SUMMARY
- At one point in time, "El Classico" between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona was the most watched soccer game in the world.
- However, the match has lost some of its luster and a former Real Madrid player has the reason behind it.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are two of the greatest soccer clubs on the planet. Both clubs have dominated European soccer for a long time. While Madrid is a 14-time UEFA Champions League winner, Barcelona has 27 La Liga titles and 77 trophies total in its history, including 6 UCLs. Hence, it is no surprise that when the two Spanish giants clash, it’s a massive occasion and the match is called the “El Classico.” However, according to a Madrid legend, the fixture is losing its glory.
Mesut Ozil played for the Los Blancos from 2010 to 2013 before a move to the Premier League. Ozil had 105 matches for the club and won 1 La Liga, 1 Copa del Rey, and 1 Supercopa. Recently, the 35-year-old sat down for an interview with the Spanish outlet, Marca, and discussed the world of soccer at present. There he discussed why “El Classico” might not be the most-watched game in the world anymore.
He added, “In my day, it was the most important match in world football… Unfortunately for us, Barcelona was probably the best Barcelona in history. Barcelona under Pep was on another level, completely different… At present, I think the world’s interest is more focused on games like Liverpool-Manchester City or other Premier League clashes… I think the level of the Clásico has dropped, and that’s a shame. But it’s not Real Madrid’s fault, as they are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the world. The problem is Barcelona, who lost the level.”
Aside from Barcelona’s decline in recent years, another factor behind the lower viewership is the lack of star power. When legends like Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Xavi were playing for Real and Barcelona, the entire world had its eye on the match. Since Ronaldo and Messi’s exit from La Liga, a lot of the fan base has also turned away from the match. However, that may change in the upcoming season.
As per reports, French superstar and PSG winger Kylian Mbappe is on his way to Madrid. Along with Erling Haaland, Mbappe is the biggest superstar in the world of soccer and his addition to Real would mean a lot of eyeballs on La Liga. On top of that, the addition of Jude Bellingham has also been a huge boost. As for Barcelona, the teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is also turning heads.
FC Barcelona is going through another managerial change
In the 2022-23 season, FC Barcelona seemed to finally get its mojo back in La Liga. After taking over from Ronald Koeman, Xavi Hernandez transformed Barca and the team won the La Liga title in the 2022-23 season. They won 28 matches with 4 draws and only 6 defeats. However, things fell apart in the 2023-24 season where they failed to win a single trophy and are currently 8 points behind the league leader, Real Madrid.
Amid all the chaos, Xavi announced that he would be leaving the club after the 2023-24 season. After the January 2024 clash against Villarreal, where Barca lost 3-5, the manager added, “I had taken days ago but today was the moment to announce it. I don’t want to be a problem. I want to be a solution for Barça as I was two years ago.” (h/t via FC Barcelona)
– Eight points back of Real Madrid in LaLiga 😬
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 16, 2024
– Out of UCL ❌
– Xavi leaving 🚶
– Eliminated by Athletic Club in Copa del Rey 🫠
Barcelona’s nightmare 2023-24 season continues pic.twitter.com/qe11uUNuzi
While there were reports that Barcelona initially tried to change Xavi’s mind about the decision, the Champions League quarter-final loss against PSG derailed that and his position remained unchanged. Hence the future of the club remains up in the air. On top of that, the financial woes might force the Culers to sell some of their best players such as Frenkie De Jong.
So Mesut Ozil is not wrong when he suggested that Barcelona has lost a step. Aside from that, Premier League teams have also made significant improvements. Teams such as Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal already have huge fanbases and the rise of Manchester City has turned the league into a must-watch for fans all around the world.
Recently, the matches between City and Liverpool have been some of the most tactically fought battles with incredibly high-paced action. However, with coaches like Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola involved, the quality of soccer was never in doubt. So La Liga will have to do a lot of hard work before becoming the most attractive league once more.
Mesut Ozil retired from soccer in 2023
During his prime, Mesut Ozil was one of the best-attacking midfielders the sport had ever seen. In his career, Ozil has scored 114 goals and provided 220 assists in 645 matches. Aside from his accolades with Real Madrid, the German player has won 4 FA Cups and 1 FA Community Shield with Arsenal. He also has 1 DFB-Pokal with German club Werder Bremen, and the FIFA World Cup 2014 with the German national team.
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After his controversial exit from Arsenal, Ozil went to the Turkish side Fenerbahce and from there to Istanbul Basaksehir. He ultimately retired from soccer in March 2023 after playing the sport professionally for 18 years.