El Clasico not special without Cristiano Ronaldo: Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has said that Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Santiago Bernabeu has taken a bit of gloss off El Clasico.

Ronaldo signed for Juventus and moved to Italy in the summer of 2018 after a decade long stint with Los Blancos. During Ronaldo’s stay at Madrid, El Clasico was not just a collective battle between Madrid and Barcelona, it was an individual battle between Ronaldo and Messi as well.

According to Messi, he personally has fond memories of competing against Ronaldo because the level of competition was so high and it was memorable for the supporters as well. It didn’t matter which team they were supporting, they were guaranteed to get to see high quality football.

“The matches against Real always mean a lot, but when Cristiano was there, they became much more special. I think people had fun too, whether they were fans of Madrid or Barca, or even only football fans in general.” DAZN quotes Messi.

Messi further talks about his own game and how he has changed as a player over the last couple of years.

The Barcelona skipper insists that he now looks to create opportunities for the team, rather than just looking to get himself in a position from where he could convert the opportunities. He doesn’t mind going deep to pick the ball and press high to set it up for somebody else who is in a position to convert.

Messi understands, if his goal-scoring ratio comes down, there will be discussions around it, but he reckons every footballer evolves as his career progresses and looks to find ways to contribute more for the team.

“I understand that people will talk about it when I stop scoring so many, but that's part of the game, part of growing as a player and adapting to the times.” Messi added.

Featured Image Credits: Fox Sports Asia