Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to go on an unexpected leave of absence in Barcelona’s 2-0 win against Juventus in Turin after testing positive for COVID-19. That match, Lionel Messi scored a penalty.
Lionel Messi’s on-going rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo has enthralled football aficionados and fans for both superstars for the better part of a decade, and the pair will pit all their skills against each other again when Barcelona host Serie A giants Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The two most imposing juggernauts of the modern game, who split 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. After his arrival at Los Blancos from Manchester United in 2009, El Clasico became synonymous with his rivalry with Barcelona captain Messi. After Ronaldo’s departure to the Serie A, the rivalry lost some of its glamour, leaving the entire football world eager waiting for the pair to be pitted against each other again.
That highly-anticipated encounter came to nought earlier in the group phase, with Ronaldo missing Barcelona’s 2-0 win in Turin after testing positive for Covid-19 but they are poised to meet again on Tuesday, with both sides having already qualified for the last 16 from Group G. Juventus have the opportunity to overtake Barcelona if they win at Camp Nou by three goals or more, or by any two-goal margin other than 2-0.
Ronaldo and Messi are in the latter phases of their careers, at 35 and 33 respectively, yeet with both retaining their elite status at the pinnacle of the sport.
Messi has six Ballons d’Or to his name and is the current holder, while Ronaldo finished third in the 2019 awards, boasting five.
Ronaldo netted 21 goals in his debut season for Allegri to take Juventus to the title, followed by 31 last season under Maurizio Sarri as they lifted the Scudetto for the 36th time.
With eight goals in six appearances this season for Andrea Pirlo’s side, Ronaldo is still showing no signs of slamming on the brakes. Messi, by contrast, seems to be talking a bit of a walk on the wild side and is noticeably struggling in the Spanish league.
Barcelona are enduring their worst start to a league season for 33 years and Messi’s inconsistency is part of the problem, with four goals in 10 appearances and two of those from the penalty spot.