Where are the stars? LaLiga starts the “Year 1 after Messi”

The national striker from Europa League winners FC Villarreal did not become top scorer in the Primera División last season with 23 goals only because Messi (once again) struck even more often - and won the “Pichichi” title for the eighth time. Now Moreno can hope for the crown more than ever because Messi left FC Barcelona after 17 years in the first division and moved abroad to Paris Saint-Germain - but the 29-year-old is anything but happy before the start of the league this Friday.

There was nothing to celebrate after the Argentine's departure, he said. “We all lose, not just FC Barcelona,” emphasized Moreno, who scored the 1-1 draw for Villarreal in the lost Super Cup game against Chelsea FC on Wednesday evening. The trade newspaper AS , wrote that the start of the 91st season of the First League was accompanied by “oppressive feelings”. There is a mood of mourning over the departure of the last really big star, and not just in the football scene. Tennis king Rafael Nadal made no secret of his sadness. “It will be very sad not to be able to enjoy Messi every weekend anymore.” Important detail: Nadal is not a Barça fan, but a supporter of arch-rival Real Madrid. The big names from before are missing Just a few years ago, the Primera División was considered the strongest and most attractive league in the world. At times they had the three most well-known kickers: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Messi - alongside other "talking-worthy" stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mesut Özil & Co. Before that was the time of the Real "Galactists" around David Beckham, Brazil's Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane plus Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and many more. The fact that former Real captain Sergio Ramos has now moved to Paris alongside Messi completes the decline that began with the departures of Neymar (2017) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2018). Frenkie De Jong is FC Barcelona's most valuable player. © SID / CRISTINA QUICLER

A few facts show that things are going downhill in sports. For example, this: After Spanish clubs won the Champions League five times in a row between 2014 and 2018, they haven't even made it to the final in the past three years. Things are also looking bleak financially as a result of sporting malaise, mismanagement and the pandemic. Barça alone has debts totaling around 1,2 billion euros. A consulting firm estimates that without Messi, club revenues will fall by 171 million euros per year. LaLiga's losses are likely to be many times higher, because in important markets such as China or the USA, interest in games such as Deportivo Alavés against Real on Saturday or Barcelona against San Sebastián on Sunday is likely to continue to decline. The clubs have no money A newspaper report also shows that the clubs have no money El País : According to this, all LaLiga clubs only spent 127 million euros on reinforcements this summer. This puts them well behind the English Premier League (935 million), the Italian Serie A (373), the Bundesliga (318) and even behind the French Ligue 1, although PSG didn't have to spend a cent on Messi or Ramos. Keyword mismanagement: In the summer of 2019, LaLiga was still shopping for 1,5 billion despite high debts.

League boss Javier Tebas is aware of the threatening situation and therefore reached a controversial agreement with an investor from Luxembourg, which was approved on Thursday by the clubs in the 1st and 2nd leagues with 38 votes to 4, including defending champion Atlético Madrid . The former Formula 1 owner CVC will take over a 2,7 percent stake in Spanish professional football for the next 10,95 years for almost 50 billion euros.

Barcelona and Real meanwhile voted against it along with two other clubs. The Royals had even threatened legal action to prevent the deal. However, due to a compromise solution reached shortly before the vote, according to the media, there will probably be no dispute: the two top clubs will therefore remain unaffected by the deal. You don't get any money, but you don't give up any rights either. Surprising? Absolutely not. Despite resistance from UEFA and many fans, the two major clubs continued to support the creation of the controversial Superliga, which would further cement the two-tier society in football. Trouble and new problems are therefore programmed.

ES Primera Division International	SP	TV	P
1. Real Madrid	32	70:22	81
2. FC Barcelona	32	64:37	70
3.Girona F.C.	32	67:40	68
4. Atletico Madrid	32	59:38	61
5. Athletic Bilbao	32	52:30	58
6. Royal Society	32	46:34	51
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Where are the stars? LaLiga starts the “Year 1 after Messi”

Gerard Moreno is probably the one who could benefit most from the departure of superstar Lionel Messi in Spain.

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