‘I didn’t imagine it’ – Messi surprised that Ronaldo left Madrid

Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi says he was surprised that his rival Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid to join Juventus this summer.

The Portuguese star left the European champions in a €100m deal, ending a direct rivalry in La Liga in which both players broke multiple scoring records.

“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 told Catalunya Radio.

“It surprised me [when he left]. 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.”

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The Argentine superstar went on to say it is time for Barcelona to lift the UEFA Champions League.

Barca last won the Champions League in the 2014-15 season and have failed to get beyond the quarter-finals since.

“It’s time. This year we have the Champions League again.

“We’ve gone out in the quarter-finals three years in a row and the last time was the worst of all, because of how we played and that we came with a result that was in our favour.

“We have to focus on the Champions League for the club, the team, and the fans. We have a spectacular team – that’s why we say that, because we can compete for the Champions League,” he stated.

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