Messi is absolutely the most talented player I've seen, but I don't think CR7 is any more talented than Mbappe or Haaland. I actually think the two of them are just as talented, if not more. They're far, far ahead of him in the numbers, they came out with more tools to their game than CR7 who's had to develop it over time. It doesn't mean they will have a greater career (it's tough to beat 5 CLs and Ballon d'Ors), but for me talent is the mentality, the skills, the finishing, the football IQ/movement, the ability to stay consistent, and the moments of genius, and thus far there's nothing to indicate CR7 displayed more talent than those two IMHO, but it's always going to be a losing battle to compare a legend to players in the first half of their careers.
I agree when it comes to Messi. He is in a different stratosphere to everyone else IMO. He is the player with the highest recorded amounts of assists in football history, some 40 goals behind C. Ronaldo in terms of overall career goal goalscoring for club and country combined (I am sure that he will become the highest scoring football player in history eventually unless he retires next year) while never really being a number 9 and quite frankly a 1.69 cm tall midget which has its positives but also negatives (almost non-existent aerial play or danger from set pieces unlike C. Ronaldo who probably scored 20-25% of his goal from such plays). Not to mention the dribbling ability, vision, passing, pace (early years), acceleration, free kick ability. I don't think that we will witness anything like that anytime soon (talking about decades here) and even less so in the "mechanic/robotic" like football of today and in the future.
My biggest problem with Messi was his at times questionable attitude in times of adversity and the tactical chaos his playing position (s) created for Barça as a team in the last few years. Which coincided with our catastrophic and unacceptable CL exists from 2017 onwards, expect for the 2018-19 season where Messi was absolutely phenomenal. Of course Messi was never the main problem but he nevertheless posed a challenge in an already aging and dysfunctional team whose extreme winning cycle between 2004-2019 was coming to an end. Not to mention questionable managers as well as a completely clueless president (Bartomeu) and board.
Career accomplishments are a different thing altogether, I agree. For instance no matter how good Haaland becomes (if he continues to improve which he should barring any injuries) it is very unlikely for him to ever win anything with his country. On the other hand with or without Mbappé, France has one of the most talented squads in the world and that has been the case for the past 30-40 years roughly and that is likely to continue as well.
I agree with your overall reasoning as I think that Neymar is a greater dribbler, passer and the more "spectacular" player than C. Ronaldo too.
Anyway I don't want to take anything away from C. Ronaldo as he made the best out of his talent (which was phenomenal) and his career resume is one of the best out there in the modern era.
At the end of the day it is all about taste and what you prefer as a football fan, ruthless efficiency (goals and numbers) before everything else or the "whole package" so to speak which so far, I have only seen Messi have.
I was too young to witness Brazilian Ronaldo but I know from older Barça fans who watched him during his arguably best season of his career (Barça's 1996-1997 season where he scored 47 goals in 49 appearances which wre insane numbers for that era and very unheard of at the time) before all his injuries, that he was the closest player to Messi at his best. Watching footage online from that version of Ronaldo and his first season at Inter, I understand why those comparisons are made by such people.
I cannot post links but write "
Ronaldo Fenomeno - Barcelona Dribble & Skills 1996/97" and "Fenomeno [Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima] - season 96/97 FC Barcelona" on Youtube.