Ronaldo steals ball off Lionel Messi but Barcelona star takes his revenge

Fans were made to wait more than two years but Cristiano Ronaldo renewing his rivalry on the pitch with Lionel Messi was certainly worth the wait.

Entering the twilight stages of their careers, nobody took for granted Tuesday's meeting of icons at the Nou Camp and while it was Ronaldo and Juventus who came away with three points and top spot in their Champions League group, both he and Messi went home with viral moments of magic.

Ronaldo, even at 35, motored on impressively and after scoring twice in Juventus' 3-0 win he still had the desire to track back, defend and nick the ball off the foot of Messi inside the penalty area.

There was less than 10 minutes to go at that stage, the result beyond any doubt and Ronaldo's most loyal fans hailed his desire and work-rate up against Messi, who edges out Ronaldo's five Ballon d'Or awards with his six.

Messi had nutmegged Ronaldo's team-mate Leonardo Bonucci with a trademark shimmy before the Portuguese shut the door, taking the ball to leave the Barcelona captain empty-handed.

'CR defending Leo in Juve box when Juve is 3-0 up at the age of 35 shows the dedication of this man,' one user on Twitter wrote.

Another added: 'GOAT because he doesn't just score goals but defends.'

The result may have Barcelona going down without much of a fight but Messi exacted his revenge before the final whistle.

Again he had the ball at his feet and again Ronaldo was determined to dispossess Messi of it.

And so the Juventus star came charging in, only to have Messi simply flick it past him, leaving Ronaldo tackling air, rather than the Argentine.

It was a night littered with disappointment for Barcelona but even Messi could crack a smile after getting one over Ronaldo in a clip that was quickly picked up by fans of the Argentine.

'Messi sending Ronaldo to buy a hot dog,' one fan joked.

Another added: 'Messi so shameless, why did he smile after?'

Barcelona simply needed to avoid a 3-0 defeat at the Nou Camp to take top spot in Group G and yet that proved beyond them.

Messi and Co will now be unseeded for the draw for the last-16 and face a tricky assignment as they look to win a first Champions League title since beating Juventus in the final in 2015.

For Juventus, they brought Ronaldo in to end their wait for Europe's biggest prize.

The Italian champions have not lifted the trophy since 1996.