“Our viewership numbers have continued to rise” – La Liga India managing director dismisses talk about Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi departures having negative effect on league

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's departures from Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, were considered a huge loss to La Liga by the football world. However, La Liga India's managing director, Jose Cachaza, insists that their viewership has been unaffected by the duo's exit.

Cristiano Ronaldo put an end to his spell in the Spanish top flight when he left Real Madrid for Juventus in a deal worth €100 million in the summer of 2018. Lionel Messi also bid farewell to La Liga as he ended his association with Barcelona last year to join PSG.

Being the two most followed superstars in the football world, everyone believed that their exits would lead to a decline in the league's viewership. Jose Cachaza, however, maintains that viewership has climbed steadily ever since their departure.

When asked if the duo's departures had a negative effect on the number of viewers in the nation, Cachaza told HindustanTimes.com (via Business Outreach):

“No. Our viewership numbers have continued to rise, our social media following has increased, and so have our sponsorships. That is the essence of the game; players don’t last forever, teams do.”

La Liga missed out on two huge acquisitions during the summer transfer window as Real Madrid and Barcelona failed in their attempts to sign Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, respectively.

Cachaza believes that isn't much of a setback as the league still owns two world-class strikers in Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema as well as many bright prospects. He continued:

“Of course, we want to have the best players. We want to have Haaland and Mbappe in La Liga. Maybe one day they will come. But for example, we have two of the best strikers in the world playing for Real Madrid (Karim Benzema) and Barcelona (Robert Lewandowski)."

"We have some of the most promising young players playing for Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico like Vinicius, Ansu Fati, Rodrygo, and Joao."

It goes without saying that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably the two greatest players in La Liga history.

During his time at Real Madrid, the Portuguese recorded 311 goals and 95 assists in 292 appearances. Meanwhile, his Argentine counterpart bagged 474 goals and 216 assists for Barcelona in 512 matches.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi linked with La Liga return

The duo marked an era in the Spanish top flight.

Ronaldo was linked with a return to the Spanish top flight during the summer transfer window as there was much speculation about his future at Manchester United. But he ended up staying put at Old Trafford.

Messi, meanwhile, continues to be linked with a return to Barcelona. The club's president Joan Laporta recently promised that he would do everything he could to bring the five-time Ballon d'Or winner back to the Catalan capital.