Following the news that Lionel Messi would be leaving Barcelona after 21 years, all of Europe's big teams contacted his representative to make inquiries about signing him. He ended up signing a three-year contract with PSG. On the other side, Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to leave Juventus for a new challenge after Messi's surprising move to Paris Saint-Germain. He was finally signed by Manchester United in the summer 2021 transfer deadline. Let's take a look at how Messi and Ronaldo have performed so far this season for their respective clubs.    Lionel Messi's Season up to this point for PSG Lionel Messi picked no. 30 as his PSG jersey number, the same number he wore for FC Barcelona when he made his senior debut in 2004. Messi made his PSG debut on August 29 against Reims in Ligue 1 after an almost three-week wait. He was brought on as a substitute in the second half. Leo made his home debut against Olympic Lyon On September 19, and on September 15, he made his UEFA Champions League debut against Club Brugge. Read AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh suffer 0-6 defeat against Uzbekistan Messi had to wait a month for PSG to score his first goal. He scored his debut goal against Manchester City at Parc des Princes on September 28. Messi made his customary run into the opposition half, played a one-two with Kylian Mbappe, and then blasted a superb finish to the top left corner. Lionel Messi has appeared in eight matches and scored three goals as of October 31. Mauricio Pochettino is trying to adjust his formation to get the best out of Messi, who has yet to show his true potential with Paris Saint-Germain. Cristiano Ronaldo's performance in Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo has been given the iconic number 7 shirt to wear in his second stint at Manchester United. Ronaldo played his first game of the season against Newcastle United on September 11. He scored a brace in his debut match. Cristiano scored a late winner in a vital UEFA Champions League group stage match against Villarreal on September 29. Manchester United won the contest by 2-1. He also came out as a rescue for the Red Devils in their most recent Champions League match against Atalanta. His 83rd-minute header secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Atalanta. Read Who can replace coach Ronald Koeman at FC Barcelona? Cristiano Ronaldo has now more focus on scoring goals, that’s why he has become a penalty box forward over the last three seasons. Overall, he has scored 7 goals in 10 appearances for Manchester United thus far. Ronaldo is manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's main striker, and so far he has done a good job as no.9. Way Forward  The football world was shocked when Lionel Messi signed a contract with PSG in the last summer transfer window. However, his performance for Paris Saint-Germain hasn't been up to the mark so far. The diminutive Argentine has struggled to adjust to the new system, and experts think he will require more time to bond with his new teammates. Read Man United humiliated: Salah hat trick in 5-0 Liverpool rout On the other hand, the Portuguese superstar Ronaldo has enjoyed a good start with Manchester United. He has already had an impact on the team. The charismatic forward has aided Manchester United in securing a number of dramatic victories. In that perspective, Cristiano Ronaldo has gotten off to a better start with his new club than Lionel Messi.

Manchester City have withdrawn from the European Super League (ESL) and Chelsea are also preparing to do so, according to reports in the British media. Efforts to leave come just two days after both were announced as two of six English clubs to sign up to the controversial new competition. The ESL has been widely criticised since being announced on Sunday, reports BBC. Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea's Stamford Bridge home ground before their game against Brighton on Tuesday to protest their involvement. Chelsea and City were part of English football's 'big six' clubs - alongside Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - to have agreed to join the new league. In total, 12 European clubs announced their intentions to form the breakaway league, which they hoped to establish as a new midweek competition. It was condemned by football authorities and government ministers in the UK and across Europe by Uefa and leagues associations. Chelsea were the first club to indicate they will not press ahead by preparing documentation to withdrawn. City withdrew soon after. Chelsea and City were not drivers of this plan, they were the last to sign and feared being left behind. It is not clear how easy it is or how binding the contracts are. The decision to try and have Chelsea leave was taken by owner Roman Abramovich and the club's board after witnessing negative global reaction to the Super League. There was a fear that it could do reputational damage to the club. Questions were raised internally as to whether fans would respond to the club if it continued with a proposal which has gone down so badly. The decision was made earlier on Tuesday before protests started outside Stamford Bridge. Earlier in the day, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with the Football Association, Premier League officials and fans' representatives, after which the government said it will take "whatever action necessary", including legislative options, to ensure the proposals were stopped. Johnson's stance is supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. A statement released after a meeting between the Premier League and the 14 clubs not involved said they "unanimously and vigorously" rejected plans for the competition. It added that it is considering "all actions available" to stop the competition and asked the six teams to end their involvement immediately. Meanwhile late breaking reports suggest Ed Woodward, executive vice chairman of Manchester United, has handed in his resignation in the backlash of the ESL's announcement, putting in doubt whether the club will now go ahead with the breakaway league. In a parallel development TALKSport is reporting that Andrea Agnelli has resigned from his post as president of Juventus, one of 3 Italian clubs involved in the fiasco.

Liverpool tightened their grip on the Premier League title as they beat Manchester United 2-0 on Sunday at Anfield while second place Manchester City were held at home and Leicester City lost in Burnley.