Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will renew their rivalry again after Juventus drew Barcelona in the Champions League group stages.
Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid in 2018 robbed supporters of the chance to see the pair regularly face off against one another in La Liga.
The duo have shared 11 out of the last 12 Ballon d’Or awards but many feared their rivalry would continue in isolation against one another after Ronaldo’s decision to leave Spain.
However, Juventus were paired with Barcelona in the Champions League group stages today meaning the pair will play against each other at least twice this season.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW IN FULL
GROUP A
Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow
GROUP B
Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach
GROUP C
Porto, Manchester City, Olympiacos, Marseille
GROUP D
Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, FC Midtjylland
GROUP E
Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
GROUP F
Zenit, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge
GROUP G
Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencvarosi TC
GROUP H
Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir
Ronaldo is the record scorer in the Champions League with 128 goals and he leads Lionel Messi, who is on 114.
The Portugal international has won the competition on five occasions, the last four of which came during his time at the Bernabeu.
Messi by contrast has won the title on four occasions but he’s featured in just one final in the last nine years when Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1 in 2015.
Ronaldo’s Juventus side were knocked out by Lyon in a shock last-16 defeat last term, which resulted in Maurizio Sarri being sacked by the Italian giants.
Time is running out for the former Manchester United forward to add to his Champions League collection, with the forward set to turn 36 by the time the knockout stages occur.
Messi was keen on leaving the Camp Nou this summer after Barcelona’s humilating 8-2 defeat to eventual winners Bayern Munich last term but he’s set to spend at least one more campaign with the club.
