Lionel Messi ready to take Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League Crown?

From Left: Balloon d'Or nominees, Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi, Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo - Getty 

Cristiano Ronaldo's long reign as the king of European club football is over, and a familiar rival is waiting in the wings to claim his crown.


As Ronaldo was exiting the Champions League with Juventus on Tuesday evening, ending his hopes of a fourth-straight winners medal in the competition, Lionel Messi was guiding Barcelona to the semi-finals with a star turn in the victory over Manchester United.

Messi scored twice - the first a superb curling effort from the edge of the box, the second a gift from David de Gea, who allowed his tame shot to squirm beneath him and into the net.

Ronaldo also netted, for the 126th time in the competition, but it was not enough as Ajax came from behind to claim a 2-1 win on the night in Turin and a 3-2 aggregate victory overall.

Is Messi ready to claim Ronaldo's CL crown? - Getty

Barca go through to a last four showdown with either Porto or Liverpool, keeping alive Messi's hopes of a fifth Champions League winner's medal to match the tally of his Portuguese rival - the only other man in world football fit to be considered in the same bracket of class as the Argentine.

Ronaldo has scored 126 goals in the Champions League, with an incredible 65 of those coming in the knockout stages.

"Messi is an exceptional talent," said United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. BBCSport