The first Champions League without Messi or Cristiano since 2004

The first Champions League without Messi or Cristiano since 2004

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Barca and PSG were knocked out this week and it led to a strange situation

Time rolls on. In the last decade football didn’t make sense without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Two of the best players and goalscorers in history, in La Liga and the Champions League. The debate over which is better rages on. But they are starting to fade.

The 2004-05 campaign was the last in which neither reached the Champions League quarter-finals, until now. The Argentine was 17 years old and the Portuguese 19.

Barca were led by Frank Rijkjaard and Ronaldinho and Eto’o were the star players, Messi was in the B team. Gerard Pique played for Manchester United at the time, along with Ronaldo.

After Juve were knocked out by Porto and Barca by PSG this week, 17 years later, neither Messi nor Ronaldo are in the quarters.

The dominated football in the years in between with no Ballon d’Or winners other than those between 2008 and 2019, six for Messi and five for Ronaldo.

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