La Liga president Javier Tebas has said he wants to attract managers such as Liverpool‘s Jurgen Klopp, Manchester City‘s Pep Guardiola and Tottenham‘s Jose Mourinho to La Liga to help it grow, as well as players like Juventus‘ Cristiano Ronaldo.
Tebas, at the helm of the Spanish Football League (LFP) since 2013, has pushed for La Liga to compete with the Premier League on an economic level.
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“We always want the best,” Tebas said.”I want [Lionel] Messi in La Liga. Just as I want Mourinho, Guardiola, Klopp, Cristiano [Ronaldo]… All of those would help us grow.”
Mourinho and Guardiola have already coached in Spain at Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
Klopp, who steered Liverpool to the Premier League title last season, has reportedly been targeted by Barcelona in recent seasons.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid as the club’s all-time leading scorer in July 2018 to join Juventus in a €100 million transfer deal.
Reports in Spain have linked the Portugal captain with a return to Madrid in summer 2021.
Messi, meanwhile, has not signed a contract extension with Barcelona and becomes a free agent next summer.
The Argentina captain wanted to leave Barca in August but was forced to take a U-turn when the Catalan giants demanded his €700m release clause. La Liga sided with Barca on Messi’s contract dispute.
“I remember I said [back in August] that Messi was not essential,” Tebas added.
“We are working in the event that [Messi’s departure] happens one day. Players are very important but they are not essential.
“Any league which manages itself based on what player it will add makes a mistake.
“Stars can help you in certain regions but in order to be global, you need to have a good product. We have created a unique product. We have already signed our audiovisual rights for the next four seasons and in none of those contracts does it state that we will be paid less if these players leave.
“But I insist, I would like Messi to continue many years here. He is the best football player in the history and my wish is for him to end his playing career in Spain.”