Lionel Messi and the Champions League title have been so close, but in the past three seasons, Cristiano Ronaldo replaced Messi with the Big Ear trophy.
Ronaldo’s achievements in the Champions League have passed Messi. Captain of the Portuguese national team has appeared on the championship podium five times, while the Argentine national team captain has only been four times.
Now after Ronaldo and Juventus were knocked out of the competition between club titles in Europe, Messi had the opportunity to return to remind the public of the ability to become champions on the Blue Continent.
The last time Messi became champions of the Champions League was in 2014/2015 season when Barcelona beat Juventus in the final. Previously the triumph of Messi in Europe was marked by success in the 2005/2006, 2008/2009, and 2010/2011 seasons.
Before winning the fifth Champions League title, Messi had already celebrated the success of winning his 10th title in the Spanish League with Barcelona.
By successfully winning the Spanish League title, Barcelona opened the opportunity to win three prestigious titles this season. After a brief celebration at the end of last week Messi and his colleagues had to maintain concentration to continue the struggle in Champions League.
This season Barcelona managed to finish fasting in Champions League semifinals. After winning in 2015, Messi and Barcelona always stuck in the quarter-finals in the 2015/2016 season until 2017/2018.
The Champions League is something sacred for Barcelona which is one of the giants of European football. Without a European title, the successes of the local class such as champions La Liga or Copa del Rey are empty.
The chance to win three titles this season will certainly not be wasted by Barcelona and Messi. Prestige is one of the stakes of the megastar, including in competition with Ronaldo.
To reach the Champions League ladder, Messi and the Blaugrana squad must face Liverpool whose strength cannot be underestimated.
Last season’s Champions League finalists are ready to perform optimally for the sake of two titles which are still being chased until the end of the season. At a time when Manchester City had the upper hand in the race for the English League title, the Reds did not want to waste the chance of success in the Champions League.
Placing Messi on the bench in the match against Levante last weekend was one of the ways Ernesto Valverde prepared the team and Messi to face a crucial match against Liverpool. Collecting five Ballon d’Or titles still maintains the quality of the game along with the quantity of goals.
With 34 goals, Messi became the leader of the list of the most productive players in La Liga. Messi is also listed as the most fertile player in the Champions League with 10 goals. In addition, La Pulga is also the player who is most often involved in the process of creating goals. In addition to 10 goals, Messi also sent three assists.
Being the top scorer will certainly feel sweet if you can help the team come out as champions. Messi certainly has determination after three seasons behind the shadow of Ronaldo.
In the history of the meeting with Liverpool, Messi has never even broken into the club’s Merseyside goal. In two meetings with Liverpool in the eighth round of the 2006/2007 Champions League final, Messi failed to score and only released two shots.
To break into Liverpool’s goal, in addition to the growing experience, Messi was lucky because this season has a colleague who has had experience with Liverpool, namely Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez.
But at the same time, Liverpool could have blocked the efforts of Messi to enjoy the Champions League rides happily because of the presence of Virgil van Dijk and his colleagues who conceded nine goals in ten matches.
For Messi who made the title as opium, the current Champions League is certainly tempting because it is a golden opportunity to pursue Ronaldo. By being on the same level as the rival, Messi’s level of perfection will be even more complete before entering the age before dusk.
