Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona didn’t have too much of an effect on the viewership of La Liga on social media in India, La Liga India managing director Jose Antonio Cachaza said during a virtual media interaction on Wednesday.

The Spanish league stays confident that in terms of social media, the numbers haven’t fallen although the same cannot be said about television viewership. “When it comes to the league’s popularity on social media, Messi’s departure has had no impact,” said Cachaza.

“In terms of television viewership, we cannot really say because we are changing the way we count... Overall, the figures are good. So even if there was an effect, it wasn’t radical.”

Cachaza added: “One of our biggest assets is FC Barcelona, and they have not been doing too many exciting things since the beginning of the season. So it’s not only about Leo Messi leaving as there are still some adjustments being done.”