Champions League: 7 things you probably forgot happened

The men's Champions League returns this week after what feels like an extraordinarily long winter break, exacerbated by an entire World Cup taking place since the last time a ball was kicked in Europe's top club competition.

With six rounds of matches completed in just nine weeks, all 96 group stage games were done and dusted by Nov. 2 last year as 32 teams were whittled down to 16 for the knockout phase.

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The Champions League then took a back seat while the world watched Lionel Messi lead Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, before club football once again returned to the fore last month.

As the round of 16 gets underway, here's a quick refresher of some notable events that unfolded in the Champions League prior to its 3½-month hiatus.