FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has called upon Real Madrid to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and believes there will be a tussle between Real, Barcelona and Atletico for La Liga this season.

Infantino decided to air his opinions on Tuesday’s Cadena Ser’s El Larguero, a radio show broadcast on Tuesday, and said that the Spanish league would suffer a drop in quality without Ronaldo.

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Infantino said: “Cristiano is a ‘crack‘, one of those players who make us dream.

“That he is not playing in Spain any more means that Spanish football will have to look for someone to replace him. But I am convinced that Madrid have great players, champions.”

However, he believes that new Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui still has an outstanding squad to work with, going on to say:

“A team that loses Cristiano Ronaldo is weaker than a team with Ronaldo, but those white shirts have a phenomenal force. Madrid still have a spectacular team and a very strong coach in Lopetegui, so I believe this will be another good year for Real Madrid.”

Unsurprisingly, Infantino looked to Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann to provide the excitement for the coming season:

“We will have a very hard season after the World Cup, where Griezmann was champion. Simeone knows how to motivate his team. Barca have Messi.”

Real Madrid are looking to replace him following his exit to Juventus in a €100 million move. The club are rumoured to be interested in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, but a more realistic target could be Eden Hazard – though recent reports have suggest an offer of £170m or above could be required.