MADRID: LaLiga President Javier Tebas has expressed his wish to see Lionel Messi back to Barcelona as he took a dig at Ligue 1, claiming that the Argentinian superstar is not getting the same exposure at Paris Saint Germain that he used to get at Barcelona.
Speaking in an interview with the Argentine publication Ole, Tebas said that the former Barcelona star was not only missed by his previous club but the whole football world was feeling his absence from the forefront.
After spending his entire career at Camp Nou, the 35-year-old left Barca last year as the club was unable to renew his contract due to financial constraints.
Messi joined PSG following his departure from the Spanish League, signing a two-year contract, which will terminate at the end of the ongoing campaign.
With Argentina’s captain poised to become a free agent this summer, a possible return to Barcelona has been hotly discussed. Tebas, however, did not shy away from admitting that he wanted to see Messi return to Spanish football.
“I hope he comes back. Above all, it would also be good for him to return to Spanish football, especially to the team that saw him born.” he expressed during the Ole Sports Summit.
Meanwhile, La Liga president took a swipe at PSG and Ligue 1, asserting that the number of fans tuning in to watch Messi play in the French top league is considerably lower than what it used to be when he was at Barcelona.
“I think that Messi is not only missed in La Liga, but he is also missed in football, because the French league is what it is, right?” he said. “I think that no matter how much he is at PSG, he is followed much less than when he was at Futbol Club Barcelona.”
“Therefore, football misses Lionel Messi and we hope he has a great World Cup, because there we will all be able to see him again. I don’t see all the fans watching PSG against Nantes, I don’t see it. With Barça, within a league, I did see him much more often,” he added.
Furthermore, Tebas claimed that Messi’s decision to part ways with Barcelona was a misstep. He said, “I think it was a mistake even for him, in my opinion, to break that marriage, that alliance since he was born in football, because it would have helped him a lot with continuity, like the Messi-Barca brand, which is very important for a player.”
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