Madrid:The Spanish league season begins this weekend and it will be unlike any other in the last 17 years.
It will be the first without Lionel Messi, its all-time top scorer and one of its greatest players ever.
For the first time since 2004, Barcelona will be without Messi because it couldn't sign the Argentina star to a new contract due to its troubled financial situation.
The last time the league didn't feature Messi, the likes of Diego Simeone, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique were still playing instead of coaching.
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Real Madrid forward Vincius Jnior and Atltico Madrid forward Joo Flix were only 4 years old. Former Barcelona player Neymar was entering his teenage years and had just signed his first contract with the youth squad of Brazilian club Santos. Real Madrid target Kylian Mbapp was a 5-year-old whose bright future was as yet unknown.
Barcelona won the league only twice in the decade before Messi debuted. In the next 17 seasons, it won it 10 times. He won the league's scoring title a record eight times in that period, leaving with a record tally of 474 goals from 520 matches in the competition.
Now the Catalan club will have to find a way to succeed without Messi, and while still facing the difficult financial situation that led to his departure.
"When you lose the best player in history, you have to be realistic and understand that you lose a very important piece of the squad. He contributed with a lot of goals and assists," said Gerard Piqu, the veteran captain who arrived at Barcelona three years after Messi's debut.
"We won't be as talented as before and we have to make it up in other areas. The other players will have to step up and take up other roles. The team will have to adapt. In the end things will work out. We are Barcelona and we will keep competing for titles."
Coach Ronald Koeman, who was in his early managing years when Messi debuted, remained optimistic going into the home opener against Real Sociedad on Sunday.
"Despite Messi's departure, we are very excited about going into this new season, about our squad, about our new players, Koeman said Sunday before Barcelona's 3-0 win over Juventus in its final preseason match.