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Following the arrival of the Portuguese striker from Manchester United in 2009, El Clásico became synonymous with his rivalry with Barcelona captain Messi.
Barcelona’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi looks on during the Spanish league soccer match between FC Barcelona and Granada FC at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on January 19, 2020. Image: AFP
MADRID, Spain – Lionel Messi’s rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo has captivated soccer for the better part of a decade, and the pair will duel for the last time when Barcelona host Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The two titans of the modern game, who divided ownership of the Ballon d’Or between 2008-2017, were the talismans of Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid until Ronaldo left the Spanish capital for Juventus in 2018.
Following the arrival of the Portuguese forward from Manchester United in 2009, El Clásico became synonymous with his rivalry with Barcelona captain Messi.
Since Ronaldo’s departure, the match has lost some of its glamor, leaving the football world eager to face the pair again.
Those hopes were dashed early in the group stage, when Ronaldo missed Barcelona’s 2-0 win in Turin after testing positive for COV.re-19. Messi scored from a penalty. They are ready to meet again this week.
Both teams have already qualified for the knockout stages of Group G, but Juventus can beat Barcelona if they win at the Camp Nou by three goals or more, or by any two-goal margin other than 2-0.
Ronaldo and Messi are in the later stages of their careers, aged 35 and 33 respectively, but both retain their elite status.
Messi has six Ballons d’Or to his name and is the current starter, while Ronaldo finished third in the 2019 awards, with five.
- Ronaldo thriving –
He is thriving in Italy, having quickly become key to Juventus, who on Saturday gifted him with a commemorative jersey to recognize his 750th career goal, before a 2-1 win over neighboring Torino.
“Ronaldo is the best player in mind,” his former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri told The Times.
“Ronaldo has a different head for everyone. He has won five Ballons d’Or, five Champions League and a European Championship for Portugal, and that is very difficult, and it is always he who makes the difference. Every year he has a new goal.”
Ronaldo scored 21 goals in his debut season with Allegri to lead Juventus to the title, followed by 31 last season with Maurizio Sarri when they lifted the Scudetto for the 36th time.
With eight goals in six appearances this season for Andrea Pirlo, Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, Messi is fighting in Spain.
The Barça forward tried to escape this summer but his club refused to let him go and Messi seems to fit uncomfortably into the tactical plans of new coach Ronald Koeman, and far from his best decisive moment.
Barcelona is enduring its worst start to the league season in 33 years and Messi’s inconsistency is part of the problem, with four goals in 10 games and two penalties.
Carles Tusquets, president of the board of directors in charge before the club’s January elections, said he would have sold Messi in the summer, financially speaking.
“Financially, it would be good for the club to leave,” Tusquets told Catalunya Radio. “We would be better off because we said his salary is the highest in the world. Nothing could be more true.”
However, the Argentine striker, who couldn’t find the net in the sad 2-1 loss to promoted Cádiz on Saturday, remains, and the opportunity to face his former foe Ronaldo may wake him up.
While Ronaldo was in Spain, he and Messi propelled each other to greater and greater heights in what was soccer’s greatest rivalry between individuals. On Tuesday they cross swords again, perhaps as the last encore.
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