#2 Early exit from the UEFA Champions League
AS Roma shocked the footballing world on Tuesday when they did the near impossible by beating the Catalan giants 3-0 in the quarter-finals second-leg and knocking them out of the Champions League.
UEFA Champions League will play a big role in the Ballon d'Or award. In the last five years, the winner of the UEFA Champions League has lifted the Ballon d'Or award on four occasions. Barcelona’s early exit from the Champions League will definitely not help Messi's case for a record sixth Ballon d'Or.
Also, his goalscoring record in this year’s UEFA Champions League isn’t great either. Though 6 goals do not sound bad, he is only eighth in the list of Champions League top scores for 2017/18. Players like Roberto Firmino, Edinson Cavani, and Harry Kane have scored more Champions League goals than Lionel Messi this season.