La Liga president Javier Tebas agrees that Neymar’s summer exit from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain has had an effect on La Liga, but claims it would be a “bigger blow” for Spain’s top flight to lose Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Asked how Neymar’s departure impacted La Liga, Tebas told Europa Press: “Not so much. La Liga is above players. Messi and Cristiano are the ones that have grown it and the ones that have made us what we are today because they have been with us for many years. Their departure would be a bigger blow.”
Recently voted the Best FIFA Men’s Player for the second year running, Ronaldo is in his ninth season at Real Madrid.
Reports in Spain claim that Ronaldo wants to exit Madrid at the end of the season because he is “disappointed” with the new contract offer the Spanish club have presented him.
“He’s got a contract signed for many years and he signed it to fulfil it,” Tebas said of Ronaldo. “I don’t know, it seems like this is the 19th time that they [the media] say that he is going. I’m not going to discuss this.”
Tebas, meanwhile, says there is no danger of seeing Messi leave Barcelona any time soon.
“Messi has a new contract and that is what FC Barcelona have revealed,” Tebas said. “Contracts become official when they are signed and not when one says that they have been signed. I believe he has signed, if I’m not being deceived, he has signed it.”
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