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It has been four years since Lionel Messi won his last Champions League trophy. The Argentine wizard seems so close yet so far away from clinching his fifth major European title after two unlikely knockout stage collapses by Barcelona in the last two seasons.
Everyone still remembers how Barcelona had a three-goal advantage before getting crushed to pieces by AS Roma in Italy last season. Now, Messi has endured the same fate again after his team crumbled at the hands of Liverpool last night. Barcelona were firm favourites to reach the final after winning their semi-final first leg against Liverpool 3-0 at the Camp Nou last week.
The Reds, on the other hand, were missing their star performers Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino through injuries. Despite the unfavorable odds, Liverpool still managed to secure a spot in the Champions League final for the second successive season.
While Messi missed out on another Champions Leagur triumph, his greatest nemesis, Cristiano Ronaldo has won three Champions League titles in the last three seasons and four in the last five. Here we will find out why Messi would never be ahead of the Juventus star in the Champions League.
#1 He failed to motivate his team
Everybody might know Messi has a shy personality, which doesn't make him the ideal captain. Strong mentality and an ability to motivate are the most important things required to win a competition such as the Champions League, where a team's fate could be decided in just one or two matches at the knockout stages.
Messi might have been the greatest performer in the world football this season but he has failed to motivate his teammates as a leader. Ernesto Valverde has relied a lot on the megastar's goals and assists this season, while the rest of Messi's teammates have failed to deliver consistently.
They failed to score just one away goal which would have seen them through against both Roma and Liverpool. Had Messi motivated his team better when the situation was getting worse, we might have seen different outcomes in both games.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, is very vocal and has it in him to instil the belief to turn things around for his teammates.
#2 He can no longer hide behind Barcelona greats to lead the team
Messi could previously hide behind Barcelona greats such as Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, who were all good leaders. But as he has now become the club captain, he should do the job himself.
If we take a look at Messi's career closely, the Argentine won the Champions League mostly when the likes of Xavi, Puyol and Iniesta were still prominent figures at the club. Now that they have left, Messi has struggled to do the task. Ronaldo does not need to hide behind the shadow of anyone to lead the team because he has done things right as a leader himself.
The Portuguese star's natural character already suits him better as a captain than Messi's. He successfully led an underdog Portugal side to win the 2016 European Championship, a competition which has the same format as the Champions League.
Ronaldo could also complement other leaders such as Sergio Ramos and Giorgio Chiellini to command his team even though he was not the captain of his side..
#1 He does not have the crowd to inspire him and his team at away games
Messi might not be able to motivate his teammates at times, but the Barcelona faithful at the Camp Nou could always replace him to do the task in cheering the players. This critical factor might be the reason why the Catalan giants' home and away form has been so different in the Champions League.
At home, they have beaten almost every team they faced in the competition with a considerable margin. They hammered Manchester United 3-0, Lyon by 5-1 and Inter Milan 2-0 at the Camp Nou but could not win against the last two teams when they played in their respective home grounds.
Travelling to another country to play the away matches has pushed Barcelona away from their home support and eventually gave them even more pressure in the away games.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, had been somewhat more motivated when the crowd have been against him. He even had the opposite fans cheering for him when he scored from an overhead kick against Juventus last season. Overall, Ronaldo's mentality at away games is arguably much better than Messi's.
