Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo helped LaLiga rule football and major changes could restore powerhouse status

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World Cup glory, two Euros wins as well as seven LaLiga triumphs out of a possible ten in the Champions League - it's clear who ruled the football.

The unofficial decade between 2008 and 2018 was the golden period in Spanish football with LaLiga being spearheaded by the sport's all-time greats - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi graced Spain's top flight for a 15-year period

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Messi graced Spain's top flight for a 15-year periodCredit: AFP

Ronaldo joined the party in the summer of 2009 as the league's golden era was in its infancy

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Ronaldo joined the party in the summer of 2009 as the league's golden era was in its infancyCredit: AFP

A sudden departure to Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2018 saw one of the top prize assets in Ronaldo go - but no matter, the league always had Messi to fall back on.

However, it became a promotion crisis three years later when what many would've deemed unthinkable happened - Messi left Barcelona and Spain altogether.

The attempt at the controversial European Super League by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could have put Spain's top flight in disarray.

But recent seasons suggest LaLiga is returning to its former glory, albeit in a more gradual and in a very different way.

The Boost LaLiga project at the end of a miserable 2021 for the league saw clubs receive €2billion from the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in exchange for an 8.2 per cent share of the league's income from broadcasting and sponsorship rights for the next 50 years.

This plan understandably caused controversy with Real Madrid leaders in voicing discontent at it.

But the Boost LaLiga benefits are taking shape.

“The LaLiga clubs are working a lot now with Boost LaLiga, with CVC, the CVC DL. We are working all together," Real Mallorca CEO Alfonso Diaz told talkSPORT.com.

Diaz also detailed what the Boost LaLiga project entails at the clubs' end and predicts the league to continue making huge growth in the coming years.

“We are sharing a lot of experiences, information. We are meeting together to work hard in the same line. So this is our strategy at LaLiga," he added.

Diaz (right) believes things will only get better for Spain's top flight

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Diaz (right) believes things will only get better for Spain's top flightCredit: Getty

“We are investing a lot on the restructuring of the clubs, in the infrastructures, on investing on the basement of the growth for the clubs. So we are now in that line.

“So I think that in the next few years we will grow a lot. LaLiga clubs will grow a lot and we see we are an example.

“We have grown 60 per cent of our revenues before we started the renovation [of the stadium] and now we have a big increase on our fan base, 46 per cent more season ticket holders.

“So all the clubs are growing from the base, from the structure. And this investment is a boost for all of us. And I think that day by day we will be growing and achieving more revenues to continue to make LaLiga bigger again.

“The clubs are becoming more and more solid from the structure and from the plan we were working together," Diaz continued.

“So we have these new stadiums, new match days, the match day experience is really good and amazing. And it's making LaLiga more attractive now for players.

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham were heavily linked with Premier League moves during LaLiga's transition phase, but they chose Spain instead

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Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham were heavily linked with Premier League moves during LaLiga's transition phase, but they chose Spain insteadCredit: Getty

“We saw Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham [at Real Madrid], and FC Barcelona are bringing very good players, too.

“So I think that we are now in a new era, a new phase with new players, new infrastructure, new stadiums.

“All of the clubs are doing it; Real Madrid, Barcelona and all of the clubs.

"So I think that LaLiga in the next five years is going to change a lot and it's going to be very interesting for other players, for new fan bases and more international.”

Mallorca perfectly epitomises LaLiga's new ethos of thinking outside the box as they boast a unique ownership group consisting of legends from other sports.

They fell as low as the third tier in 2017 but are a team transformed as they currently lie sixth in LaLiga, reached the Copa del Rey final last season and are in the last four of the Supercopa de Espana in Saudi Arabia this week, with Real standing in their way of a place in the final.

Mallorca are mixing sixth in LaLiga and are mixing it with the big boys in the Supercopa de Espana

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Mallorca are mixing sixth in LaLiga and are mixing it with the big boys in the Supercopa de EspanaCredit: Getty

Their home ground, the Son Moix Stadium, has undergone a stunning £18million transformation since May 2022 which has seen its running track removed, while a canopy has also been built over the upper part of the eastern stand.

Arches were removed and replaced by additional usable space and the stadium's capacity increasing from 23,000 to more than 26,000.

“We have very special ownership, they have this winning mentality. They know a lot about sports, they have been former sportsmen," Diaz said ahead of Mallorca's Supercopa de Espana semi-final tie against Real Madrid.

“We have Andy Kohlberg who was a former tennis player, he is our main owner and president. We have Steve Nash, a basketball legend and Hall of Famer.

“We have Steve Kerr, nine times NBA champion, now the coach of the Golden State Warriors...

“So all of them know what sports is about, they have this passion, they know that they have this long-term view and they have this winning mentality.

“So it's really special to go with them day by day and every piece of advice that they are giving and the passion and the sport and the vision they have is amazing. So I think that is the big part of the success of the club."

The athletics track meant fans were far away from the action

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The athletics track meant fans were far away from the actionCredit: Getty

But the ground now has a very modern look

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But the ground now has a very modern lookCredit: Getty

Kerr (left) became a Mallorca shareholder in August 2023 while Nash (right) joined up back in 2016

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Kerr (left) became a Mallorca shareholder in August 2023 while Nash (right) joined up back in 2016Credit: Getty

As well as financial successes there have been on-pitch Spanish triumphs too with LaLiga giants Real Madrid winning two of the three Champions Leagues on offer since Boost LaLiga was launched, while Spain became European champions once again last summer.

The LaLiga powerhouse is back, albeit it in a different guise to before.

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