Sports

LaLiga president rates Messi above Ronaldo, Neymar

Published

5 years ago

August 27, 2019

LaLiga president, Javier Tebas, has said both Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, are not as important to the league as Lionel Messi.

Neymar has been linked with a move back to Spain, only two years after he left the Camp Nou.

The Brazil forward has been linked with a return to Barca and Real Madrid.

And Tebas admitted that he would like to have Neymar back in Spain, wherever he ends up, but the presence of the Brazilian would not be as vital as that of former team-mate Messi, when it comes to growing the league’s popularity overseas.

“Yes, of course [I’d like Neymar to return]. With his qualities he’s in the top three players in the world. It would be very important for La Liga if he came again, although it wouldn’t be defining for the Spanish league.

“The defining thing is that we play 10 months a year, with 20 clubs each playing each other and generating passion and joy each weekend for fans in Spain and across the world.

“A player like Neymar gives you a following in countries that look out for him, but he’s not an essential element, not even Cristiano Ronaldo was. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, is an essential element because he’s the heritage of La Liga,” Tebas told Marca.