The soccer world sat captivated as the two biggest names in the sport received the axe in the Champions League Round of 16. When the dust settled both Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona had been reduced to rubble at the hands of Porto and Paris Saint-Germain.
The results meant that for the first time since 2005 the Champions League quarterfinals will be without Messi and Ronaldo. In the 2004-05 edition of the competition, Barcelona fell to Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate while AC Milan defeated Ronaldo and Manchester United 2-0.
I can tell you that it’s been 15 years, 11 months and 13 days since a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal was played without the two superstars. That doesn’t hit quite the same. So instead we’re taking a trip down memory lane to see what else was happening in the world at the time.
How The World Looked The Last Time Without A Messi And Ronaldo Quarterfinal
Top Movies
Nothing will make you feel older than knowing these films you watched as a kid or younger adult were the big things on screen. Here were some of the top movies out at that time and released later that year.
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Madagascar
- The Incredibles
Top Songs
According to Billboard’s Hot 100, these were the tunes that people were blaring in their 2005 Honda Civic with the windows down. These were the top songs when the first quarterfinal game kicked off.
- Candy Shop by 50 Cent (#1 on the charts)
- Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson (#2)
- Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day (#5)
- 1, 2 Step by Ciara Feat. Missy Elliott (#11)
- Mockingbird by Eminem (#13)
- Mr. Brightside by The Killers (#16)
Social Media
The internet was still a young, spooky place in 2005. Here are some interesting notes of the internet’s infancy during the 2005 Champions League quarterfinals.
- Twitter and Instagram didn’t exist yet
- YouTube had been out for two months
- MySpace was dominating the game
- Facebook was still in its creation phase
- Skype was the cool, new thing
- AOL Messenger was the go-to for instant messaging
Technology
I promise you this last sound will make you feel old.
- The Xbox 360 would release later that year
- The PlayStation 3 and the Wii wouldn’t come out for another year
- Nokias and Motorolas were the most popular phones at the time
- Blockbuster had recently bought out Hollywood Video
- This sound:
Perhaps this is less of a testament of us getting old and more so of Messi and Ronaldo's dominance. For two players to capture the sport's spotlight for such a stretch of time is truly incredible. Soccer fans who were born in the 90s grew up with these two and it will be incredibly hard to say goodbye.
I guess the best route for fans is not to be sad there won’t be a Messi and Ronaldo quarterfinal this year, but to be grateful for the last 16 years.
This season’s quarterfinals will begin on April 6-7 with the draw taking place on Friday.
