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Following a lot of anticipation and preparation, the UEFA Champions League - Europe's elite football competition is finally back, with 32 teams locking horns in the tournament and producing a lot of exciting and eye catching performances.
As usual, many top superstars have started entertaining us with their incredible talents, but Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo carry a massive percentage of the spotlight, having established themselves as two of the greatest superstars in the history of the European tournament.
Although the duo have been performing at almost the same level in the competition for a very long time, Ronaldo enjoyed a run of dominance over his Argentine rival in the past few years - finishing as the top scorer of the tournament in 6 consecutive seasons as well as claiming 4 of the last 5 editions of the competition.
However, that could end this season with recent developments suggesting it is Messi's time to shine in the Champions League. As a matter of fact, the Argentine has emerged as a ferocious tiger, looking to overtake Ronaldo in the tournament this term and below are 5 reasons why he could actually do so.
#5 The Argentine has started the campaign brilliantly
Lionel Messi looks like a man on a mission with his electrifying start to the UEFA Champions League campaign this season. It often takes some time before many superstars get to hit their peak, but the Argentine has proved his class once again by reaching his incredible best right from the beginning of the tournament.
The Barcelona playmaker scored the first goal of the competition this season, beating PSV goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet with a brilliant free-kick from 25 yards out, before adding 2 brilliant goals to his name as the Catalans earned a 4-0 victory in their opening fixture against the Dutch outfit.
With his 3 incredible goals on Tuesday, Messi also became the first player to score a hat-trick in the tournament this season as well as setting a record for the most hat-tricks scored in a footballer's UCL career (8). With such an amazing start, the Argentine is well poised to achieve greater things in the Champions League this season.
#4 Ronaldo's terrible start
After Lionel Messi ran riot in Barcelona's opening fixture against PSV on Tuesday, all eyes became fixed on Cristiano Ronaldo to respond with a magical performance in his Champions League debut for Juventus - following his famous £88 million mega-move this summer.
However, the Portuguese failed to reach a similar level of impact as he struggled to break down a stubborn Valencia defense that kept him at bay throughout his stay on the pitch. To make things worse, the attacker was shown a red card after clashing with Valencia defender Murillo in the 29th minute, and he couldn't help but burst into tears as he walked away from the pitch.
Depending on the extent of his punishment, Ronaldo might have granted Messi a big privilege in the race for dominance in the Champions League this season. With the Portuguese expected to miss about 2 matches, it comes as a huge opportunity for the Barcelona maestro to pull himself clear.
#3 Messi's rigid determination
Having lost his European dominance to Cristiano Ronaldo in each of the past 3 seasons, it doesn't require critical thinking to realise which competition Lionel Messi has prioritised for the campaign.
Speaking at the Nou Camp for the first time as Barcelona captain, the Argentine promised the Camp Nou faithful that he would do everything to ensure that he brings back the UEFA Champions League trophy to the Catalan capital this season. He was quoted saying,
"We have a squad to get excited about this year and the signings we have made make us better than we were,"
"Although last year was good with the Cup and LaLiga, we all hurt after our Champions League elimination.
"We promise to do everything possible so that beautiful cup will be back in this stadium."
With such a rigid determination, there is no doubt Messi could conquer Europe again this season. As a matter of fact, his spectacular hat-trick against PSV on Tuesday has added some form of justification to this.
#2 Age catching up with the Portuguese
There is no doubt Cristiano Ronaldo is an exceptional player who has conquered the football world times without number. But at 33, age is already catching up with the attacker and signs of a gradual decline are becoming quite evident.
The Portuguese had a slow start to the season and he needed a whopping 320 minutes before scoring his first goal for Juventus, following his famous switch from Real Madrid this summer - capitalising on a defensive error against Sassuolo to open his account for the campaign before adding a second later in the match.
Whereas Lionel Messi is going from strength to strength at Barcelona, scoring an impressive brace in his LaLiga opener as well as opening his UEFA Champions League account with an incredible hat-trick. So far, the Argentine has bagged an amazing 7 goals and 2 assists for the Catalans in all competitions this term - quite superior to Ronaldo's 2 goals and 1 assist for Juventus.
All stats via transfermarkt
#1 Barcelona have the momentum
It is quite evident that Barcelona have been angered by their failure in Europe's top competition during the past few years - especially because their arch-rivals Real Madrid have enjoyed a period of dominance in the competition during that time.
Now, the Catalans are coming all out with a huge momentum as they target the prestigious trophy this season, and that could make it easier for Lionel Messi in his race to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo in the European tournament.
The Argentine is also a highly talented superstar who has conquered the continent with his individual brilliance times without number. With the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez firing on all cylinders at the moment, he also has a great team that is capable of spurring him to greatness.
