ORA football maxim says that in the most important club competition in the world, the UEFA champions league, is more than complicated to beat. Tell it to the millions -and more millions- who annually invest in mega projects like Manchester City or Paris-Saint Germain. Or with the example of Chelsea and the money of now’outlaw‘ Abramovich. Two ‘orejonas’ after many courses to build template. And both, with technicians who were not the ones who started their project.
For this reason, what leaves, to date, the 2021-22 edition and the qualifiers teach it again. How has not only played the history, the palmars or the money. And on the pitch more teams are needed than names. In the group stage it happened to baraafter a tremendous shipwreck in Da Luz, or Erling Haaland’s Borussia Dortmund -which also repeated in Europe League-. In the qualifiers, the two great dominators of always, Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. And also those who want to become dominant, like Dusan Vlahović.
Cristiano Ronaldo, history is not always enough
Cristiano Ronaldo leave the lawn Old Trafford Face with few friends. The usual when he loses, although it is true that before he lost very little and now he is tasting the taste of defeat more than he would like. These are not good times for CR7as they are not for Messi. The two best players of recent times no longer dominate with an iron fist the competition that made them legends. The Champions does not forgive and neither Cristiano, with 37 years and five Champions in his palms, nor Messi, with 34 and four Champions, decide as before.
Before him Atlético de Madrid, Cristiano tried. To say otherwise would be lying, but it didn’t even work to beat Jan Oblak not even to be able to with a mattress set that did not reach Old Trafford with the work done by the bad aim of the first leg and the fantastic irruption of Elanga with the ‘Red Devils‘. The Portuguese fell in benefits compared to others Champions. It wasn’t even the Real Madrid, obviously, but neither is Juventus. With which he had, without going any further, a great exhibition before his own ‘Athletic‘.
“Cristiano and Messi are no longer players who decide”
And it is that Cristiano Ronaldo he stopped smiling in the Champions League the same day he decided to leave Real Madrid. The Portuguese left the white team with his fifth European Cup under his arm, the third that he won in a row, the fourth that he achieved with the Madrid shirt. In Madrid, after a first year in which he fell in the second round, he signed eight consecutive semifinals, with four titles. Since leaving the Bernabu, his best result was the quarterfinals of 18-19. Now he has three eliminations in a row in the round of 16. Ajax (in the quarterfinals of 18-19), Lyon (19-20), Porto (20-21) and Atlético (21-22) have been the executioners of CR7. The first three with the Juve shirt, the fourth with the United one.
In terms of goals, the performance of Cristiano Ronaldo It has also sunk far from Real Madrid. The Portuguese continues to have good numbers, but they are no longer the stratospheric data that he had for white. As a firm Madridista 105 goals in 101 matches. These last years add 20 goals in 31 matches. The average speaks for itself: 1.03 goals per 0.65.
Messi, getting worse
Things are not going much better for Leo Messi in the Champions League. The Argentine began his decline in this competition with the jersey of the bara. After winning the Champions League in 2015, what followed that title was a series of eliminations to each harder. With Bara I lived the nights of Turn, Rome and Liverpool… which were followed by 8-2 against Bayern and 1-4 against PSG. I missed Messi the idyll with the Champions League and he has not been able to recover it even in his club, with which he has fallen again in the first match, this time against Real Madrid. He has only passed the round of 16 once in the last three years. Very little for the one who has just won his seventh Ballon d’Or.
And that which landed -in its new era- in Paris with the target between the eyebrow and eyebrow of the Champions League. Not only because of Rosario’s own competitiveness, because now it’s almost a ‘state issue’. Or without almost, it is not a novelty to affirm that at French capital club is obsessed with the ‘Orejona’, and with the trident of tridents it was almost a must. They brushed him, because the ’30’ himself was able to put land in between before the Real Madrid in Paris. She did not do it.
got to Bernabu And, as they say, the rest is history. The PSG disappeared against a Real Madrid in a state of grace Messi was not up to the task, and was eliminated. In soccer, the Champions ‘didn’t wait’ for him. And almost also in the iconic, with the great action of recovery of Luka Modric before Leo himself.
His individual data, like Cristiano’s, also go down. From 15-16 there are 48 goals in 57 Champions League games. Nor does he maintain that stratospheric goal per game and in the case of Messi, the problem is that he lost a lot of incidence in the crosses.
A bright future is also not enough
As is the case with the two great dominators of world football, the ‘young values’ also live, in their own flesh, the difficulty of the European Cup. The previous poster influences, but in many eliminations or group stages it is important to be constant, to have a team that supports. Or simply take advantage if the opportunity presents itself. For Dusan Vlahović add up all these factors. Brutal irruption, level with the adjective you want, but there was a lack of equipment and reading of the difficult moments.
In his first minute on the Champions He showed who he was with a good goal. Throughout the crash La Cermica roz repeat. Finally, Villarreal survived with flying colors and leave everything open. So much so that in Turin they gave a historic recital. Vlahovic did not disappoint, as he had good opportunities. Juventus, on the other hand, s. And I ended up unhinged.
Goal by Vlahovic (0-1) in Villarreal 1-1 Juventus
In case of Vlahovic was also experienced by Haaland or the ‘Baby Bara of 2021-22’. The Norwegian, who at the stroke of a goal has become life insurance in the Champions League, and his Borussia Dortmund failed miserably in a group with Ajax, Sporting de Portugal and Besiktas. The ‘9’ had a good level, but his team showed its defensive shortcomings and against any team that can match his offensive approach. To make matters worse, in Europa League more of the same. Although Haaland was not against Rangers.
On his side, the Bara also witnessed the complexity of the Champions League. Incapable of scoring a single goal against Benfica, and although yes, they are not the squad that Xavi Hernández is revolutionizing now, they are still the Bara. Prestige, footballers and a project destined for the Champions League.
What can be expected of the future?
As for the historical rulers, there is an obvious question: how long will they continue Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi fighting at the highest level in the Champions League? The feeling is that we are at the end of their elite careers. Neither Messi nor Cristiano live fully happy in their clubs, where they do not enjoy the support they had at Bara and Real Madrid respectively. Far from their ideal ecosystem, both PSG and United fans demand them as if they were the 20-somethings who dominated the planet of football in the past, but they are neither surrounded like they used to be nor do they have the physical level to lead projects of such magnitude. It is the law of football, a sport that Messi and Cristiano are squeezing like nobody else, but in which they no longer reign. It’s time to mbpp, Haland or even Benzemawho is 34 years old, yes, but is still surrounded by the structure of a club that competes like no one else in the Championsthe real Madrid.
Cristiano’s frustration in a gesture that says it all
Regarding the future, it seems clear that neither Messi neither Christian They are happy at PSG and United, but right now they are players without a market. Neither the French nor the English team are satisfied with their signings last summer and there are no clubs in Europe that are in a position to sign two players with a salary that is currently far above their performance. The World Cup in Qatar, in November, may cause them to extend their presence in their current clubs for another year. But in a year and a half, perhaps the time will come to look for a new adventure on another continent.
By age, the situation of Vlahovic, Haaland or the ‘pearls’ of Bara like (Ferran, Gavi, Nico…) is different. They have time to win, of course. But they know that this ecosystem is necessary in which Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo they managed to do it. A team that knows how to compete in Europe, that understands how to build for competition, and, obviously, take advantage of the right moment. It is not an option to fall before Sporting de Portugal, Ajax and Besiktas if you want to win the most difficult of all.
In this sense, there are cases that only prove it. The Chelsea, for example. He rubbed it in countless qualifiers and ended up at the Allianz Arena and not with a ‘high-ranking’ coach, like Di Matteo. Or Liverpool, who after wandering in the ‘desert’ needed an engineering work in the form of a sports project by Jrgen Klopp.
That yes, now, among the great figures, they are Lewandowski or Benzema who have best understood the Champions League in this edition, and, therefore, they will fight for her. Bayern, in steamroller mode. And the Polish without giving options. And, of course, Real Madrid at the hands of Benzema, who wrote another page of history against PSG at the Bernabu. Always the Champions, as complicated as dreamed by all.
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Cristiano, Messi, Vlahovic, Haaland… When being a star doesn’t guarantee you the Champions League