'There was life before Messi, there will be life after'

As the La Liga kick off their new season on Friday, the league is still reeling from the impact of Lionel Messi publicly expressing his intention to leave.

Had the Barcelona star left, with Manchester City rumoured to be his preferred destination, it would have surely been a huge hit for the Spanish League.

The league has been pushing the boat out to the Asian markets by scheduling matches at more convenient times and organising more events. Cristiano Ronaldo's move from Real Madrid to Juventus two years ago ended one of the most fascinating rivalries in world football and had Messi followed him this season, it could have been a big blow.

However, the Argentine superstar's decision to stay, grudgingly though it might be, means La Liga, at least for another season, can count on Messi's popularity as well.

Nevertheless, Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director of La Liga India, believes more has been made of the situation that it needed

"Of course we will remember Messi and Cristiano who gave some of the greatest competition and what they gave to La liga for 10 years. But they are players approaching the end of their careers. Players come and go but clubs and leagues stay. Real Madrid and Barcelona are clubs with over 100 years of history," he said.

"It's a problem when you lose the best player in the world. Two years ago Cristiano left, it was a loss but in terms of audience and growth there was no impact. Messi leaving will have more impact than Cristiano. But there was life before Messi, there will be life after Messi."

Messi might still end up leaving come end of the season but it is for sure that there is more to La Liga than Messi.

The rebuilding process at Real Madrid and Barcelona, under Ronald Koeman, means there is an opportunity for another team to break the dominance of the big two in the league.

Atletico Madrid, the only team to break the duopoly, remains a strong favourite. Villarreal and Sevilla are quietly building a solid team. Valencia are in shambles. All the makings of an interesting league.

There are also talks ongoing between Indian Super League clubs and the La Liga counterparts too, which bodes well for the former. The Spanish influence in Indian football has been big in the recent past and this is just adding to it.

"We are in conversation with some clubs other than Atletico (who tied up with Jamshedpur FC) with clubs from ISL but not much to say there. Still early stages," confirmed Cachaza.