Football owes Messi a Champions League

Barcelona have only won one of the last eight Champions Leagues. Once in eight years is not enough for a team that has the best player in the world -- and probably the best player ever. Europe has, without doubt, an outstanding debt with Messi, even if the Argentina star has lifted the trophy four times. 

The first was in 2006, with Frank Rijkaard as manager, but he didn't have a major role He didn't even play the final against Arsenal. the second and third time he was in fine fettle with the Pep Team in 2009 and 2011. And the fourth time -- the most recent -- was in 2015, when Messi formed that magic trident with Luis Suarez and Neymar, with Luis Enrique on the bench.  

Since then, nothing but disappointment. And especially in the last two years with the defeats suffered against Roma (2018) and Liverpool (2019). The comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo's Madrid in the Champions League makes it especially painful: Los Blancos have won four of the last six, including a run of three in a row in that period. 

La Liga is important. Very important. It rewards consistency, work well done over nine months. And Barça, in that sense, can be very satisfied: they have won eight of the last 11 league titles in Spain. But what really matters now to fans, to the media and to the entire world is the Champions League. Because it has the international glamour that only the European Cup can have. And Messi, of course, knows it. Football owes Leo one (or several) Champions Leagues. And, from today, it can start to return them to him...