Ronaldo vs. Neymar highlights Champions League round of 16
Barcelona draws Chelsea in other European marquee
Real Madrid versus Paris Saint-Germain. Cristiano Ronaldo versus Neymar. Historic achievement versus burning ambition.
Two-time defending Champions League winner Madrid was drawn Monday to play the tournament's standout team in the last 16, made possible because the 12-time champions finished second in their group while PSG won its group.
"They [PSG]Ā are really very strong in every department of the field," Madrid director Emilio Butragueno said. "But I have to underline, we are the holders and our players, they always rise to the occasion."
PSG bought Neymar from Barcelona for a record $262 million USĀ fee in the off-season. The Brazil striker scored in five straight wins as the team finished ahead of Bayern Munich in its group.
Ronaldo scored in all six of Madrid's matches.
The round of 16 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCLdraw?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCLdraw</a> has been made š<br><br>Backing your team to progress? <a href="https://t.co/v7I6dSq7Tc">pic.twitter.com/v7I6dSq7Tc</a>
—@ChampionsLeagueBarcelona, which leads the Spanish league despite the loss of Neymar, was drawn to face Chelsea in a meeting of recent champions. The English club is one of the few opponents Lionel Messi has failed to score against.
With eight former winners in the lineup, another clash of European champions pits Liverpool against Porto.
Also, it was: Basel vs. Manchester City; Sevilla vs. Manchester United; Juventus vs. Tottenham; Bayern Munich vs. Besiktas; and Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Roma.
The first legs will be played from Feb. 13-21, with the return matches from March 6-14.
The final will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 26.
Madrid and PSG met in the group stage two seasons ago when the French team's leader was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They drew 0-0 in Paris and Madrid won 1-0 at home.
"Since then they have strengthened. They have signed very, very good players," said Butragueno, whose club lost out to PSG in its pursuit of France forward Kylian Mbappe.
Barcelona and Chelsea will renew a rivalry that has included intense semifinals in 2009 and 2012. Each took a turn to advance at the other team's stadium and go on to win the title.