When was the last time Messi and Cristiano were not in the quarterfinals of the Champions League?

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The miracle of Stambul was an event that marked an era in soccer, it will always remain in the memory of all those who saw that game, the enormous emotion that was felt with it, I, as a fan of AC Milan, suffered a lot, but that is not what I come to talk about, but something else that happened in that Champions League and that was not repeated until yesterday, 16 long years later, a Champions League edition in which neither Cristiano nor Messi were in the quarterfinals.

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When was the last time Messi and Cristiano were not in the quarterfinals of the Champions League? in the miracle of Stambul!

That edition of the Champions League began in July 2004, Messi with 18 years old was playing for FC Barcelona, the club where he continues to play today, and Cristiano Ronaldo, with 20 years, was playing for Manchester United, the team where he began to emerge. Both were already starting to show their quality and were two promising young players who had a lot of potential, Cristiano was starting to be the star of United, Messi was not yet so decisive due to the lack of opportunities at that time, but even so, both were the target of half of the European clubs. In that edition, Manchester United was paired in Group D with Olympique Lyon of France, Fenerbahçe of Turkey and Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic, were second in their group with 3 wins, two draws and a loss, the first place in that group was occupied by Lyon. In turn, Barcelona, also finished second in group F, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats, where they were accompanied by AC Milan of Italy, Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine and Celtic of Scotland. Milan finished first in that group and ended up losing that final, as mentioned above.

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The draw resulted in Manchester United facing eventual finalists AC Milan, while FC Barcelona faced Chelsea.

Drum 1 (Group leaders)Drum 2 (Second of group)
MonacoLiverpool
Bayern LeverkusenReal Madrid
JuventusBayern Munich
Olympique LyonManchester United
ArsenalPSV Eindhoven
MilanFC Barcelona
InterWerder Bremen
ChelseaFC Porto

Both clashes between United and Milan ended 1-0 with a goal by Hernan Crespo, that marked the end of United in that competition in which Cristiano played seven games and did not score a goal. For it'ss part, Barcelona would have a rather explosive tie, winning the first leg of its match against Chelsea 2-1 with goals from Maxi Lopez and Samuel Eto'o, but Chelsea won 4-2 in the second leg in a match in which Ronaldinho scored 2 goals that were not enough. Messi only played 1 game in that edition, in the 2-0 defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage.

The following year, FC Barcelona would win the 2005-2006 edition with a more active participation of Messi, who scored his first goal and missed the final phase of the tournament due to an injury, on that occasion Manchester United did quite badly, being eliminated in the group stage after winning only 1 match out of the six they played.


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At that time they did not know for sure, but both would become two of the greatest legends in the history of the sport and it all started there, from that year 2005 there was not an edition of the Champions League in which the names of Messi and Cristiano were not inscribed in the fia instances.

Messi was champion of the tournament on four occasions, in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015, and from that year until now he has won 34 official titles, including two trebles of League, Cup and Champions League and has been awarded six golden boots and six golden balls, more than any other player in history and also, at some point he broke Raul Gonzales' record of most goals scored in Champions League, a record that was later surpassed by Cristiano, current top scorer of the tournament, being Messi the second.

Cristiano has won the trophy five times, in 2008 with United, and four times with Real Madrid, in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. 32 official titles have been won by the Portuguese, who also has 5 golden balls in his account and 4 golden boots, in addition to becoming the top scorer of the Champions League.


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But everything comes to an end

And one thing for sure is that the incredible streak that Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi marked, ended yesterday, with 36 and 33 years old respectively, the end of their careers is getting closer and that is beginning to be seen on the field, although they are still two world class players, the reality is that their level has fallen compared to previous years, certainly have been a source of enjoyment for true soccer fans who manage to see beyond the colors and enjoy them for what they are, more than half of the editions disputed since the miracle of Stambul were either with Messi or Cristiano, both were decisive in each of those titles won and it goes without saying that they were the undisputed leaders of their teams.

Now, with a Juventus that has no fixed direction and is not playing at all, and a FC Barcelona that is teetering between collapse and tranquility, is it possible that what we have been longing for for years will happen and we will see Messi and Cristiano playing together in the same team? There are few clubs that could afford this nowadays, yes, but it is a possibility, I sincerely hope that both manage to close their careers doing what they do best, winning, and if it is not too much to dream, why not a possible first Champions League for PSG or Manchester City, goals by Cristiano and Messi in the final? that would turn the world of soccer upside down, no doubt. These two have been beasts and we can only thank them eternally for all the good moments they have given us.

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