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Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly the greatest player in the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese talisman is the top scorer of the competition with 126 goals from 162 appearances, followed by his arch-rival Lionel Messi with 110 goals.
Ronaldo's goal-scoring records in the Champions League is almost untouchable. The Portuguese has scored 65 goals in the knockout stages and 61 in the group stages of the competition, ending as the top scorer of the competition in seven seasons.
Besides leading the scoring charts, the five time Ballon d'Or holds a plethora of records. Ronaldo has won the Champions League five times and remains the only player to have scored in three finals.
Ronaldo moved to Juventus last summer after winning three consecutive Champions League with Real Madrid but met with a premature exit against Ajax in the quarterfinal stages. Although it would be foolish to bet against someone like Ronaldo, the 34-year-old may fail to win the competition in the upcoming seasons.
Let us take a look at three things that will happen if the Portuguese star fails to win the competition ever again.
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#3 A failed challenge
In an interview last year, Ronaldo asked Lionel Messi to accept 'the challenge' like him and join Serie A. Some time after Zlatan Ibrahimovic claimed that moving to Juventus was not a challenge, and although Swede has a reputation of going over the top with his statements, it may not be the case this time.
Before Ronaldo joined Juventus, the Old Lady won the Serie A for the seventh successive time and enjoyed the domestic double four consecutive seasons. But Juventus were defeated in the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017.
It is crystal clear that Juventus spent over €100 million for a 33-year-old to win in Europe. The expectations are extremely high and the failure to win the Champions League fell below what the club and fans wanted.
As the Portuguese star is not getting any younger, time is short for him to help Juventus leave their mark in Europe.
#2 Ronaldo might not win Ballon d'Or again
The Portuguese has won the award five times in his glittering career, and it goes without saying that the most coveted competition in club football plays a significant role in winning the individual award. In fact, the last five Ballon d'Or winners (Luka Modric, Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Messi, Ronaldo) all won the Champions League in the respective years.
It is not a coincidence that Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or four times when he won the Champions League. The last time someone won the award without winning the Champions League was back in 2013 -- ironically, Ronaldo.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, Juventus have been dominant in the Serie A long before Ronaldo joined their squad. They have won the trophy for an eighth consecutive time and had a massive 17-point lead at the top of the table. Playing in a relatively easier league may dampen Ronaldo's (and Kylian Mbappe's) chances, as we have seen with Robert Lewandowski and Franck Ribery over the years.
#1 Lionel Messi wins the personal battle
Lionel Messi is enjoying another historic season in his glittering career and leading Barcelona on their way to another treble. The Argentine genius is not slowing down as he keeps up his insane consistency with Barcelona.
The 31-year-old Argentine has racked up sensational 45 goals in all competitions and leads the race for the European Golden Shoe with 33 goals, with his only competitor being Kylian Mbappe with 30 goals. Ronaldo remains far behind with just 19 league goals. Messi also leads the scoring charts in the Champions League with 10 goals.
Ronaldo will turn 35 next year and playing in a defensive league and a defensive-minded squad means that he will get fewer chances upfront. It is a huge possibility that unless Ronaldo wins the Champions League, Messi will get his hands on another Ballon d'Or and win the personal battle between the two.
The individual battle is officially a tie, with both these stars winning five Ballon d'Ors each but things may turn out different with Messi already leading the race for the individual award due to his sensational campaign this year.
