Lionel Messi makes surprising comment about Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid

Sripad
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Lionel Messi has revealed that he was surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid this summer. The two have been rivals for a long time now and the healthy competition in LaLiga was a treat for the audience.

However, after 9 years at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo finally decided to leave the club. He joined Juventus for a whopping €112 million, signing a 4-year contract with the Serie A champions.

The topic of Ronaldo leaving Madrid came up with the Messi was talking to Catalunya Radio. He was asked if he still thinks Real Madrid are a threat to their LaLiga title and if Ronaldo's departure has made them weak.

"Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world and they have a great squad [but] it's evident that the absence of Ronaldo makes them less good and makes Juventus [one of the] clear favourites to win the Champions League," Messi said.

Continuing to talk about Ronaldo's departure, Messi said he was surprised at the Portuguese international's decision. The Argentine also said that he never imagined the former Manchester United star would leave the Bernabeu

"It surprised me. I didn't imagine him leaving Madrid or joining Juventus. There were a lot of teams that wanted him. It surprised me, but he has gone to a very good team," added Messi.

The Barcelona star now believes that Juventus are the clear favourites for the Champions League trophy this season. Madrid have won it three consecutive times now, and the Argentine believes that this season, the monopoly will be over.

"It makes Juventus a clear favourite to win the Champions League due to the squad they had before and now with him on top. I was surprised by his decision, I did not think he would go from Madrid nor that he would go to Juventus. There were so many teams, and I heard less about Juve, but it is a very good team," admitted Messi.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram