Paris : For the first time in 16 years, that is, since 2004-05 the two greats of football Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have together failed to make it to the final eight of Europe’s elite club competition, the UEFA Champions League.
During the 2004-05 edition of the Champions League was last season when the teams starring Messi and Ronaldo could not qualify for the quarter-final phase of the tournament. In 2004-05 , Messi was just a youngster and bright prospect for FC Barcelona, when the Catalan giants were outclassed by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League. Ronaldo, back then represented Manchester United who were outclassed by AC Milan, and their journey stopped before entering the quarter-finals at the time.
After 16 long years, a similar scenario played out during the Round of 16 tie of the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus faced elimination in the hands of FC Porto whereas Lionel Messi’s Barça fell short against Paris Saint-Germain.
Juventus were stunned by FC Porto in their own den, an extra time free kick from Sergio Oliveira confirmed Ronaldo’s third straight knockout round exit with Juventus. A day after Juventus’ shocking elimination, PSG held Barcelona by registering a 1-1 draw in their backyard, Parc des Princes. Though Messi netted a stunning goal in the 2nd leg, but he missed a crucial penalty, as PSG qualified for the quarter-finals with a 5-2 margin on aggregate owing to their 4-1 win at Nou Camp in first leg.
The recent events, have instigated questions whether we are nearing the end of a glorious domination of arguably two best players to have graced the football field.
