Lionel Messi will forever be the best player ever to play for Barcelona, and one of the best in soccer history as well. They will forever be grateful to him, as he has been a pivotal reason for their greatest period of success and won them the majority of their trophies.
However, Barcelona has not been the same since his departure in 2021. The Catalans have struggled to win anything, and have experienced so many humiliations. They have especially failed in the Champions League, having been knocked out of the group stage twice in the last two years.
Lionel Messi goal from 2021 goes viral ahead of Barcelona vs Napoli
Barcelona last played in the knockout stages of the Champions League back in 2021, when Lionel Messi was still at the club. The following two years without him saw them get kicked out of the group stage twice, and they had to play in the Europa League. It was a great embarrassment for one of the greatest clubs to ever exist.
In fact, the Catalans still haven’t scored a single knockout goal in the competition, with the last one scored by their Argentine maestro. It was Messi who scored a stunning goal from far against Paris Saint Germain. The team was down 4-1 to PSG in the Round of 16 first leg, and had to travel to Paris to get a big win.
🔵🔴 This was the last Barcelona goal in the UCL knockout stage… courtesy of Lionel Messi 1,078 days ago. 🚀
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) February 21, 2024
Tonight, they face Napoli. 🔜 pic.twitter.com/IzADTB9ROO
They did not manage to get the win, and it would be their last knockout game in the competition. The score was 1-1, with Messi scoring the goal for Barcelona. It was far outside the box, and he hit with such a curl that it breezed past Keylor Navas into the top corner. The brilliant goal is now going viral ahead of the team’s upcoming match in the UCL.
This season, Barcelona are back in the Round of 16 again, their first match there in two years. They will play against Napoli at home tonight, and Barcelona will hope to score a lot of goals. The Blaugrana will take solace in knowing that Napoli are struggling as well, with their manager sacked ahead of the fixture.
Lionel Messi’s Champions League knockout portfolio
Lionel Messi may not be the best ever player in the Champions League for many, with many attributing that to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo. But the Argentine is still one of the best to play in the competition.
Messi has scored an impressive 49 knockout stage goals in the competition, second only to Ronaldo’s 67 goals. He is the best player in the Round of 16 stage, having scored 29 goals in that stage alone. He has 12 goals in the quarterfinal stages and 6 goals in the semifinals. In the 3 UCL finals he has played, he has scored 2 very iconic goals.
Barcelona will surely miss a figure like Lionel Messi, but they will hope for someone else to step up tonight as they face Napoli in the first leg of the Round of 16 fixture.
