Even the world's greatest footballers have faced crushing defeats. Here's a look at the most significant low points in the careers of soccer’s biggest names: 🐐 Lionel Messi Messi’s heaviest defeat came in the 2020 Champions League quarter-final, when Barcelona were dismantled 8–2 by Bayern Munich in Lisbon—a result he later called his “rock bottom” at Barça. Most recently, his Inter Miami side suffered a 4–0 loss to PSG in the 2025 Club World Cup—his largest defeat in a decade. Cristiano Ronaldo Ronaldo's career has also weathered stinging losses. His most notorious was a 5–0 Champions League defeat—either with Real Madrid versus Barcelona or another powerhouse—which remains one of his career's biggest setbacks . Kylian Mbappé Mbappé’s toughest moment came...