“Cristiano Ronaldo went to Italy and Italian football has not improved” - Javier Tebas makes bold claim on Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid
Javier Tebas has remarked that Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid did not harm La Liga at all. The Spanish league president claimed that the revenue kept growing for them while nothing changed for Serie A.
Speaking to A Bola, Tebas said Messi and Ronaldo were huge, but their exits did not damage the league. He added that the Ligue1 and Serie A did not benefit from the moves either.
"[Messi and Ronaldo leaving] didn't cause any damage because we didn't shrink, but with them, we would certainly have grown faster. The French league with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe didn't grow, Cristiano Ronaldo went to Italy and Italian football [revenue] has not improved, ours did even though we lost them both," Tebas said.
He added:
"The reason is that, both sponsors and audiovisual media, what they care most about is that the competition is economically sustainable, that seven years later it continues to be very competitive and that in Spain there are always very good players, this year we have the best of the world that is [Jude Bellingham, last season [Robert] Lewandowski was at a great level, Atletico has [Antoine] Griezmann, if Mbappe comes that will help us to be more competitive and grow even faster."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have left European football. The Portuguese superstar moved to Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr, while the Argentine is playing for Inter Miami in MLS.
Javier Tebas claims Cristiano Ronaldo's exit upset Real Madrid, not La Liga
Javier Tebas had spoken about Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid in a previous interview and echoed the same thoughts. Speaking to RAC1 in 2020, the Spanish league president said they had been preparing for the exit for years and knew it was bound to happen.
He said:
"Ronaldo's departure, even if they are upset in Madrid, had almost no impact because in LaLiga we have been preparing for years for the LaLiga brand to go beyond the players."
However, Tebas said Lionel Messi's exit would be noticed and added:
"Messi's case is different. Messi is the best player in the history of football. We've been lucky enough to always have him in our league. I think Messi's exit would be noticed."
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated La Liga and took El Clasico clashes to a new level. In the twilight of their careers, the icons have put their rivalry behind them and have reiterated that personal goals are no longer their motivation.