Lionel Messi is past his best, says La Liga's managing director-India

Spanish Leagues managing directorIndia Jose Antonio Cachaza has justified Barcelonas decision to let go of their talismanic superstar Lionel Messi and said the Argentine is past his primeBarcelona are one of the many European clubs that have headed towards a financial crisis by the Covid19 pandemicThe Catalans let go of the Argentine after club president Joan Laporta admitted last month that they cannot afford to pay the star midfielders high wagesPSG were quick to sign Messi by offering him a twoyear contract in the process ending his 20year association with the Spanish club during which he won 35 titlesCachaza said though it was difficult to see a player like Messi depart he felt the league will continue to growLosing a player like Messi is never good news but lets not forget that he is 34 and PSG has just offered him a twoyear contract which was going to be the case at Barcelona too Though we like to see his skills the truth is he is far from his best Cachaza said during a virtual interaction La Ligas managing directorIndia Jose Antonio CachazaHe added The same happened with Cristiano Ronaldo When he left Real Madrid he was past his best If you compare Juventus results before and after Ronaldo it tells the storyWhen asked if La Liga will see a dip in the viewership now that they have no superstars to promote the league Cachaza said its the clubs that are important while players come and goWe have two of the best clubs in Real Madrid and Barcelona Now Atletico Madrid too have a fan base all over the world Fans have a relationship with the club regardless who plays Cachaza saidAlso read Lionel Messi makes PSG debut but Kylian Mbappe steals showExplaining further Cachaza said According to a study the club which has managed to retain most of their fans despite difficult seasons has been Manchester United who hardly had superstars a few years back Even when David Beckham and Ronaldo left the fans continued to support the club That tells you the story that the clubs are important Real and Barcelona are rebuilding their squads They will need a couple of years And in future they will have players who will appeal to the fansCachaza also hit out at PSG for harming the football ecosystem by resorting to financial dopingThe way PSG are flexing their financial muscles it is harming football They are not respecting the UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations It is impossible to compare what they are paying to their players with the Spanish League Our president Javier Tebas said that if you look at the numbers closely PSG have increased their salary cap to 100m euros while the broadcast revenue of the French League has dropped by 4037 and they too suffered economically like everyone else due to Covid19 The stateowned clubs are acting under financial doping and they can destroy the ecosystem of football Cachaza signed off