>>149437747 (OP)Messi is a married father who is happy in his relationship. The minute he landed in America he became the spokesperson for a Hardware Store and the sponsor of the Kids Menu at the Hard Rock Cafe.
He's comparatively short compared to defenders and especially creative, so kids have always liked him.
Ronaldo meanwhile looks like some boy band guy. As he ages he gets that Mario Lopez effect where it's clear he is afraid of not looking 20 even when he's 40. He appeals to all those /fit/ guys, all those guys who spend too much on a t-shirt, gay men and men who seem gay but swear they aren't
So Messi is popular with the kids who can imagine being Messi (basically anyone at this point under 30 at this point) and Ronaldo is popular with people who wish they were like Ronaldo (men between 30-45) who saw Ronaldo as this Boy Band Member playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid commanding a huge sum to go between huge clubs. Always a gay rumor but also always a top-level model Girlfriend. To steal a line from a Zombie Simpsons bit about a drunk whale, "The guys wanna be him, the girls think they can change him"
That being said there are plenty of Millennial Messi fans and plenty of Zoomers who worship CR7, but this is 4chan I'll make generalizations.