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Missing out on the Champions League title in his first season at Juventus still pains Cristiano Ronaldo.
Had it not been for the quarterfinal loss to Ajax last season, Ronaldo might not have been leaving Thursday's UEFA group stage draw and awards ceremony empty-handed.
It is a swift reunion with Atletico after their round-of-16 meeting last season, when Cristiano Ronaldo's second-leg hat trick overturned a 2-0 deficit to send the Italian champions through before they fell to Ajax.
Ajax's astonishing run to the semi-finals saw the Dutch side oust Real Madrid in the last 16. Barcelona looked to be coasting into the final before throwing away a 3-0 lead over Liverpool by losing 4-0 at Anfield.
Liverpool's surge to a sixth European title helped Virgil van Dijk beat Ronaldo and Messi to UEFA's player of the year award at the ceremony in Monaco after the group stage draw.
For Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City — among the biggest spending teams of the last decades thanks to investment by state-linked ownership from the Persian Gulf — the quest for a first Champions League title will have contrasting assignments.
In Group A, PSG will also face Club Brugge and Galatasaray. In Group C, City will also take on Shaktar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb while facing doubts about its Champions League participation next season as the Abu Dhabi-owned team is investigated for Financial Fair Play breaches.
Bayern Munich, which have won the European Cup five times like Barcelona, are in Group B with beaten 2019 finalist Tottenham, Olympiakos and Red Star Belgrade.
Ajax, which had to go through qualifying to reach the group stage, were drawn with Chelsea, which qualified as Europa League champion, Valencia and Lille in Group H.
Group G seems the least appealing for global television audiences: Zenit St. Petersburg, Benfica, Lyon and Leipzig.
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