For the first time since 2004–05, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo will see their teams included in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Messi and Barcelona were eliminated in the final-16 stage by PSG, who sealed the Spanish side’s 1–1 to 5–2 aggregate on Wednesday.
Portin pushed Juventus and Ronaldo a day earlier in Turin after a thrilling extra-time battle in the second leg.
What happened in 2004-05?
The last time both superstars missed the final eight of the competition, Messi and Barcelona were eliminated by Chelsea in the final 16.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo was with Manchester United at the time, with the Red Devils also dropping out of round 16 against AC Milan.
Overall, Ronaldo has won the Champions League five times, while Messi has won the competition on four occasions – most recently in 2014–15.
Barcelona end 13-year quarter streak
In addition to both players ending a long streak of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Barcelona also saw long stretches to reach the final eight on Wednesday.
With their elimination at the hands of PSG, Barcelona failed to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2006–07, when they were eliminated by Liverpool in the final 16.
The Blagrenas were competing in 13 consecutive quarterfinal matches, the longest race in the history of the competition.
the end of an era?
There is a lot of speculation between Messi at the age of 33 and Ronaldo, now 36, that the era of both players dominating the European scene is over.
This season’s Champions League has seen two players, in particular, emerge as potential successors to the dominant pair.
Kian Maleppé, whose PSG side defeated Barsa, scored four goals on a two-leg tie, breaking Messi’s record as the youngest player to reach 25 Champions League goals in the process.
Arling Halland scored four goals in the final-16 against Sevilla of Dortmund, with the 20-year-old phenom becoming the youngest player to reach 20 Champions League goals.
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