The Barcelona superstar scored a brace in the first encounter in Spain as the Spanish champions won 3-0 against Jurgen Klopp's men.
And the fight for who will win the 2019 Ballon d'Or has began in which Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still expected to go into serious competition.
And despite Barcelona's exit in the Champions League against Liverpool, Lionel Messi still has the chance of winning the Ballon d'Or prize for the sixth time.
Here we bring you three reasons that could help the Argentine football star win the annual award.
1. Messi's incredible goal-scoring record this season
Lionel Messi is currently leading not just La Liga's goal-scoring charts, but also the European Golden Boot and the Champions League top scorers' list as well.
This season in the Champions League, Lionel Messi has scored 12 goals for Barcelona and he also provided three assists with 34 goals in La Liga.
He has an incredible 48 goals in 46 games in all competitions for Barcelona this season.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo's mediocre season
This season in the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo who has for years being Lionel Messi's rival has managed to score only six goals in the competition.
And this will also be the first year since 2009-10 that Ronaldo didn't feature in a Champions League semi-final after Juventus were sent out by Ajax.
3. Lack of other major competition
When it comes to individual performances, Messi has been there ahead of his competitors this season.
With an incredible 22 Man of the Match awards in the present campaign, the mercurial magician has made a mediocre Barcelona team look like world beaters, carrying them into the Champions League semi-finals before losing against Liverpool.
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