Barcelona and Juventus engage in Twitter feud as Champions League encounter looms

Barcelona and Juventus have engaged in a Twitter feud, a month before their highly anticipated UEFA Champions League group stage game.

The two sides had faced each other last month in a tie which was seen as the continuation of the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. However, Ronaldo's coronavirus diagnosis had meant that he had to sit the game out.

Barcelona taunt Juventus; use Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Juventus

Barcelona beat Juventus 2-0 in that game, courtesy of a goal from French winger Ousmane Dembele and a late Messi penalty. To add to Juventus' misery, they had Turkish centre-back Merih Demiral sent off in the second half.

This rivalry has now continued off the field and spilt into the domain of social media. Barcelona have quoted ESPN's tweet regarding the most free kicks scored in the last 10 seasons, a metric in which Lionel Messi leads, ahead of clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid.

While Ronaldo has scored more goals from free kicks across their entire career, Messi's stat is still highly impressive, and Barcelona have not shied away from expressing their admiration for their talisman.

Ratioed by Messi https://t.co/SOgKxKfhib

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 10, 2020

Although it remains unlikely that this feud will affect what happens on the field, it is still a reminder of the dominance Messi and Ronaldo enjoy in the sport.

Ronaldo will be back for Juventus when they face Barcelona next month, and the excitement will be palpable when the duo faces off. The two superstars enjoyed some fine battles in La Liga when Ronaldo played for Real Madrid, and there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of El Clasico since his departure.

Barcelona have not enjoyed the best of spells in recent times either, and things came to a head when Messi announced his intention to leave the club in the summer. While that did not occur, the Argentina international has only one year left in his contract, and Manchester City have been persistently linked with the player.

We are glad you were able to see the 🐐 on your pitch, @juventusfcen! 😘 pic.twitter.com/yh74wh0lNJ

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 28, 2020

Juventus struggled during Ronaldo's three week absence as well. His return resulted in an immediate upturn in fortunes. With both players in their 30s, and younger superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland emerging, the Messi-Ronaldo era might be coming to an end.

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