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La Liga
This is the League that has been devastated by the departure of two greats of Football. One is the iconic midfielder and silent guardian of Barcelona, Andres Iniesta and the other one was the main-man of Madrid and La Liga, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi must have been feeling dejected now after a below-par World Cup. These two departures have added to his woes. For him, Iniesta was the avenger and Ronaldo was the rival motivation. With due respect to everyone, the competition he brought to Messi is not supposed to be paralleled by any other player in La Liga.
However, as we have seen in the last season when things had looked bleak for Barcelona, Lionel rose to the occasion and showcased why he is considered to be a worthy candidate of GOAT. He almost single-handedly clinched the La Liga and Copa del Rey, with of course, some able support from Coutinho, Rakitić, Iniesta and Suarez. He is one of the best of all time in the business in La Liga and other leagues combined.
Luka Modric and Isco will have to do a lot of work with Ron-less Madrid. It is going to be a huge ask for them to catch the levels of Messi. Modric though has a chance to go to the podium for Ballon d'Or. However, the second half of the season will be the decider this time as no one is an outright favourite.
Griezmann will have to carry on his form from the world cup. He is expected to fill the void created by the departure of Ronaldo in La Liga. He has been presented with a golden opportunity and responsibility to be the best after Messi in the league.
We have one addition to the list of great players in the League, Thibaut Courtois. He is a tough nut to crack in front of the goal. Messi - Courtois duel will make the El Classico more intriguing.
