Messi v Ronaldo eclipses Wilshere and Lampard

If proof were needed that England are still suffering a World Cup hangover it can be found in the build up to tonight's friendly in Denmark: hands up who cares? There's a distinct lack of enthusiasm among players, press and public ahead of the Copenhagen clash, a pointless fixture that comes just a week before the start of the Champions League knockout phase and during one of the most exciting and unpredictable Premiership races for years. No wonder punters aren't suffering adrenaline rushes at the prospect of watching Frank Lampard & Co amble around the Cophenhagen turf wearing a look of supreme disinterest in preparation for their European qualifier against Wales next month.

There aren't even any very intriguing sub-plots ahead of the England vs Denmark match, in which Frank Lampard will wear the captain's armband and Jack Wilshere will get his first start in midfield.

So, to whet the appetite, the papers have had to resort to using Nicklas Bendtner in a forlorn attempt to conjure up a story of sorts. The Danish striker is quoted as warning England not to misuse his Arsenal teammate Jack Wilshere in the same way they did Theo Walcott. "Theo can be a lesson for the way you treat Jack," said the 23-year-old Bendtner, hardly a respected model professional. "It's important to take it easy and realise he is a kid. He's still young even though he seems very mature and seems like he has played a long time. Young players are put under a lot of pressure very early in England. You throw players around really quickly. Jack has got potential, he is a grounded lad and he can be a great, great player for England."

But on a night when there will be 26 non-competitive internationals played in Europe there is at least one alternative for England fans unwilling to stomach another spineless performance from their boys; over in Geneva Argentina face Portugal in a friendly that will be anything but as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo go head to head for the first time on the international stage.

The match – the first between the two countries in over 40 years – is being screened live in 85 countries with fans eager to see whether it's Messi or Ronaldo who burnishes their reputations.

And although nothing is technically at stake the legacy of Alfredi Di Stefano is up for grabs. A row is raging in Spain over which of Messi or Ronaldo is the heir to the genius who was born in Argentina (like Messi) but moved to Spain and became a Real Madrid legend (like Ronaldo).

Neither player had a good World Cup last year but the pair have been in sparkling form for their clubs this season, Messi scoring 37 goals for Barcelona in 31 games and Ronaldo 34 in 35 for Real Madrid. When Messi scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid last weekend, the opposition coach Quique Sanchez Flores described the Argentine as "the best player I've ever seen, the Alfredo Di Stefano of the 21st century."

The following day Ronaldo bagged a brace for Real Madrid in their win against Real Sociedad, prompting Real general manager Jorge Valdano say of the comparison: "It is not Messi, it's Cristiano Ronaldo, who actually wears the same shirt as Di Stefano. We wouldn't swap Cristiano for anyone."

Tonight in Geneva the pair have the chance to show the world who is the true successor to Di Stefano. ·