Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's teammates are not good enough - Ex Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's teammates are not good enough in the wake of Juventus and Barcelona’s midweek Champions League defeats.
The Frenchman claims that the struggles of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are down to the over-reliance on them by their respective teammates over the years.
He further added the team's over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi attests to the fact that these players are not good enough as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with their respective clubs face early elimination.
Speaking on beIN SPORTS, Wenger said: "It's a problem that (Juventus) are only relying on Ronaldo. That just shows that the players around him just aren't good enough.
"It's the same for Messi. If the team is overly reliant on Messi, it's because the players around him are not good enough."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi falter in Champions League defeats
Barcelona fell at the hands of PSG on Tuesday as the French side completely swept aside the Spanish giants on their home turf with a 4-1 victory.
Although Messi scored the first goal of the game via a penalty, a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe and a goal from Moise Kean saw PSG come out victorious at Camp Nou.
The result means Barcelona will have to score at least four goals without reply in the return leg at the Parc de Princes to advance to the quarter-finals.
Ronaldo didn't have it much better either, as his side lost 2-1 to Porto on Wednesday. The Portuguese endured a rather disappointing game for Juventus on the night as he struggled to have a meaningful impact upfront for the Bianconeri.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have easily been the best players in the world for almost two decades, and they have driven themselves to unspeakable heights of greatness.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have even been regarded as arguably the best players in the history of the game; however, they have found it hard to live up to their own lofty standards in recent seasons.
With the Portuguese clocking 36 years earlier this month and Messi turning 34 in June, their seeming decline is understandable as they approach the twilight of their greatly successful careers.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus and Lionel Messi's Barcelona's struggles extend beyond Europe as they are both currently struggling in their respective domestic leagues as well.
Juventus are currently floundering in their title defense, and they sit third in the Serie A, eight points off Inter Milan at the top of the table.
Barcelona also look to set to end the season without the league title as they are third in La Liga, nine points off table toppers Athletics Madrid.