Cristiano Ronaldo's exit will weaken Real Madrid, reckons Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi has admitted he was surprised by Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to leave Real Madrid and join Juventus. Messi also believes the transfer will leave Madrid worse off and says Juve are now among the clear favourites to win this season's Champions League.

Ronaldo swapped Spain for Italy in a deal worth 100 million euros ($117 million) in July, after securing a third consecutive European crown, and his fourth in five years with Real. But Messi, who missed out on a three-man shortlist for FIFA's world player of the year award on Monday, feels the balance may have shifted following the Ronaldo's exit.

"I was surprised, I didn't imagine him leaving Madrid or that he would go to Juve because there was talk of many clubs [interested]. The truth is I was surprised but Juve are also a very good team," Messi told Catalunya Radio. "Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world and they have a great squad, but it's obvious the departure of makes them less strong while Juve have become a clear favourite for the Champions League. They already had a good team and now they also have Cristiano Ronaldo."

Madrid's dominance in Europe has made failure even harder to swallow for Barcelona, whose shock defeat by Roma in April meant crashing out in the quarter-finals for a third consecutive season. Even winning both La Liga and the Copa del Rey last term for a domestic double was not enough to extinguish the disappointment. "It's time to win the Champions League," Messi said.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever