El Clasico is bigger than individuals, says Sanz
Former Real Madrid defender Fernando Sanz feels the absence of stalwarts such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will not have any bearing on the primacy of El Clasico. With the latest instalment between the fierce rivals set to be played at Camp Nou on Sunday, the 47-year-old Sanz shared his thoughts on a range of issues
By : migrator
Update: 2021-10-23 21:47 GMT
Chennai
EXCERPTS:
Without Messi and Ronaldo, do you think the stature of El Clasico will diminish?
When Ronaldo left Madrid there was still an increase in viewership figures, so I don’t think it affects. More than 600 million people watch the El Clasico worldwide, so I think the brand is much bigger than the players and the clubs have more than 100 years of history.
Who do you think is the future of Barcelona?
The one player it will look after the most will be Ansu Fati.
First El Clasico after Messi’s departure. Do you think it will weigh heavily on the minds of Barca players?
I think it has been affecting them since the beginning of this season as their performance has not been up to the mark.
Karim Benzema has been the in-form striker for Real, but Vinicius Jr has also had a good last game. Do you think that will give it an edge from the flanks as well?
I think the duo have been performing consistently for the past few games and this will definitely boost their confidence ahead of this important fixture.
What do you have to say about Kylian Mbappe now that he will be a free agent in the summer?
Hopefully, he will be ready to join Real Madrid as it has been pushing a lot for him.
With Barcelona, we hear rumoursevery week that Ronald Koeman will be sacked any moment. Is this the solution for the club?
I don’t think sacking him is a solution. He is doing a good job by giving opportunities to players from the academy, but the results are being affected by the dire economic situation.
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