JOIN USEx-Real Madrid defender Sanz says El Clasico won't be affected by Messi's departure
As the world gears up to witness an El Clasico without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time in nearly 16 years, the Spanish league, or La Liga, maintained that the Argentine's departure would neither affect the viewership nor the brand of the 119-year-old rivalry.
In an interaction with Indian media, Fernando Sanz, a Champions League winner with Real Madrid in 1998 and Director of the La Liga Ambassadors Project, asserted that the clubs that make the league's showpiece duel, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, were bigger than any player.
"The brand of Real Madrid and the brand of Barcelona are bigger than the players because we are talking about clubs with more than 100 years of history," he said.
Sanz said that when Ronaldo left Los Blancos for Juventus in 2018, the Spanish top flight's viewership figures increased. It would be no different with Messi's departure to Paris Saint-Germain, he said, adding that he expects 600 million people to watch Sunday's match.
When asked about the rumours surrounding Kylian Mbappe's possible transfer to Real Madrid, the former Malaga skipper, co-owner and chairman quipped that the arrival of 22-year-old World Cup winner (currently Messi's teammate in PSG) to Spain was important for both the club and the league. "It is important for these type of stars to arrive in our competition," he stressed.
Though he chose not to predict a scoreline for the fierce duel, he said that the match could herald a new rivalry — similar to that of Ronaldo and Messi — between Madrid's Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr and Barcelona's wunderkinds Ansu Fati and Gabi. Sanz suggested that the teenager Fati, who agreed to a new six-year contract with the club, could be the Catalan side's new flagbearer.
"I think the new flagbearer of Barcelona will be Ansu Fati, because he took the number 10 jersey of Messi," the Spaniard said.
Real Madrid are currently placed second in the league, three points behind leaders Real Sociedad with a game in hand. Barcelona, on the other hand, are having an unimpressive season under Dutch manager Ronald Koeman and are placed 7th in the league and two points behind their Sunday opponents Madrid. The Gerard Pique-led side clinched their first win in this season's Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday, courtesy of a lone goal from the skipper.
The El Clasico will kick off on Sunday at 7:45 pm. The match will be streamed live on Voot.
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