5 times Cristiano Ronaldo got the better of his arch-rival Lionel Messi
All eyes will be at the Camp Nou when Lionel Messi's Barcelona host Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in a clash of the titans in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.
Both sides are through to the last 16, but the game will decide who finishes atop Group G; the Catalans are currently three points ahead of the Serie A champions.
However, a bigger narrative surrounding the fixture is the long-awaited reunion of old foes Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who haven't clashed on the field since the Portuguese ace left Real Madrid in 2018.
After meeting each other in 35 games in all competitions, the two superstars prepare to renew acquaintances at the Camp Nou. While Messi's team has been victorious on 16 occasions, Ronaldo's has triumphed ten times.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed the first leg of Juventus's game against Barcelona in Turin after testing positive for COVID-19 but is certain to start on Tuesday. That gives fans an opportunity to relive one of the greatest player-rivalries in the game's history.
Five times Cristiano Ronaldo got the better of Lionel Messi on the field
Ahead of the former Galactico's highly-anticipated return to the Camp Nou, let's go through the five best moments when Cristiano Ronaldo got the better of his arch-rival Lionel Messi:
#5 Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona (Spanish Super Cup, August 2012)
In 2012, Cristiano Ronaldo was in peak form, scoring in all six Clasicos that calendar year across three different competitions. He bagged seven goals during this imperious run. However, his brace in the Spanish Super Cup at the Santiago Bernabeu was something special.
Real Madrid, a counter-attacking beast at that time under Jose Mourinho, produced an incredible move on the break that culminated with Cristiano Ronaldo effecting a superb backheel flick to control the ball before lashing a powerful low-drive beyond Victor Valdes.
Lionel Messi responded with a peach of a free-kick a while later, but it was the Portuguese who had the last laugh as Los Blancos held on to clinch the Super Cup trophy.
#4 Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup, August 2017)
In his final season with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo faced Barcelona on three occasions - twice in the league and once in the Super Cup - scoring once in each competition. However, his goal in the Super Cup was extraordinary.
The El Clasico rivals, playing each other in the Spanish Super Cup for the first time in five years, were heading to a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou after Lionel Messi scored in the 77th minute to cancel out Gerard Pique's own goal. And then, Cristiano Ronaldo happened.
After playing a neat one-two with Isco to set up a counter-attack, the Portuguese scampered upfield before cutting inside Pique and lashing an unstoppable thunderbolt into the top corner from 20 yards to restore his side's lead.
Even though he was sent off before the full-time whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to take a dig at Lionel Messi by holding his shirt aloft in celebration, imitating the Argentine's iconic moment at the Santiago Bernabeu a few months earlier.