Lionel Messi’s Champions League quarter-final curse continues.
Barcelona were stunned by Roma at Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, surrendering a 4-1 lead to lose 3-0.
The result sent shockwaves across Europe, and extends Messi’s wretched record in Champions League quarter-finals.
The Argentina superstar has not scored in his last 11 fixtures at this stage of the competition - a run that covers six straight seasons.
Messi did not score in the tie against Roma, and also drew a blank against fellow Italian side Juventus last year, as the Bianoconeri recorded a 3-0 aggregate victory. Barca also fell at the last eight stage in 2015-16, as Atletico Madrid won 3-2 on aggregate, withLuis Suarez scoring both of Barca’s goals.
Barca beat PSG in 2014-15, triumphing 5-1 over two legs, but Messi was not on the scoresheet. He also failed to score against Atletico Madrid the season prior.
Indeed, one must go back to 2 April 2013 for Messi’s last quarter-final Champions League goal, in a 2-2 draw with PSG.
The 30-year-old remains one of the game’s great players of all time, and he has won the competition on four separate occasions, scoring in the two final clashes with Manchester United, in 2008-09 and 2010-11.
Barca have now gone three successive seasons without winning the European trophy, while Real Madrid continue to steam towards success.
Los Blancos became the first team to secure back-to-back trophies in the Champions League era in 2016-17, thumping Juventus 4-1 in the final. Real also hold a three-goal lead going into their second-leg quarter-final encounter with Juventus, having won 3-0 in the first leg.
In the same time period, Messi’s eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, has scored 14 goals in Champions League quarter-finals, only failing to hit the net in the 1-0 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid in 2014-15, when Javier Hernandez scored the only goal.