Paris Saint-Germain has been drawn against Manchester United in the Champions League last 16, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo set to face each other for the 37th time.
The first game will take place at the Parc des Princes on February 15, with the second leg being played on March 8 at Old Trafford.
Fans will be looking forward to seeing two of the best players in world football coming up against one another once again, with PSG’s Sergio Ramos set to face two of his old teammates from Real Madrid in Ronaldo and Raphael Varane.
Familiar faces
Ronaldo and Messi played against each other regularly from 2009 until 2018, when the Portuguese forward was at Real Madrid and when the Argentinian was at Barcelona.
During these games, despite the talent around them on the pitch, there was a feel that their rivalry at times transcended that of El Clasico.
The last time the pair played against each other was in December 2020, when Juventus faced Barcelona in the Champions League. Ronaldo came out on top that day, scoring two goals as Juventus won 3-0.
New surroundings
This time around both players find themselves at times of transition, with Ronaldo having returned to Manchester United last summer while Messi moved to PSG.
Since joining their new sides, neither has had a seamless transition this season, with their best performances coming in the Champions League. Messi has five goals in five games in Europe’s premier club competition, including a brace against Club Brugge in the last group match, while Ronaldo scored important goals in wins over Atalanta and Villarreal.
Now entering the final years at football’s highest level, the 36-year-old Ronaldo and the 34-year-old Messi will want to be on stellar form to ensure that their side progresses to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
A Real Madrid reunion
Another player seeing familiar faces when PSG take on Manchester United will be Spanish defender Sergio Ramos.
The former Real Madrid captain will be coming up against his former centre-back partner in Raphael Varane.
Together at Real Madrid, Ramos, Varane and Ronaldo won four Champions League trophies between 2013 and 2018.
