The 23/24 edition of the Champions League will be the first since 2003/04 to not feature Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The Portuguese striker has been away since last season, after Manchester United finished in the Europa League spots.
But after leaving for Inter Miami this summer, Messi has also called time on his career in Europe. The two icons are the top scorers in the competition, with Ronaldo having the most goals in the history of the tournament with 140 goals. He also holds the record for the most goals in a single season at 17 in 11 games.
He has won the Champions League trophy the joint-most number of times at five. One with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid, the last three of which were in a row.
Champions League 23/24 is the end of an era with no Messi or Ronaldo
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has won the coveted trophy four times with Barcelona. The Argentine has scored 129 goals in the competition, which is the second highest of all-time.
He spent two years with PSG after leaving Barcelona, but was unable to make it deep into the tournament on either occasion. However, he holds the record for the most consecutive seasons scored in, the most goals in the group stage at 80 as well as the most goals in the Round of 16 at 29.
The Champions League is now entering a new era, spearheaded by youngsters like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Erling Haaland. However, it will be some time before the records set by two of the greatest of all-time are broken, if at all.
