The respective careers of eternal rivals Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the subject of comparison for well over a decade.

More often than not direct rivals for the coveted Ballon d'Or prize, the pair have ruled the footballing world throughout recent memory.

However, while the Argentine captain has enjoyed a blistering start to the season at Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldo's herculean powers finally appear to be on the wane.

The 37-year-old Portuguese icon has very much fallen out of favour at Manchester United, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner an unused substitute in the recent 6-3 loss to Manchester City.

The differing starts that Messi and Ronaldo have had to the current campaign are reflected in Transfermarkt's latest market value update.

Messi, now 35, ranks as the world's most valuable player aged 33 or over per the Transfermarkt algorithm.

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Ronaldo, meanwhile, doesn't even feature in an XI of the most valuable players aged 33 or older shared by the site on Instagram - something that would have been unthinkable 18 months ago.

Although Ronaldo misses out, the final XI featuring football's most valuable veterans is pretty impressive. We've taken a look at it in full below.

The most valuable over-32 XI in world football right now

GK: Manuel Neuer - Bayern Munich - 36 years old - £13.5 million

DR: Cesar Azpillicueta - Chelsea - 32 - £8.1m

DC: Sergio Ramos - PSG - 36 - £5.4m

DC: Mats Hummels - Borussia Dortmund - 33 - £5.85m

LB: Jordi Alba - Barcelona - 33 - £8.1m

CM: Luka Modric - Real Madrid - 37 - £9m

Luka Modric at Real Madrid

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 14: Luka Modric of Real Madrid looks on during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 14, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

CM: Idrissa Gueye - Everton - 33 - £9m

RW: Lionel Messi - PSG - 35 - £45m

LW: Thomas Müller - Bayern Munich - 33 - £19.8m

ST: Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich - 34- £40.5m

ST: Karim Benzema - Real Madrid - 34- £27m

Most valuable over 32 XI

Most valuable over 32 XI

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's market value?

Ronaldo reportedly blocked Transfermarkt less than three years ago after the data gurus handed him a £67.5m valuation.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo: The story of him blocking Transfermarkt sums up his mentality

Granted, he's got bigger things to be worrying about right now, but the Man United star won't be thrilled to see that his market value has plummeted to just £18m in the latest update - some £27m less than Messi.

Which other well-known names narrowly missed out on a place in the XI?

The presence of Lewandowski and Benzema up top not only kept Ronaldo out of the XI, but also deprived 33-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (valued at £13.5m) of a spot in the side.

Others narrowly missed out include Juventus' Angel Di Maria (aged 34 - £10.8m), Tottenham's Ivan Perisic (33 - £9m) and Barcelona's Sergio Busquets (34 - £8.1m).

State of Manchester United rant! Via The Football Terrace