No Lionel Messi, no problem

Real Madrid great Fernando Morientes insists La Liga will not miss Argentine star who moved to PSG recently

Spain and Real Madrid great Fernando Morientes reckons the Spanish League or the La Liga has not been weakened by the departure of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.

The talismanic striker, last month, signed a two-year contract with French giants PSG there by putting an end to his 20-year association with Barcelona, during which he won 35 trophies.  

Fernando Morientes

“La Liga, throughout its history has lost players, just like any other league. This is nothing new. Cristiano [Ronaldo] left, Neymar left. Now, Messi and [Sergio] Ramos have also left. Footballers will eventually leave, but clubs will stay,” said Morientes, 45, during a virtual interaction on Tuesday.

The former Spain forward, a three-time Champions League winner [1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02] with Real Madrid, is in fact hoping for an all-Spanish final in Europe’s elite competition this season which, he feel, will silence La Liga’s critics.  

Point to prove

“I would like to see a Spanish final [in the Champions League] because there are many people, who believe that Messi’s exit has weakened the league. We have to demonstrate that this is not the case,” added Morientes, who is also an ambassador of the La Liga, which is telecast on MTV and Voot in India.

Interestingly, this season, the El Clasico won’t have both, Messi and Ronaldo, but former Liverpool [2005–2006] star Morientes is convinced that won’t make a difference to the popularity of the Real Madrid v Barcelona rivalry.

Clubs matter

“Real Madrid and Barcelona, at the end of the day, are much more than just two players. It’s true that both Ronaldo and Messi have made history in Spanish football. It’s clear that we would love to have players of that calibre. But we have to remember that the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona dates back so many years, and Messi and Ronaldo were not always part of the Spanish clubs,” Morientes signed off.

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