The current Champions League season is the first in 20 years without Messi and Ronaldo

The 2023-2024 Champions League season will be the first in 20 years without Messi and Ronaldo.

Messi played in European Cups for the first time — Barcelona sent a reserve team to Donetsk for the last game of the group stage of the Champions League, and Messi played all 90 minutes against Shakhtar. On November 2, 2005, he scored his first goal in the Champions League against Panathinaikos. Then "Barcelona" won with a score of 5:0. Among the first important matches in the starting line-up is his first El Clasico against arch-rivals Real Madrid on November 19, as well as the away win against Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

Formally, the Portuguese made his debut in the Champions League 20 years ago, playing in the qualifiers for Sporting against Inter, but in the group stage, Cristiano played only a year later, on October 1, 2003, for Manchester United against Stuttgart.

Two legends on two have nine Champions League trophies. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 140 goals in all seasons, and Messi - 129.