Javier Tebas confident ‘LaLiga is top’ as it expands Middle East footprint

DUBAI: The smile on Javier Tebas’ face, even before the question had been completed, was telling.

The president of LaLiga was once again asked to address the notion that Spain’s top division had lost some of its lustre in recent years following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in 2018, and Lionel Messi from Barcelona, in the summer of 2021.

Tebas told Arab News: “Although they went to different teams, Messi to PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) and Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, their (league’s) popularity has not increased. Ligue 1 and Serie A are similar. LaLiga remains top.”

LaLiga returns to action on Dec. 29 with two fixtures that see Girona host Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao visit Real Betis. The following two days will see the completion of the season’s 15th round of matches.

Messi may be the name on everyone’s lips after his glorious World Cup win with Argentina, while Ronaldo has made the news for a series of setbacks starting before Qatar 2022 had even kicked off, but for LaLiga it is business as usual.

Real Madrid and Barcelona remain arguably the two most popular teams in the Middle East region and the profile of Spanish football’s top division is, according to Tebas, as strong as ever, and not just because of the big two.

He said: “The popularity level is the same as in Latin America. There is a lot of talk about Atletico Madrid, about Valencia, Sevilla. The popularity is increasing worldwide, but especially here in the Middle East, and in South American countries, in Latin American countries. It is at the same level.”

Tebas was speaking to Arab News while on a trip to Dubai, during which the LaLiga signed a joint venture agreement with Galaxy Racer — one of the world’s leading