“A Direct Rival? No”: Real Madrid Manager Does Not Consider FC Barcelona as Competition Anymore

Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona was the rivalry that ruled the early parts of the last decade. The form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi was in direct relation with that of Barca and Madrid, and fans of both the clubs were always at odds to see who will come out on top. However, things have changed now.

Real Madrid lost Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in 2018, and the Portuguese forward has since changed clubs to go back to Manchester United. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi finally left FC Barcelona this summer and joined French club Paris Saint Germain. Their departures have had direct effects on the two La Liga giants.

Real Madrid and their decline after selling Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid went through a time period of crisis, where they sacked two managers in one season and needed Zinedine Zidane to step up. This season, Madrid’s manager is Carlo Ancelotti, who won them the La Decima, Madrid’s 10th UEFA Champions League title.

Madrid is on top of the La Liga table, and have qualified to the Round-of-16 in the UCL. Carlo Ancelotti is very happy with this team which is now firing on all cylinders. In a recent interview, Ancelotti talked about their perennial rivals FC Barcelona.

“A direct rival? No. They’re further back than Sevilla, Atletico, Betis,” the Italian said.

The facts behind Carlo Ancelotti’s statements

It’s a huge statement to make for a club that has closely competed with Madrid for decades. While Madrid is opening up the lead at the top of the table, FC Barcelona is in 7th place, a whopping 15 points behind Madrid.

Lionel Messi’s departure has hurt the club and after they sacked their manager Ronald Koeman, and appointed former midfielder Xavi. That move made sense when they did, but after looking at their form right now, Barcelona haven’t improved and the club is still struggling under the helms of a manager who has only ever managed one other club in his career.

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