Real Madrid had made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League after Ronaldo had departed the club...
Lionel Messi's 21-year affiliation with FC Barcelona came to an end four months ago, and he traveled to France to begin a new chapter of his career with Ligue 1 powers PSG.
While the club did recruit players like Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero to improve their attack over the summer, filling the void was always going to be difficult.
Barcelona has struggled in La Liga this season, finishing seventh with 23 points after 15 games, 16 points behind league champions, and rivals Real Madrid.
The club's biggest disappointment this season has been their elimination from the Champions League group stages and subsequent relegation to the Europa League. Barcelona has been eliminated from the Champions League group stages for the first time in 21 years.
The last time the La Liga team participated in the Europa League was in 2003-04. Messi made his professional debut for the club in the 2004-05 season, and the club never failed to reach the Champions League knockout stage throughout his time there.
When Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018, the club faced a little crisis. They finished third in La Liga, were knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 stages by Ajax, and advanced to the Copa del Rey semifinals, where they were defeated by their longtime rivals, Barcelona.
However, their opponents fared far better than Barcelona in dealing with the loss of their hero. Unlike the Catalan club, Madrid won their group and was in a superior position on the league table after 15 matches, reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League.
In the UCL Round of 16, there will be no Messi vs Ronaldo.
The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw had to be remade due to a technical issue. Messi and Ronaldo were paired with different opponents in the redraw. Manchester United has been drawn against Atletico Madrid, a team Ronaldo has thrashed multiple times in the past. Meanwhile, in the last 16 encounters, Messi's PSG will face Real Madrid. For the first time since leaving Barcelona, Messi will return to Santiago Bernabeu. If their teams advance past the Round of 16, both players will face each other.
"A material error occurred in the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 as a result of a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that notifies the officials as to which clubs are qualified to face each other," UEFA said in a tweet.
"As a result, the draw has been deemed void," it said, "and will be completely remade at 1500 CET."
Chelsea, the defending champions, we're given a more favorable Round of 16 matchups against Lille, a French team that has battled mightily this season and is presently ranked eleventh in the Ligue 1 points standings. Manchester City has been paired with Villarreal, a La Liga team that won the Europa League last season.
Messi and Ronaldo last met in a match in 2020, when the Portuguese legend was still at Juventus and Messi was playing for his boyhood club Barcelona. Ronaldo scored twice in the first leg of the group stage clash at the Camp Nou to give Juventus a 3-0 triumph before missing the return match, which Barcelona won 2-0.
They both switched clubs prior to the start of the current season and are now competing in different leagues. While Messi moved to PSG from Barcelona, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in a spectacular comeback. Fans will have to wait until Monday evening to witness the arch-rivals face off again, as the draw will be held again.
According to the previous draw, Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich were paired with Atletico Madrid, while Liverpool would have faced Red Bull Salzburg. On Monday, the sixteen teams that qualified for the next round from the group stages will learn who their opponents will be.
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