Real Madrid could face former captain Sergio Ramos and transfer target Mbappe in UCL knockout stage

The group stage of this season's UEFA Champions League has just been concluded, and the final 16 teams have been determined. The draw for the round-of-16 will take place on Monday, and it is interesting to note that Real Madrid CF could potentially face Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG qualified as runners-up in Group A behind Premier League champions Manchester City. Meanwhile, Real Madrid topped Group D ahead of Serie A champions Inter Milan. As such, the two clubs could potentially be drawn against each other in the last-16.

Why is this an interesting match-up? First, PSG is the new home of former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. He has only played one match for the Ligue 1 giants since making the move over the summer, but he will likely be available early in 2022 when the Champions League knockout stage kicks off. It will be a bittersweet homecoming for Ramos, who left Madrid in tears after failing to reach an agreement for a contract extension earlier this year.

Other notable former Real Madrid players like Angel Di Maria and Keylor Navas won Champions League trophies with Los Blancos in the past, but are now wearing the PSG shirt. It will surely be a surreal experience for all of them, including Achraf Hakimi who also made the move from Madrid to Paris.

Apart from having connections from Real Madrid's past, there is also a big name connected to Real Madrid's future. PSG forward Kylian Mbappe is believed to be ready to sign a pre-contract agreement with Los Blancos in January, meaning he may already be committed to become a Real Madrid player when the two sides potentially face-off in early 2022 in the tail end of the Champions League.

Last but not the least, this will also be the first time for Lionel Messi to face Real Madrid without the Barcelona squad behind him. However, he will be pleased to be in the PSG squad this time around, judging by the poor performances of Barcelona so far this season. Last night, the Blaugrana were kicked out of the competition after losing 3-0 to Bayern Munich.