MADRID – First it was Neymar. Then Cristiano Ronaldo. And now, very likely, it will be Lionel Messi.The Spanish league is about to see another top player leave one of its clubs, all within a four-year span.Messi’s departure would be another unwanted setback for the league, though it hopes to withstand the hit just like it did after Neymar and Ronaldo moved on.
The league wasn’t hugely affected financially after Neymar left Barcelona or Ronaldo left Real Madrid. It continued to grow and still got good money from television rights deals.But losing Messi could be a bigger problem, because for the first time in years the league wouldn’t have one of the two players who combined for 11 world player of the year awards recently.