Ex-Real Madrid midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, has reacted to Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona.
The Nou Camp outfit officially announced that Messi will be leaving as a free agent this summer.
The 34-year-old’s contract with Barcelona expired on July 1 and he was believed to have agreed on fresh terms on half of his wages.
However, the new contract could not be finalised “due to financial and structural problems [rules relating to the Spanish topflight league],” an official club statement revealed.
Reacting to the development, Adepoju insisted that Messi’s exit from Barcelona would be no catastrophe for LaLiga.
“Just like every other big player that has left La Liga, Messi’s departure would really be felt. However, that will never be the end of the league,” Adepoju told Goal.
“As you know, several great players have come and gone, yet La Liga remains and the quality was never affected.
“When [Cristiano] Ronaldo left, everybody missed him, but the Spanish top flight continued because there are several big stars in the league.”
He added, “Looking at this objectively, you will see that there has been a huge economic loss because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Probably that is the angle where Barcelona are coming from.
“He is the club’s highest-paid player and meeting his financial demands might be very difficult during this period. Messi has achieved a lot with the club and if everything was okay, they would have wanted him to stay.
“It is just unfortunate, and his departure is a big loss to Barcelona.”
