Former Barcelona player Jordi Cruyff has warned his former club to learn from what happened at Real Madrid after the departure of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking to the Sport, the Chongqing Dangdai Lifan coach said the form of Real Madrid is a “warning” to Barcelona when it comes to Barca star Lionel Messi.
Portugal star stunned the football world when he switched his loyalties to Italian champions Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window for a record Euro 100million.
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CR7 spent nine years with La Liga giants and guided them to four Champions League victories. Following his departure from Madrid, the 13 times Champions League winners are struggling to cope up with the absence of club’s record goalscorer. Though Messi’s contract with Barca will end in 2021, Cruyff has urged them to learn from Real’s mistakes.
“What happened to Madrid is a warning for Barca,” Cruyff said, before adding, “Madrid players are still great, but in football you need that player who even losing 2-0 you think you can win. It happens with Messi.”
Cruyff further said, “It’s much more than football… it is belief.”
The former Netherland player also said Ronaldo – like Messi at Barca – was holding Madrid together.
“You analyse Madrid and you see that Cristiano was the man who holds the umbrella,” he said. “When it rains, nobody gets wet. Now, there is no umbrella.”
