhaps Ronaldo himself) played football for Yugoslavia during the 1950s. Dragoslav Sekularac, a Serbian football legend played for Red Star Belgrade and scored over 110 goals for the club. The attacking midfielder played in Germany, France, Columbia, America and Canada before enjoying a successful career as a football manager. An image appeared on social media this week where Sekularac looks like a spitting image of the Portuguese superstar. 

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Meanwhile, Lionel Messi's doppelganger played in LaLiga itself, taking the field for Athletic Bilbao in 1969. Javier Clemente, the Lionel Messi lookalike, did not enjoy the same success as the Barcelona talisman. Clemente played just five years for Bilbao before a serious leg injury forced him to retire at the age of 24. As a manager, Clemente made his name, leading Athletic Bilbao to two LaLiga titles, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup. 

The time travel theory might just be one way to explain the brilliance of the two footballers, who have dominated world football for almost two decades now. Despite being in their twilight years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have shown no signs of slowing down, continuing to churn out impressive numbers season after season. The two share an astonishing 11 Ballon d'Or awards between them, which is nothing but the tip of the iceberg in the long list of their career accolades.

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This season, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 26 goals in 27 Serie A games for Juventus and looks set to win his second league title with the Bianconeri. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has 27 goals and 24 assists to his name in all competitions. The diminutive Argentine is one of the few shining lights for the Catalan giants, who have endured a disappointing campaign in LaLiga, blowing a lead in the title race to eternal rivals Real Madrid.

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(Image Credits: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo Instagram Handles)