Former Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil has recently stated that he thinks the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, also known as El Clasico, has lost its intensity due to Barcelona’s decline in potential.
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This statement was made prior to Real Madrid’s La Liga El Clasico match against Barcelona on Sunday. Mesut Ozil shared his opinion with Marca, a Spanish sports news outlet.
“At that time, it was the most important match in world football. Unfortunately for us, Pep’s Barça was perhaps the best Barça in history. It was at another level, certainly different from today’s Barça,” Mesut Ozil said.
“I think that right now worldwide attention is more focused on games like Liverpool-Manchester City or other Premier League duels. Here, I think the Clásico has gone down and that’s a shame.”
Ozil added: “But that’s not Real Madrid’s fault, as they are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the world. The problem is Barça, who have lost potential. Barcelona are struggling; they are trying. They have good players in all positions, but they have had too many injuries this season and maybe they should look a bit more at themselves and their mistakes and stop complaining about the referees all the time.”
