Don't Miss

India's CWG 2026 Medal Tally Lowest In 24 Years, Yet Among The Best

Tactical Self-Destruction: How England Threw Away Their World Cup Final Dream

Bundesliga Blueprint: How Zee Plans To Complete India's Football Jigsaw

Manuel Neuer Doesn't Know Where To Stop: Not On The Pitch, Not In His Career

Advertisement

ENG

Login

Dark / Light mode

Oct 10,2026 05:29 AM IST

Champions League: Lionel Messi Back At Wembley Looking To Make Up For Lost Time In Europe

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

Settings

Select Language

Dark / Light mode

Search

Football

arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow

Live Cricket Matches

India Matches

IPL 2026

Football Matches

ISL

EPL

All Matches

India Matches

EPL

Sports Home Football News Champions League Lionel Messi Back At Wembley Looking To Make Up For Lost Time In Europe

Related Articles

Story ProgressBack to home

Champions League: Lionel Messi Back At Wembley Looking To Make Up For Lost Time In Europe

Lionel Messi returns to Wembley to face Tottenham on Wednesday with happy memories but all of this weighing on his shoulders.

Read Time: 3 min

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit

E-mail

Champions League: Lionel Messi Back At Wembley Looking To Make Up For Lost Time In Europe

Lionel Messi will be hoping to add another Champions League trophy to his cabinet© AFP

Highlights

As Lionel Messi lay on the Wembley grass, his left hand grasping the Champions League trophy and his right pumping the air, he must have thought there would be many more European glory nights to come. It was 2011 and Barca had beaten Manchester United 3-1. "No one has given us a hiding like that," Alex Ferguson said. They were so much better than the rest that many predicted a decade of European dominance after that mesmerising display. "We have a challenge with Barcelona, we all do," Ferguson said. Messi had scored his side's second. Barcelona bounced in front of the photographers, the club's name carved into the trophy for the fourth time. 

For the 23-year-old Messi at the front, it was a third Champions League triumph in six years. 

But there has been only one in the seven seasons since Luis Enrique led his 2015 Barca to a brilliant treble.

To make matters worse, arch-rivals Real Madrid have been crowned European champions four times and three times in a row since 2016. 

"They have made history and it's a thorn in our side," Luis Suarez said.

Messi returns to Wembley to face Tottenham on Wednesday with happy memories but all of this weighing on his shoulders.

- 'It's time we won' -

For most players, four Champions League titles is unthinkable but for Messi, playing through this era of Barcelona, it feels light. "It's time we won the Champions League," Messi told Catalunya Radio last month. The club feels it too. Winning La Liga has become more routine than remarkable. 

Even last season's double barely laid a finger on the disappointment of a third straight quarter-final exit, following a collapse at Roma when the Italian side overturned Barca's 4-1 first leg lead.  

Ernesto Valverde bore the brunt of the criticism, the most popular slight being that he exhausted the players in a league that had long been won. The other, always lurking, was that he had relied too much on Messi.

Both have bubbled ever since and then burst to the surface last week when Barca, with key players rested, failed to record a win in three consecutive league games. 

They drew at home to Girona and lost to bottom club Leganes. Valverde persisted, and it was Messi's turn on the bench against Athletic Bilbao. 

He came on, and set up the equaliser, but that only gave greater weight to the argument Barcelona cannot do without him. 

"LaMessidependencia," ("the Messi dependence") Madrid daily AS termed it on Monday, before listing all the relevant statistics. 

But the problem is perhaps less how to cope without Messi than how to overcome deficiencies elsewhere in the team. 

Barca's defence, the platform of their domestic success last season, is shaking, with fingers pointing at Gerard Pique whose mistakes have become too frequent to be ignored.

The midfield, without Andres Iniesta, lacks thrust while new signings Arturo Vidal, Clement Lenglet and Malcom are still bedding in.

As for Messi, pressure is nothing new. Argentina proved at the World Cup that he cannot carry a poor team, but he can certainly inspire a good one. In 2011, they relied on him too.

"We have great players but without him we would not be able to play the way we do," Pep Guardiola said, as his team celebrated on the Wembley turf. 

"We have hard work, talent and tactics that help, but Messi is unique, irreplaceable. He gives us that something extra."

Featured Video Of The Day

Spain Vs Argentina | Dani Olmo On WC Triumph: 'Wanted To Set An Example For The Next Generation'

Topics mentioned in this article

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Barcelona Barcelona Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini Lionel Messi Football

Get the Latest Cricket, Asian Games 2026, Football , Hockey, Badminton Scores, F1 Results at NDTV Sports. Like Us On Facebook Or Follow Us On Twitter For More Sports Updates. You Can Also Download The NDTV Cricket App For Android Or iOS.

Advertisement

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

Advertisement

Advertisement

Players - Top Goals

Player Matches Goals Haaland Haaland Manchester City 5 5 Isak Isak Liverpool 5 4 Groß Groß Brighton & Hove Albion 5 3 B. Fernandes B. Fernandes Manchester United 5 3 Marcus Tavernier Marcus Tavernier AFC Bournemouth 5 3

Player Matches Assists Groß Groß Brighton & Hove Albion 5 3 Daichi Daichi Crystal Palace 5 3 Gakpo Gakpo Liverpool 5 3 Semenyo Semenyo Manchester City 5 3 Francisco Evanilson Francisco Evanilson AFC Bournemouth 5 3

No Teams MP Goals GA 1 Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion 5 16 5 2 Manchester City Manchester City 5 13 5 3 Brentford Brentford 5 10 4 4 Chelsea Chelsea 5 10 12 5 Newcastle United Newcastle United 5 9 9

No Teams MP Goals Assists 1 Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion 5 16 11 2 Manchester City Manchester City 5 13 10 3 Chelsea Chelsea 5 10 9 4 Newcastle United Newcastle United 5 9 8 5 Arsenal Arsenal 5 8 6

Full Stats

Full Stats

Full Stats

Full Stats

Now Trending

Advertisement

Trending Links

Follow us on:

facebook

twitter

Cricket

Football

More Sports

Formula 1 Tennis Hockey Badminton Golf Nba Kabaddi Shooting Swimming Table Tennis

This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics © Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2026. All rights reserved.