UEFA Champions League the end of an era: No Christiano and no Messi for the first time since 2002-03!
It's been 20 years since we last watched a Champions League group stage without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo being included in a European club participating in it. Now, history is being revived. Both of them, after all, are in another Continent.
By DIMITRIS MANAKOS
We will have to get used to it, even though we have never experienced it before. In fact, we haven't seen a Champions League draw without Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 20 years.
So when was the last time? Since the 2002-03 season, when it was Milan who won the trophy, in the penalty shootout, with Andrey Shevchenko scoring the winner against Juventus.
From then on, both the Argentine and the Portuguese were the main focus of the event. But now, it's time to not have them in our lives, in the group process.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named Saudi Arabia's top playerof the month and Lionel Messi is the ultimate leader of Inter Miami after his summer transfer to MLS.
Somehow, Erling Halland, Manchester City, the "Queen of the League", Real Madrid and many other events are priorities. And Messi and Cristiano, they're both, away from us!
