the Champions League of last season was left without two of its main protagonists, after that Lionel Messi i Cristiano Ronaldo they stayed out of the Quarterfinals for the first time in the last 16 years, a time in which each lifted four continental titles, by the eliminations of the Barcelona and Juventus in Eighths.
And even though last year there was talk of his possible successors, like Erling Haaland and Kilian Mbappé, for this new campaign that starts the veteran and most dominant footballers in Europe in recent years have once again captivated and aroused the interest of fans who will see them with a new club in the edition 67 of the competition.
Christian returns after 12 years at Manchester United, with which he played his last game in the Champions League, precisely against Lio and Barcelona in the final of 2009 which won the Catalan team, which will have its first participation in the last 17 years without its maximum referent.
Messi will make his debut in the European tournament with a shirt other than Barcelona’s. It will do so with the Paris Saint-Germain, A club that has become a serious candidate to take Orejona, after strengthening with Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi and archer Gianluigi Donnarumma.
MESSI, CHRISTIAN AND THE BRANDS THAT COULD BREAK THIS YEAR
In this new edition, Ronaldo and Messi they will be able to continue imposing marks. The Portuguese is in a game to match Iker Casillas as the player with the most games in the competition (the Spanish adds 177), in addition to continuing to increase his goal-scoring share in which so far he has recorded 134 goals, being the maximum gunner.
Lionel, in case you enter in front of him Witches Club in the first duel of the 2021-2022 season, he would reach 150 games in the Champions League. Coupled with this he could also become the first footballer to score at least one goal in 17 consecutive campaigns, a mark that also haunts the striker of the Real Madrid, Karim Benzema.
Another record they will seek to break will be the highest number of triples, as so far Lionel and Cristiano are tied with eight.
Zlatan, BENZEMA AND THE GERMAN DOMAIN ON THE BENCHES
At the age of 39 and wearing the Milan shirt, a club that was absent for seven seasons, Zlatan Ibrahimovic he also has reason to play this year, as he could reach 50 goals in the competition and tie the Frenchman Thierry Henry as the seventh highest scorer in the Champions League.
Another that could make history is Karim Benzema, then it is to a goal to surpass Raul (71 goals), and to be placed in the fourth place of the table of historical goleadores, who lead Robert Lewandowski (73), Lionel Messi (120), i Cristiano Ronaldo (134).
On the side of the bench this campaign the German coaches will seek to maintain the dominance they have imposed in the last three years with the titles of Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool 2019), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich 2020), i Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea 2021).
The last non-German coach to lift the cup was the Frenchman Zinedine Zidane in the 2017-2018 campaign leading to Real Madrid.