LaLiga: Could BOTH Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi leave Spain next summer?

Whenever the debate about which league is the best comes up, the majority acknowledge that LaLiga currently has the top two players in football: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The arguments about which is fairer, more competitive or more enjoyable to watch are less clear cut. However star power is what LaLiga wins on – but is that all about to change?

Where is confirmation of Messi’s new deal?

Messi’s contract situation at Barcelona continues to puzzle everyone in football. Barcelona announced that the two parties had agreed terms on a new four-year deal back in July. “FC Barcelona and Leo Messi have agreed on a contract renewal that will keep the Argentinian at the club until June 30th, 2021. The deal will be signed in the coming weeks, when Messi returns to the team for pre-season training.”

This news was then lost in the shuffle as his teammate, Neymar, left to join Paris Saint Germain. It’s no secret that Leo and Neymar are close friends, on and off the pitch, so to lose someone that important must have made Messi reconsider his future.

While money is often king in negotiations over contract renewals, for Messi the most important aspect is buying into the project. The allure of Barcelona is strong but he needs to feel – and see – that the club continues to share the same aspirations of dominating club football. Losing your second-best player and then having no contingency plan afterwards hardly demonstrates a clear vision going forward.

The club say everything is okay but will offer Messi ANOTHER deal soon

Trust in the current Barcelona chief, Josep Maria Bartomeu, is also a major concern. There was an unsuccessful challenge to his leadership as the season got underway. Good results might have saved Bartomeu from the chop but the knifes are still out at the Camp Nou. The failed attempt to bring in Philippe Coutinho, another slap in the face to fans who believed he could adequately replace Neymar.

According to Bartomeu, Messi is already playing under the terms of his new deal. So what’s the hold up? They simply haven’t had the time to take and release an official photo of the renovation. The concept of Messi, via his father, agreeing terms on a new deal isn’t in doubt. However the lack of confirmation is rightly unsettling supporters.

At the end of October, Barcelona CEO Oscar Grau went one further and said Messi was set to be offered yet another new contract. You know, before there’s official confirmation of his previous deal. “Messi signed a four-year deal in June but the club will offer him a lifetime contract. The idea is for Leo, who has been here since he was little, to stay for life because he’s an icon. After his playing days we want him to continue to be linked to the club.”

Are Barcelona simply waiting for Messi to agree a new ‘lifetime’ deal or have problems arisen from the initial conversations? I know I wouldn’t want the world to know my star player was entering the final six months of his deal. Could you imagine the fall out if they lost both Messi and Neymar within 12 months?

Cristiano ‘asks to leave Madrid next summer’

Real Madrid fans might be rubbing their hands together with joy at the prospect of their tormentor-in-chief moving on. But they too need to address the issues with their own star man. Cristiano Ronaldo is going through a poor spell in front of goal but according to ‘El Chiringuito de Mega’, he’s already told Florentino Perez he wants to leave next summer.

That’s right, the Portuguese hitman is upset again. “He’s very angry with the club and the offer he’s received (to renew),” so says Edu Aguirre. Apparently the issue isn’t about money – which is hard to believe – but for what he feels is a lack of support. Most notably from the higher ups at the club.

This story in itself isn’t new. When news first came out about Cristiano’s court case with the tax office here in Spain, reports said he wanted to leave Madrid. These stories originated from his native Portugal and centred about the same topic: no one was backing him up.

Does Cristiano need – or deserve – a new deal?

A renovation in itself seems quite a strange choice for Real Madrid to make at this stage of Cristiano’s career. His current deal runs until 2021, when he’ll be 36, and there seems little reason to discuss new terms. Maybe the injuries to teammate Gareth Bale signal that Cristiano is suddenly more important – both in the short and long term.

“I’m happy. I don’t want to renew.” These were Cristiano’s words after the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League. They can be seen in one of two ways. Was this Cristiano trying to quell talk of his apparent unrest at the club? Or was it a public declaration against the offer on the table?

The situations of Neymar and Bale do impact on the current values of Messi and Cristiano. With Neymar enjoying life in Paris and Bale spending more time in the injury room than on the pitch, Messi and Cristiano remain top dogs. New deals could keep the players sweet but both know they hold all the cards. Should they signal their intent to leave, they won’t be lacking in suitors either.

Manchester would be the likely destination

With Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City’s fine start to the season not going unnoticed in Europe, they are a genuine threat to Barcelona. Maybe they would be a more suitable project for Messi to wind down his career at. There’s also the chance to finally banish those questions about whether he could cut it on a cold, winter night in England.

Are City more likely to win the Champions League this season than Barcelona? This could also allow the club’s record goalscorer, Sergio Aguero, to exit with minimal fuss.

Manchester would be the most likely destination for Cristiano if he were to leave Madrid. However it’s the red side, not the blue, where he’d love to see out his career. It’d be a fine homecoming for the Portuguese star at a place where they still love him. Is he the star man who could lead Jose Mourinho’s assault on the Premier League trophy?

There’s less wriggle room for Cristiano due to those four years remaining on his existing deal. With Bale likely to move on in the summer it’d require something special from Madrid to let Cristiano leave too. Although there has been suggestions that if Neymar is unhappy in Paris, Perez could bring the Brazilian back to Spain.

It’s key to LaLiga’s pulling power that neither superstar leaves in the summer. If they do, it’s hard to see how the league on the whole would recover from it.