An era of ‘front war’ between Messi and Ronaldo

Like many other days and dates due to the coronavirus, this April 23 also passed away in silence. Football fans did not storm the cup of tea. The ‘front battle’ between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo started on this day a decade ago.

April 23, 2006 Manchester United and Barcelona face off in the Camp Nou in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Messi was 20 years old then, Ronaldo was 23. Both of them were goalless in that match and the match ended in a goalless draw. But an unforgettable dilemma in the history of football started with that match.

Ronaldo missed a penalty at the Camp Nou in the first leg. Paul Scholes’ only goal in the return leg at Old Trafford helped United reach the final. In the final of Moscow, they defeated Chelsea and won the crown of the best in Europe. Ronaldo anchored Real Madrid in 2009 for a record transfer fee of ৮ 60 million. The two best fights of the time get new dimensions.
Messi is currently 32, Ronaldo is 35. So far, the Argentine and Portuguese stars have played 37 times in front of the football field. Happiness and sadness have been the companions of both.

The memorable six battles of the two can be seen back in the epoch.

Champions League Final, 2009 (Manchester United 0-2 Barcelona)

The stage of the final was Rome, the excitement surrounding that match was such that two mighty gladiators would fight in the Colosseum!

In the final of the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Messi took the spotlight. Ronaldo was in hiding. United were cornered by Messi’s goal in the 70th minute after Samuel Eto’o’s goal gave Barcelona the lead. Ronaldo could not be the savior of the team. Messi won the best fight in Europe and won the treble.

La Liga, 2010 (Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid)

As usual, this match was also seen as a stage to prove the superiority of the two. But the fight was one-sided. Ronaldo just flew in front of Messi.

Ronaldo certainly doesn’t want to miss that match in La Liga on November 29, 2010. Real had to return from the yard of the eternal rivals without what a painful experience!

Real went to the Camp Nou from the top of the points table and seven unbeaten matches in a row. Jose Mourinho’s team returned empty-handed.

In the fight for dignity, Barcelona wrote a great epic of 5-0 victory. Messi did not score a goal in that match, but contributed to two. He himself once sent the ball into the net but it was canceled.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique seemed to make the wounds of their big loss worse by raising five fingers in front of Real fans.