Although still very much world class, it's fair to say that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are far from their peak as they move into the latter stages of their careers.
Messi may still be featuring in a talented Paris Saint Germain squad, and Ronaldo is doing his best to inspire success at Manchester United, although this season has been a nightmare. West Ham on the other hand are in dreamland as they've just made the Europa League semi-final with a statement 3-0 victory away to Lyon.
Messi and Ronaldo may have a combined total of nine European cups, with both winning the UEFA Super Cup on numerous occasions too, but their powers have faded in recent years. And a telling stat may have proven their decline at the top level in recent years.
It was a stunning performance by West Ham who turned up in Lyon with the odds firmly stacked against them. They were held by Lyon to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium, and a controversial Aaron Cresswell red card ruled him out of the second leg.
To make matters worse, Kurt Zouma pulled up against Brentford and became unavailable for the trip to France, but West Ham punished an underwhelming Lyon side to progress. The opening goal was scored by Craig Dawson, who bundled in from close range following a Pablo Fornals corner to spark wild celebrations in the away end.
But his heroics will come as an embarrassment to Messi and Ronaldo, as now Dawson has scored more goals in the quarter-finals of European competitions in the 2020s than Messi and Ronaldo have between them. Both stars couldn't even make the quarter-finals this season, but they have been firing blanks since the turn of the decade.
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Messi's last success in Europe came in 2015, as Barcelona started to rapidly decline, and Ronaldo's last successful European venture was in 2018, before he left for Juventus. Neither have gone close since, and both PSG and United crashed out in the last 16 this season to continue their recent disappointment.
The ever-reliable Messi missed what turned out to be a crucial penalty as PSG were stunned by Real Madrid, and Ronaldo couldn't continue his exceptional record against Atletico Madrid. Of course, they are getting older, but neither star will be happy with their recent record in Europe.
The final four have now been decided in all three European competitions, with English winners possible in each tier, as Liverpool, Manchester City, West Ham and Leicester are all thriving. A late turnaround away to PSV Eindhoven saw Leicester sneak through against the Dutch giants on Thursday.
But West Ham will be targeting an unlikely Europa League win, and they'll be feeling even more confident after Barcelona crashed out against Frankfurt, denying a mouth-watering semi-final with the Hammers. West Ham will fancy themselves against the German side, and another big performance from Dawson will be needed to see them through.
Messi on the other hand, will already be thinking of next season as PSG's campaign is essentially over. They have almost secured the French title with seven games to go, and their exit from the Champions League ended their cup commitments after they lost to Nice in the domestic cup round of 16 too.
Ronaldo is facing a similar dilemma, although much worse as United don't even look like making the Champions League next season. While Messi will be looking ahead to the new campaign with PSG, Ronaldo may be looking at his summer options.
